Channel 4 has named the twelve writers who have won places on its 15th annual drama screenwriting course, 4Screenwriting.
From over 2000 scripts entered, Channel 4 pairs an aspiring writer with an experienced script editor and works with them on a series or serial pilot script over a five-month period. This includes motivational, creative and practical advice to kick-start their careers, with two weekends of talks and feedback from high-profile writers, producers, directors and from members of the Channel 4 commissioning team.
Previous 4Screenwriting alumni have gone forward to write on multiple Channel 4 drama shows including Hollyoaks, Ackley Bridge, On the Edge, Screw, Truelove, Queenie, The Light in the Hall with several of the recent course projects in active development with Channel 4 drama. Others are now writers with their own authored shows, writers on established series going into production or in major writers’ rooms with ITV, BBC, Channel 5, Sky, Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV and Disney+.
Recent alumni from the course who have created and written their own network shows include William Mager – Reunion; Catherine Moulton – Code of Silence; Grace Ofori-Attah – Malpractice (S1&2), Playing Nice; Charlie Covell – Kaos; Anna Symon – Joan; Cat Jones – The Jetty; Nathaniel Price – Mr Loverman and Chandni Lakhani – Department Q.
This year, the twelve writers who were selected and have completed the course are: Christopher Adams; Amy Arnold; Saskia Ashdown; Rhys Bevan; Ella Godfrey; Sarah Grochala; Mpona Lebajoa; En-Yu Li; Mads McRae; Liberty Mosse; Rory Platt and Tamsin Rees
A further nine writers were also recognised. As part of the scheme, they were partnered and mentored by someone working within the industry: Shola Asante (mentored by Jon Champion); Vito Bruno (mentored by Josephine Frankel); Nicole Darvill-Batten (mentored by Emily Grimshaw); Medeni Griffiths (mentored by Matthew Hirons); Indigo Hinton (mentored by Sam Cormor); Malaika Kegode (mentored by Victoria Asare-Archer); Neevon Khayati-Daryan (mentored by Roxy Cook); Antonia Tam (mentored by Maya Yousif) and Tom Ward-Thomas (mentored by Sam Tomlinson).
Guest speakers on this year’s course have included Charlie Covell (Kaos, The End Of The F***ing World), Imogen Greenberg (development producer at AC Chapter One), Sarah Linton (head of development at Instinct Productions), Lare Oyefusi (writer & development executive at Drama Republic), Thara Popoola (writer Sex Education, Queenie, Dreaming Whist Black), Nicola Shindler (chief executive at Quay Street Productions), Grace Ofori-Attah (writer Malpractice, Playing Nice), Kate Leys (Churchill, Benjamin), Hilary Norrish (Top Boy, Little Birds), Julia Tyrrell (literary agent at Julia Tyrrell Management), alongside Louise Donald, commissioning executive from Channel 4 drama.
This year, the course script editors are Jaleh Brazell, Inez Gordon, Megan Heverin and Philip Shelley. Alongside this, the course also trains four script editors who were Sophie Ivatts, Matt McNally, Jonathan Neil, Alice Salvage.
Louise Donald, Channel 4 Drama Commissioning Executive, says: “4Screenwriting, led by Philip Shelley, continues to be an essential springboard for new and emerging writers as they navigate their way into the industry. We are thrilled by the calibre of this year’s cohort and are excited to follow them as they take their next steps in their writing careers.”
The 4Screenwriting course is open to applicants without a screenwriting credit and provides the opportunity to work with a dedicated script editor to write an original script.
The course is run for Channel 4 by Philip Shelley who also runs his own Script Consultancy Service and the Greenlight Screenwriting Lab in Ireland.
Entries for the 2026 4Screenwriting course will be open in September.
Jon Creamer
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