Drama indie Red Planet Pictures has announced the winner of its annual writing competition.
Red Planet said copywriter Tom Nash’s script Percentages was chosen as the stand-out story from a thousand exceptional entries.
Billed as a dark and compelling drama, Percentages delves into the pulsating world of professional football, telling the story of both the lives of the young sports stars and their ruthless, business-minded agents.
Red Planet Pictures CEO Tony Jordan said: "It’s incredibly tough to get your first break into this industry and I’m proud that Red Planet continues to use its time and resources to find the next generation of writers for television. Tom’s script is a real page turner, so I can’t wait to start working with him."
Nash said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. It’s so hard to break into the industry, so when you get proper recognition for your writing it gives you a massive confidence boost. I’m hoping it will be a big step towards becoming a full time scriptwriter. My mum Mary passed away just after I knew I’d made the second round, so I’d love to dedicate my win to her. She was always hugely supportive of my writing and would be thrilled.”
As the winner, Nash will now receive £5,000 for the continuing development of his script with a dedicated Development Producer at Red Planet Pictures. He will also receive a series of one-on-one masterclasses with some of the UK’s leading writers including Tony Jordan (Life on Mars, Hustle, Dickensian), Andrew Davies (Pride & Prejudice, Bleak House, War And Peace) and Sarah Phelps (And Then There Were None, The Casual Vacancy).
Tom currently works full time as a copywriter, and has been developing scripts for the past seven years. His previous work, Trivial Pursuits, was included in the 2013 BritList, whilst Full Nelson came third in the Screenwriting Goldmine contest.
The two runners-up this year were Stephen Davis with his atmospheric supernatural thriller Blue Lake, and Lauren Sequeira’s Magpie, a suspenseful detective drama with a criminal profiler at its heart.
The Red Planet Prize, which has been running for eight years, has enjoyed considerable success in uncovering some true hidden talent. Previous finalist Robert Thorogood created the BBC One smash hit series Death in Paradise, now starring Kris Marshall and produced by Red Planet Pictures, which returns to BBC One for a sixth series next year.
Staff Reporter
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