Channel 4 New Writers Scheme
Programme · 2026Prestige 70/100
Nine months developing a Channel 4 drama pilot. Free, unpaid, and only if you have no agent and no TV credit.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The last published cycle opened on 28 May 2025 and closed at 18:00 on 25 June 2025, and no window for the next cycle has been published anywhere. Be careful projecting from that: the window moved by roughly three and a half months between cycles, from 6 February to 1 March in 2024 to late May and June in 2025, and the programme year moved with it. Only two cycles are evidenced and they disagree, so there is no stable pattern. The careers page has been unchanged since at least January 2026 and still fronts the closed 2025/26 cycle, so watch Channel 4's talent schemes index rather than this page.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- UK residentsUnrepresented onlyNon-professional
- Open to
- United Kingdom
- Required materials
- One merged PDF containing a CV, the first eight pages of an original Channel 4 drama series script, and a separate one-page pitch for a different series idea · A second PDF answering three questions of 150 to 200, 150 to 200 and 250 to 300 words · Title pages must carry title, writer, contact, format such as 6 x 60 serialised drama, genre and a logline of around 50 words · Courier, Verdana, Calibri or Arial
The gate is unusually specific: open to new writers who are not represented by an agent, and Channel 4 cannot accept applications from writers with representation or with a writing credit for television. Prior experience in theatre, radio or short film is explicitly optional. Writing partnerships of two are allowed but both must qualify and apply separately. Regionally, applications are welcomed from writers living near one of Channel 4's hubs, being Bristol covering Wales and the west and south west of England, Glasgow covering Scotland, and Leeds covering northern England, with Northern Ireland added from the 2025 cycle. You may apply only once, to the hub closest to where you are based. Note this leaves London, the south east, the Midlands and the east of England without a hub; the scheme does not say they are excluded, it simply does not cover them. Original TV drama series only, with sub-genres such as comedy-drama welcomed. Adaptations of third-party material, novels, short stories, poems and short films are ineligible unless the original work is yours, and submissions must never have been in development with any third party. Participants commit to a minimum of ten hours of writing a week.
Prizes
No bursary, stipend or prize at any stage. Channel 4 is explicit that this is a free training programme, that it is unpaid, and that sessions are scheduled so most people can attend around a full-time job. What is covered is expenses: Channel 4 can provide financial support for travel costs including trains, flights and overnight accommodation for travel to and from training sessions. The real cost to a participant is time, at a minimum of ten hours of writing a week plus in-person training days every six to eight weeks. No option, first-look, first-refusal or exclusivity clause is published, though there is no scheme-specific terms document, so treat that as not published rather than confirmed absent.
Judging
Selected applicants join a nine-month programme of training days and mentoring, with a designated Channel 4 Drama commissioning contact assigned to read their script at the end. No feedback is given on unsuccessful applications. Training for the last cycle was led by John Yorke; individual mentors and script editors are not named. Around 20 places are advertised and 17 writers were selected for 2025/26.
The PreList verdict
The companion to 4Screenwriting, and it catches exactly the writer that scheme turns away. The gate is the point: no agent, and no television writing credit. If you have written for theatre, radio or short film and cannot get anyone to read a drama idea, this is one of the few doors in Britain built specifically for you. Nine months, training days across Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, and a Channel 4 Drama commissioning contact assigned to read your script at the end.
The honest part: it is unpaid and Channel 4 says so plainly, describing it as a free training programme scheduled so most people can attend around a full-time job. Travel and overnight accommodation to training days are covered on request, which is more than most offer, but there is no bursary and no fee for your time. Budget ten hours of writing a week for nine months. No feedback is given on unsuccessful applications, though selected writers get a commissioning contact reading their work.
Two practical things. The regional gate is real and leaves gaps: hubs cover Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds and Northern Ireland, which means London, the south east, the Midlands and the east of England have no hub to apply through. And do not plan around a date. The window shifted by three and a half months between the last two cycles, the page has sat unchanged since January still showing the closed 2025/26 round, and nothing has been announced for the next one. Sign up for their alerts rather than watching the page.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Who is actually eligible?
New writers with no agent and no television writing credit. Channel 4 states it cannot accept applications from writers with representation or a TV credit. Experience in theatre, radio or short film is welcome but not required, and writing partnerships of two may apply if both qualify.
Is it paid?
No. Channel 4 describes it as a free training programme that is unpaid, scheduled so most people can attend around a full-time job. Travel costs including trains, flights and overnight accommodation to training sessions can be covered on request, but there is no bursary.
Where do I need to live?
Near one of the hubs: Bristol covering Wales and the west and south west of England, Glasgow covering Scotland, Leeds covering northern England, plus Northern Ireland. You apply once, to your nearest hub. London, the south east, the Midlands and the east of England currently have no hub.
When does it open again?
Not published. The last window ran 28 May to 25 June 2025, but the cycle before ran in February and March 2024, a shift of three and a half months. With only two evidenced cycles that disagree, there is no reliable pattern, and the page has been static since January.
Is your script right for Channel 4 New Writers Scheme?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this programme: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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