Channel 4 New Writers Scheme

Eligibility and project requirements

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.

Formats

TV Pilot

Eligibility

UK residentsUnrepresented onlyNon-professional

Open to

United Kingdom

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 19 Oct 2026.

Prepare your entry

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.

Frequently asked questions