Screenwriting Weekender

Speakers

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  Russell T Davies

  Russell T Davies received an OBE in the Queen’s 2008 Birthday Honours list for services to television drama. His work includes the ground-breaking QUEER AS FOLK, BOB AND ROSE, CASANOVA and THE SECOND COMING. In 2004, he revived the classic British science fiction series DOCTOR WHO and he created TORCHWOOD. This was followed by the trilogy CUCUMBER, BANANA and TOFU. He then adapted A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL on BBC 1 followed by the 6-part drama YEARS AND YEARS for BBC One/HBO.  He wrote the acclaimed 5-part series IT’S A SIN for Channel 4/HBO MAX and a 3-part drama NOLLY for ITV. He has returned to the BBC to oversee DOCTOR WHO. His 5-part spin-off series THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA for BBC One/Disney+ is in post-production. Russell is currently in production for an original 5-part drama for Channel 4 called TIP TOE. 

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  Natasha Heliotis

  At See-Saw Films (Slow Horses, Heartstopper), Natasha Heliotis heads up development at in-house label fanboy – a new destination for creative talent to tell fresh and original stories that celebrate unique, underdog perspectives. First out of the stable was ‘coming-of-rage’ original comedy thriller Sweetpea.

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  Siobhan Morgan

  Siobhan Morgan is Head of Development at Warp Films where she oversees the slate including, most recently, the multi Emmy award-winning and global smash hit series Adolescence and BBC revenge thriller Reunion, which she also associate produced. Prior to Warp, Siobhan worked in BBC Drama as an Assistant Commissioner, where she worked across the BBC drama slate with a key focus on Northern writers and programmes.  

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  Kat Rose-Martin

  Kat Rose-Martin is a Bradford born and based writer/actor and inaugural winner of the Kay Mellor Fellowship. In 2020 she was part of BBC Writersroom Northern Voices. In 2021 she was selected for SKY COMEDY REP – a writer’s scheme with Birmingham Rep Theatre and Sky. Her latest play £1 Thursdays, was named “The finest new play I saw in 2023” by Gary Naylor at Broadway World.

  For screen, her TV Drama The Crossleys made the BAFTA Rocliffe TV Drama Top 10 and is now in development in the US. She has original TV projects in development, at treatment stage, with Rollem, Dancing Ledge, Urban Myths, Warp and APC. She has a pilot commission with BBC3. Her script Ursula, developed with RED Productions, made The Brit List 2021.

  Kat was in the writersroom for Day 1s (Matthew Vaughn, Doug Ellin, Hera Pictures). She was also in the writersroom for series two of Paul Abbott’s Wolfe for Sky Max. Her first television broadcast credit is the 2021 Christmas episode of Holby City. Her episode of The Dumping Ground for BBC Children’s TX’d 2022.

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  Emma Nuttall

  Emma Nuttall is a Northern-based writer working across television, theatre, video games, and immersive storytelling. Her work centres on bold, community-driven stories and a fascination under threat from complex social dynamics. Emma’s recent projects include NEST, the National Youth Theatre’s flagship production for LEEDS 2023, and Game Changers, a live-streamed interactive show by Megaverse. In 2024 she created Where We Meet, an immersive production staged at Camden Fringe, Voila Theatre Festival, Digital Bodies Festival, and Theatre Deli. Emma has been selected for numerous development schemes and residencies, including Film Hub North’s Scriptlab, Box of Tricks ‘Accelerate’ programme, Screen Yorkshire’s FLEX, the European Creators Lab, Future of Film, BAFTA Connect, and as a WFTV Mentee (2025). 

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  Nosa Eke

  BBC Comedy Collective Bursary awardee, Nosa Eke is a platform agnostic writer/director, she has a TV show in development with Studiocanal. Nosa was chosen as a future leader by Google Creative Labs and has written a BBC drama for Amazon Alexa. Her real time scripted digital series The Grind was the first to use livestreaming internet technology, among other platforms.

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  Anna Costello

  Anna Costello is a working-class writer and former secondary school teacher from Consett, Co. Durham. Anna’s pilot DEAD CANNY was commissioned by UKTV, and broadcast on Dave in August 2022. As well as developing her own sitcoms and comedy dramas Anna is the Principal Writer at Scriptic, a BAFTA-nominated studio building immersive narrative experiences at the intersection of true crime, gaming and storytelling. In 2023, Anna won the RTS Rising Star Award (North East and Borders) and has been named as a Broadcast Hot Shot.

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  Dan Lowenstein

  Dan Lowenstein has spent the last year working in vertical drama successfully completing 18 projects for platforms such as Reel Short (Pride & Prejudice), DramaBox (Mafia Obsession), Joy Reels (My Rookie Agent) currently number 6 in the world). He uses his feature and TV directing experience to keep the production value & work within the tight constraints of vertical drama schedules. Dan has gained a strong reputation within the vertical drama space being one of the the 1st directors to shoot a vert in the UK and being called ‘King of Vertical drama in UK’ by VerticalDramaLove – a well know fan account for VD fans. As well as being the chosen director to represent vertical drama in the guardian newspaper. Dan is also due to sit on the Vertical Drama Awards panel as a judge and expert.

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  Chandni Lakhani

  Chandni Lakhani is the co-creator and writer of Netflix smash hit Dept Q. Her career began as a script editor on the Emmy-winning Netflix series Black Mirror, where she helped develop episodes such as San Junipero and USS Callister. Since then, she wrote an episode of Dublin Murders for BBC One/Starz, based on the acclaimed Tana French novels, and an episode of record-breaking BBC One thriller Vigil for BBC One/Peacock, starring Suranne Jones. 

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  Adam Woodhall

  Adam Woodhall is an experienced script executive and story producer who started his career as part of the writersroom for teen drama Skins, on which he also produced the shows supporting digital content. He has worked in development and in production for indies including Company Pictures, Vertigo Films and Pulse Films amongst others, and his production credits include Bulletproof, A Town Called Malice and The Day of the Jackal. A North East native, Adam now works across FilmNation UK’s North East TV slate. 

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  Sarah Morgan

  Sarah Morgan is a writer (TV, film, stand up, graphic novel and video game) working in the US and UK.  She has created original tv pilot scripts for BBC studios, ITV, Sky, FX and Apple, to name a few. She was recently on the writing team for Netflix YA smash GEEK GIRL. Her first feature film LOVE SONG – a folk horror about aged goths and woodland hags is in development with Imaginarium was included in THE BRIT LIST 2024 – a list of the best unproduced screenplays as voted for by the film and TV industry.

  Recent projects include adapting the Image graphic novel REDLANDS into an original horror series for UCP/NBC Universal, and working with Romesh Ranganathan on his sitcom ROMANTIC GETAWAY for Sky. She has an extensive range of TV credits, including six series on the team for DAVE GORMAN’S MODERN LIFE IS GOODISH (DAVE).  

  Recent credits include co-writing BBC3’s FULLY BLOWN with Donna Preston and Verona Rose, and Story Producer on Sky One/Peacock’s INTELLIGENCE starring Nick Mohammed and David Schwimmer. 

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  Sarah Asante

  Sarah Asante is a Creative Consultant specialising in Scripted TV, with two decades of experience inside broadcaster commissioning teams. For the past 10 years she held senior roles at the BBC and UKTV (Dave & Gold), shaping bold, distinctive scripted content for UK audiences. 

  She launched her consultancy, Asante Space, in May 2025 after four years as Scripted Commissioning Editor at UKTV (BBC Studios), where she commissioned comedies and dramas including Meet the Richardsons, Sneakerhead with Big Zuu and Hugo Chegwin, Murder They Hope starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson, and Newark, Newark featuring Mat Horne and Morgana Robinson. She also championed diverse new voices, piloting four original comedies from emerging talent that helped cement the channel’s reputation for fresh, risk-taking work. 

  Previously, Sarah was part of the BBC’s award-winning comedy commissioning team, where she commissioned BAFTA-winning sketch series Famalam and the pilot of Dreaming Whilst Black, later picked up internationally by A24 and Showtime. Her career has also spanned Channel 4, ITV, Fox International Channels and Scripps Networks, giving her a wide-ranging perspective across factual, entertainment and scripted. 

  Alongside her commissioning work, Sarah has been a BAFTA TV and Learning Committee member, a consultant for BAFTA Elevate, and producer of landmark sessions at the Edinburgh TV Festival including the first Fellowship awarded to Shonda Rhimes. She mentors through initiatives like Wonder Women and is regularly invited by institutions such as the BFI, RTS and NFTS to deliver masterclasses. 

  At The Screenwriting Weekender, Sarah will draw on her commissioner’s eye to share what writers most need to know: how to package and pitch your ideas, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to navigate industry dynamics without losing hope or your creative spark. 

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  Navi Lamba

  Navi Lamba is a Commissioning Editor at BBC Comedy. She began her career at VICE Media in Toronto, producing editorial and digital content. Since moving to the UK, she has held commissioning roles at BBC Three and Channel 4, where she developed digital-first formats and commissioned bold, award-winning work – including the BAFTA-winning How To Be A Person.  At the BBC, Navi joined as Head of Development and in her role, launched the BBC Comedy short film strand – a pipeline for emerging talent that has gone on to receive widespread acclaim. Several shorts have been nominated for BAFTAs, with two shorts winning. The strand has also served as a launchpad for series, with the critically acclaimed Funboys now commissioned for a second series. Navi has also overseen a range of distinctive projects including Greg Davies’ The Cleaner, BBC New Comedy Awards, and the upcoming series of Juice and Alan Partridge. 

   

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  Chris Jones

  Chris Jones is an RTS and Broadcast Award-winning comedy producer at Hat Trick Productions. He developed and produced the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Smoggie Queens for two series, written by and starring three-time BAFTA nominee Phil Dunning. His producer credits also include Kate & Koji (ITV), starring Brenda Blethyn, as well as the scripted comedy podcast Whistle Through The Shamrocks, written by Nicola Coughlan and Camilla Whitehill. Chris also adapted the cult comedy act Diane Chorley into a podcast chat show format, which went on to have a successful live run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Chris began his career as a freelancer, working across various roles on some of the UK’s most iconic scripted comedies, including The IT Crowd (Channel 4), PhoneShop (Channel 4), Detectorists (BBC), Birds of a Feather (ITV), People Just Do Nothing (BBC), and Motherland (BBC). He later joined Hat Trick Productions as a development producer. 

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  Faebian Averies

  Faebian Averies won The Brit List 2024 with her crime drama The Rubber Faced Men, it is now in development with NBC Universal. She is also developing a family drama with Bad Wolf with mentorship from Russell T Davies, a family drama with Kudos through the BBC Pilot scheme, a Welsh crime series with Two Brothers, a murder mystery series with Warp Films, a rom-com feature with Strong Film & TV and she is writing an episode of Bergerac S2. Faebian was the BBC Wales Writer In Residence and the National Theatre Wales Writer In Residence for 2021. She won the Imison Award in 2022 for her radio play The Lemonade Lads on BBC Radio 4 (past winners of the award include Peter Morgan and Mike Bartlett). Previously she was part of the Waterloo Road shadow writing scheme, was in the writer’s room for a science fiction series with IE IE Prods, had an original play in development with the National Theatre Wales and more recently she was in the writers room for Murder Most Unladylike with Strong Film & TV/Studiocanal and also for a comedy series with Sharp House. 

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  Anna Jordan

  Anna Jordan‘s TV credits include Succession (Season 1, HBO), One Day (Netflix), Killing Eve (Season 3, Sid Gentle), Becoming Elizabeth (The Forge / Starz) Film Club (Gaumont / BBC 3) and Sweetpea (See Saw / Sky). Current TV and Film projects in development include End Users with Universal / Envision, Smash & Grab with RAW Film & TV, Beginners for Avalon / ITV and The House That Alice Built with MRC / Bristol Automotive / South of the River. Theatre credits include Lost Atoms (Frantic Assembly – National Tour 2025). We Anchor In Hope (Bunker Theatre), Pop Music (Paines Plough / Birmingham Rep – National Tour), Mother Courage and Her Children (Royal Exchange / Headlong), The Unreturning (Frantic Assembly – National Tour and Theatre Royal Stratford). Anna won the Bruntwood Prize in 2013 for her play YEN, which has had productions at The Royal Exchange, Royal Court Theatre and MCC New York as well as several international productions.  

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  Jeremy Dyson

  Jeremy Dyson is best known as the co-creator and co-writer of the multi-award winning comedy show The League of Gentlemen. Aside from The League he was co-creator/writer of the BAFTA-nominated comedy drama Funland and the Rose-d’or winning all female sketch show Psychobitches. His play Ghost Stories, co-written with Andy Nyman was nominated for an Olivier award, and has enjoyed three separate West End runs since debuting in 2010, together with international productions in Toronto, Moscow, Sydney, Shanghai, Finland, Holland and Peru. The film version of Ghost Stories, written and directed by Andy and Jeremy won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for best debut feature in 2019.

  In addition, Jeremy has worked as script editor on many award-winning TV comedies including The Armstrong and Miller Show, Grandma’s House, The Wrong Mans, Bad Education and Tracey Ullman’s Show. He has also written for Killing Eve and Good Omens 2.

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  Lisa Holdsworth

  Lisa Holdsworth is a writer and producer born and bred in Leeds. She started her TV career in unscripted TV, but her passion has always been drama.  Her first script commission was an episode of Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends. She then went on to join the Emmerdale writing team, before writing across several series of New Tricks, winning the RTS Yorkshire Best Writer award for one of her episodes.  

  She wrote extensively for the original Waterloo Road and returned to the show when it was rebooted. She wrote on the final series of Robin Hood for the BBC before moving on to Midsomer Murders writing the fan favourite “Death by Cheese” episode.  She has also written for Ackley Bridge, Call the Midwife and All Creatures Great & Small.  And was co-Showrunner on the third series of A Discovery of Witches for Sky.  

  Her stage adaptation of Adelle Stripe’s novel Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile about the life of northern playwright Andrea Dunbar opened in 2019 and was included in the Observer critics’ review of the top 10 theatre shows of 2019. She is also developing several original TV pilot scripts and treatments and spent 4 years as Chair of the WGGB. 

  Over the last two years, created and wrote Dreamers for C4, her first original series. 

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  Ishy Din

  Ishy Din has written for Phoenix Rise (CBBC), Atomic Bazaar (Netflix/Pulse Films), Shakespeare and Hathaway (BBC), Ackley Bridge (The Forge/C4, 2 eps).  In 2018 Taxi Tales, produced by Tamasha, was broadcast on BBC2 as part of BBC LIVE, (BAC/ACE/BBC) live theatre broadcast.  Ishy took part in the prestigious Media XChange Advanced Writing For Television Drama Programme (2017) and the BBC TV Drama Writers Programme (2016) and wrote Life’s Like That for the the BBC TV Brief Encounters strand.  His half hour standalone comedy-drama Doughnuts was broadcast on C4 as part of the ‘Coming Up’ season and short film Our Lad was produced, directed by Rachna Suri, which was selected for multiple international festivals. Ishy has two feature films in commissioned development, Fraud with Bend It Networks (Gurinder Chadha) and Paak United, with producer Paul Kewley, both funded by Creative England. Ishy is currently Associate Playwright at the the Royal Court and under commission for new plays at The Kiln and the RSC. Champion, directed by Jack McNamara, opened at Live Theatre, Newcastle in February 2025. Ishy’s first radio play was John Barnes Saved My Life for BBC Radio 5 Live.  Other credits include Whose Baby for BBC Radio 4 and Parking and  Pakoras for local radio. 

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  Natasha Salter

  Natasha Salter is founding partner at Salt Partnership who represent and manage some of the UK’s leading literary and creative talent for Film and Television from their bases in London and Manchester. They manage the careers of Writers, Directors and Journalists for Film and TV and seek to extend opportunities whilst guiding and nurturing exceptional voices. Salt Partnership represents both new emerging talent through to established and recognised names.

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  Bridget Deane

  Bridget Deane is a working-class, dyslexic writer based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with a strong track record across television, film, and theatre, including writing for ITV’s Emmerdale. She currently has writing projects in active development with Film Nation and New Writing North/C4 Drama Programme, and was recently commissioned to write for ITV’s primetime drama series: The Bay.

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  Lisa Laws

  Lisa Laws is Talent and Business Development Director for North East Screen. She oversees the development and delivery of North East Comedy Hot House and works alongside industry partners to champion and provide opportunities for Northern comedic talent that aims to reach and entertain global audiences with outstanding content.

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  Dave Evans

  Dave Evans is Head of Development at writer-led drama and comedy indie Balloon Entertainment. He started his career as an assistant at the literary agency, Rochelle Stevens & Co. At Balloon he has executive produced shows including Clique (BBC), Champion (BBC/Netflix), Newark Newark (UKTV), Eden (Stan/Spectrum) and most recently Counsels (BBC).