UKTV has launched a new initiative with Female Pilot Club, calling for women writers to submit their original comedy pilots for potential development.
The call-out is exclusive to comedy and the scripts must feature female lead characters over the age of 45.
The chosen scripts will be developed by UKTV and Female Pilot Club for a live reading by top comedy talent in front of an industry audience.
Female Pilot Club was founded by veteran writers Kay Stonham (My Family) and Abigail Burdess (Tracey Ullman’s Show) in 2019. They have since produced readings of new comedy scripts for live audiences with the likes of Robert Webb, Arabella Weir, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Tracy-Ann Oberman, and now also present an official podcast. This call-out marks their first collaboration with a broadcaster.
“Female Pilot Club exists to amplify brilliant female comedy voices and to help great TV pilot scripts take off and fly,” says Stonham. “We’re excited to partner with UKTV to find some great new comedy scripts written by women.”
“Partnerships like this are so important,” says Lindsey Rost, Development Executive – Scripted Comedy, UKTV. “Working with organisations like the Female Pilot Club, we can identify and elevate talent that too often goes undiscovered.
“We look forward to seeing some wonderful new comedy come from this initiative, and hope it opens doors for the talented writers who participate”
The window for submissions is open from 8 August until 11 September 2022. Find out more about the initiative here.
