The bursary has been named after Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, the comedy writing duo who after first meeting in a TB sanatorium back in 1948 went on to create Hancock and Steptoe & Son.

Driven by boredom and alienation as a pair of young men in a sanatorium surrounded by older occupants, Galton and Simpson turned to writing. The duo went on to become one of the best loved and most enduring writing partnerships in comedy history.

As the public are faced with the effects of isolation, the BBC are now encouraging writers to harness their own creative spark.

The bursary will award £5,500 to writers and writing partnerships to develop a script for broadcast consideration.

Shane Allen, Controller of BBC Comedy, says: “These comedy founding fathers met in adverse circumstances and went on to set the template for the modern British sitcom.

Their work has endured and been appreciated for decades past and no doubt decades to come. Great comedy is often born out of adversity, as the imagination sparks creative expression. This bursary is aimed at giving opportunity to new comedy voices in these trying times.”

Applicants must submit a sample script of 30 pages/ minutes maximum. Sample scripts, series plans and biog/statements can be submitted to Galton&Simpson.Bursary@bbc.co.uk. 

The deadline for bursary applications is 5th June 2020.

Find out more about the bursary here.