BBC

By a delicious irony, Yes Minister is being rerun on BBC Four at the same time as the Covid inquiry grills the country’s leading civil servants and politicians.

No one, though, could confuse the fictional Sir Humphrey Appleby with Party Marty or the deputy cabinet secretary who brought a karaoke machine to one of the illegal lockdown parties at 10 Downing Street.

The scheme will be comprised of workshops, expert-led sessions and networking opportunities across an eight-week period. From June 2024, the soon-to-be script writers will learn each stage of writing for screen, covering all bases.

This will be the second “Write Across” scheme the BBC has initiated after the successful “Write Across Liverpool” last year.  

Nicolas Winding Refn (byNWR) and Matthew Read (Moonage Pictures) have come together to bring Enid Blyton’s classic children’s novels to the screen. Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ are comprised of George, an only child, whose three cousins, Dick, Julian and Anne come to stay at her home in Kirrin for the summer.

Although initially George is dubious about trusting these new friends, she soon learns that adventuring with them is more fun than without them. The five are completed by George’s loyal dog Timmy.

With a Lebanese father and a mother from Sierra Leone, Big Zuu grew up with Islam on both sides of the family. Although faith has remained hugely important for Zuu, growing up in London has meant living completely by the book hasn’t always been easy.

In Big Zuu Goes To Mecca, Zuu will go on the Umrah pilgrimage (a religious journey to Masjid al-Haram), visit one of Islam’s holiest cities, and examine what it means to be a “good Muslim.”

What does the job involve?

I guess the simple answer is that the clue is in the title: it’s about having a clear direction in which you want to take a project.

You’re the hand on the tiller, making sure all the departments and actors are going in the same direction.

I started in documentaries, so I’m trying to make things feel real and truthful. I’m not just trying to deliver the script, which is what a lot of people think a director’s job is. You have to breathe life into it so it doesn’t feel written, or even directed.

Dope Girls is inspired by the buried history of post-World War One London, where female gangs controlled the drugs, clubs and bootleg liqueur.

Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown) leads the cast as Kate Galloway, a single mother who has begun a life in the hedonistic Soho criminal underworld, by establishing a nightclub to provide for her daughter Evie (Call the Midwife). Umi Myers (Bob Marley: One Love) plays a bohemian dancer whose world gets turned upside down when she begins performing at Kate’s nightclub.

Amongst the furry friends making an appearance are Tinky Winky, Hacker T Dog, Dodge, Basil Brush and favourites from 1970s-90s series Rainbow, Zippy and George. Like any flesh-and-blood contestant, the puppets will be expected to wow judges Greg Wallace and John Torode with their culinary flair.

Tinky Winky made a name for themselves on hit CBeebies series Teletubbies, whereas Hacker T Dog first appeared in CBBC’s Scoop. The canine personality was later introduced as a presenter in the CBBC office, with half-brother Dodge joining soon after.

The awards celebrate excellence in broadcast television, highlighting the extensive range of skills and processes that are involved in programme making, welcoming entries from both broadcasters and individual crafts people. The prestigious awards ceremony will be held on Monday 4^th December at the London Hilton on Park Lane.