On his blog, Guild member Stephen Gallgher reflects on the differences in TV drama commissioning culture between the US and the UK. [In the US] There's no dithering, there are no hesitant toe-in-the-water strategies. Our own system may not have the critical mass to match that kind of performance,...

From the BBC Writersroom, two new initiatives including a sitcom competition. Called All Mixed-Up, the competition is looking for proposals which reflect diverse Britain. Writers who can demonstrate some professional achievement are being asked to submit the first ten pages of a script to the...

SIMON ASHDOWN wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:25pm on Tuesday 7th, at 7:30pm on Thursday 9th and at 8:00pm on Thursday 10th September. SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ'S radio series Pilgrim continues with "The Lost Hotel" going out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Tuesday 7th...

The London Screenwriters’ Festival is offering members of the Writers' Guild a special discount of £75 off the regular festival ticket price of £299. The London Screenwriters’ Festival is the new annual writers’ and filmmakers’ festival, focusing on the creation and development of material for...

On The Guardian Theatre blog, Guild member John Morrison accuses British theatre of abusing the work of playwrights not working in English. One can argue that in the theatre anything goes, particularly when the author is safely dead and long out of copyright. But one of the principles that marks...

Transmedia Next, an innovative training event supported by the EU MEDIA Programme, kicks off in the form takes place in London 8-10 September 2010. The Guild has negotiated a 20% discount off the regular price of £850 for members of the Guild. You must quote your membership number when...

By Dalya Alberge in The Guardian: Today's dramatists are failing to confront issues of injustice, writing instead "for attention spans of 10 minutes between adverts", leading political playwright Athol Fugard has said. ...He applauded some of the "extraordinary" political work that has emerged...

We're doing transcripts of the most recent Writers' Guild podcasts, starting with this one of the interview with writer Jack Thorne. The big influence was whoever was writing EastEnders that week. I loved that show when I and I think that was probably the biggest influence on me working out what...

As ITV's police series The Bill comes to an end, on the Writers' Guild website writer Gregory Evans (right) reflects on the show's significance. I heard about Alan Plater's death on the day of the Bill wrap party. The party seemed significant enough in itself, a celebration-cum-wake marking the...

SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ'S radio play in four parts begins with the episode "The Drowned Church" on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Tuesday 31st August. DAVID BARRY, whose play A Friend of Ronnie's was showcased by Equity members at the Writers' Guild three years ago, performs at the Sarah Thorne Theatre Club,...

UK writers could get a royalties windfall from China’s booming economy and consumer society, with BBC Worldwide running a Beijing version of its Showcase event this week [Wednesday 25 August 2010] for more than 100 TV buyers from the country’s many channels. China has a big appetite for...

By Matthew Hemley in The Stage: Five Minutes of Heaven and Omagh creator Guy Hibbert is spearheading a global campaign to stop screenwriters being excluded from film and television festivals where their work is shown. The BAFTA-winning writer claims he and his counterparts are regularly shunned...

New podcasts are now available from the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, featuring: An interview with TV, radio, film and theatre writer Jack Thorne (transcript also available) A discussion about the impact on writers of public spending cutsAnalysis of the recent Writers' Guild agreement with ITV....

The Writers' Guild's response to the BBC Trust service review of Radio 3, Radio 4 & Radio 7 has been published on the Guild's website.

By Matthew Hemley for The Stage: Independent producers of BBC radio drama will have the opportunity to bid for more programme slots on the Corporation’s networks following a review carried out by the BBC Trust. The review looked at independent supply of radio programming, with the trust concluding...

In Media Guardian, channel controllers, including ITV's Peter Fincham, explain what they're keen to commission. '[We're looking for] High quality original and compelling drama continues to be a major component of the ITV1 schedule, and we're looking for series of a variety of lengths for 9pm as...

The shortlists for the Imison and Tinniswood Awards for radio drama have been announced. The Tinniswood Award The Tinniswood Award honours the best original radio drama script broadcast in 2009. The Moment You Feel It by Ed HarrisIvan and the Dogs by Hattie NaylorCry Babies by Kim NewmanVent by...

SIMON BRETT'S radio play Quirks goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Thursday 26th August. MARK BURT wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Friday 27th August. JONATHAN DAVIDSON'S drama documentary Miss Balcombe's Orchard goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Monday 23rd...

On the Writers' Guild website Zoë Wilcox (right), cataloguer of modern literary manuscripts at the British Library, presents an insight into the life of one of the great figures of post-war theatre (first published in the Guild's magazine for members, UK Writer. She must be our best-known...

By Simon Johnson for Telegraph.co.uk: STV hopes ratings will increase as more Scottish programming makes its ways onto its schedules, but critics claim the cash-strapped channel is more interested in saving money by using cheaper alternatives. ...Among the shows in ITV’s autumn 2010 schedule that...