This is a loaded question , but how do you become a screenwriter in the UK? I wanted to do it since I was in sixth form, but I feel it’s too late for me now. I chose an unrelated subject for university and i haven’t got any technical training. Is it too late for me to start? I’ve written scripts in my spare time but they’re rather bad. I don’t know how to improve or make this a reality. I’m happy for you but also rather jealous.
[cracks knuckles] It’s not too late for you and also, PLEASE don't be jealous of me. I promise you there isn't some secret route I took that you missed.
I never went to film school, and I definitely didn't pick the "right" degree. I spent most of my adult life in STEM (I did do a minor in creative writing, but that’s somewhat irrelevant), hopping from one research job to another because I thought I'd left it too late to do anything else. I'd loved writing since I was a kid, but I convinced myself that because I didn't know anyone in television and hadn't studied it at university, I'd missed my chance. So when you say you're worried about choosing the wrong subject, I genuinely wouldn't be. I was exactly the same.
That said, I'm not going to pretend it's easy because it really isn't. Breaking into UK television is honestly a bit of an endurance sport. You write a script, you send it off, you wait six months, someone says no, you write another one, you do it all again. There were so many points where I thought, "Maybe I'm just not good enough for this," but I kept writing anyway because I enjoyed it too much to stop.
One thing I wish I'd understood earlier is that there are loads of development schemes, but they're all aimed at different stages. Quite a few of the BBC ones want you to already have a professional credit or an agent, so don't panic if you read the eligibility and think, "Well that's me ruled out." That isn't because you're not talented, it's just not the point of those schemes. The one I ended up doing was different. It was aimed at writers who hadn't had that first break yet, and that's what eventually led to me getting representation. An agent didn't magically appear because I'd written one good script. They read my work through the scheme, liked what I was writing, and that's how the conversation started. So those opportunities really can be worth applying for.
I'd definitely keep an eye on Channel 4's 4Screenwriting programme when applications open because it's one of the broadcaster schemes that's actually looking for people who don't already have a broadcast credit. It's exactly the sort of thing I would've wanted someone to point me towards a few years ago. Also, just because I've got an agent now doesn't mean I've reached the magical finish line where money starts raining from the sky. I still have my day job in research, and I'll probably be juggling both for a while yet. That's actually really normal. Getting an agent is one step. Getting commissioned is another. Getting enough commissions to pay your bills consistently is another again. It's a long process. The difference now is that I have somebody whose job it is to fight my corner and negotiate on my behalf instead of me trying to work it all out myself, which is a massive relief.
And finally, your scripts being "rather bad" genuinely doesn't worry me. Mine were too. I don't think I've met a screenwriter who's looked back at their first script and thought, "Yes. Masterpiece." You get better by writing, reading scripts, getting notes, rewriting, and then doing it again. Unfortunately there's no glamorous shortcut. So no, I don't think it's too late. If anything, I think people come into this industry from all sorts of weird careers, and that usually makes their writing more interesting. The hardest part isn't having the perfect degree. It's sticking with it long enough for the right person to read your work.
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