The BBC Radio Comedy Writers' Bursary (or the BBC Radio Comedy Department Contract Writer) is a scheme through which emerging comedy writers work in-house at the BBC Radio Comedy department for a year. [1]
The scheme, which was originally known as the Peter Titheradge Award, [2] began in 1978 and was devised by the then-head of Head of BBC Light Entertainment (Radio), David Hatch, and BBC Television's Head of Light Entertainment, James Gilbert. Each department put £5000 a year into a kitty to employ three young writers on a one-year contract. The only proviso was that there was to be no contract for a second year, and that the writers must then fend for themselves. [1] The first beneficiaries were Rory McGrath, Jimmy Mulville and Guy Jenkin, who were followed by Rob Grant, Doug Naylor (Red Dwarf). [1] [3] Since then, the scheme has helped several aspiring or part-time writers to go full-time and has produced a great number of professional writers and comedians, including John O'Farrell, Peter Baynham, Stewart Lee and Simon Blackwell (The Thick Of It, Veep). [4] [5]
Under the current regime, those selected for the bursary work on BBC Radio 4's three high-profile topical shows; The News Quiz, The Now Show and Dead Ringers, contribute writing across the range of the BBC Radio Comedy Department's output [6] as well as script-editing sketch-shows and sitcoms. Bursary recipients are also encouraged to develop new formats and create their own shows. [7]