The second Screenwriting Weekender takes place at the Live Theatre in Newcastle from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 February 2026. Produced by New Writing North, the writing development agency for the North of England and sponsored by North East Screen, the screen development agency for North East England.
Acclaimed screenwriter Russell T Davies OBE (Queer as Folk, Doctor Who, It’s a Sin, Years and Years) will headline the Screenwriting Weekender, which returns for a second year after a successful sold-out event in early 2025.
Over 20 industry professionals from production companies including Warp Films (Adolescence), See-Saw Films (Slow Horses), and Hat Trick Productions (Smoggie Queens) and writers with credits on hits such as Succession, Killing Eve, The League of Gentlemen and Department Q, will take part in a programme.
Sessions include: writing characters audiences care about; demystifying how original dramas are developed; selling a one-page idea; writing hit crime thrillers; nailing show structure; adapting screenwriting to the vertical storytelling market; understanding the commissioning process; and honing your comedy writing.
Friday 6 February
- Demystifying Original Drama Development, chaired by Méabh O’Donavan, Head of National Film and Television School North and featuring Siobhan Morgan, Head of Development at Warp Films (Adolescence), Natasha Heliotis, Head of Development at See-Saw Films (Slow Horses, Heartstopper) and Bria Thomas, Head of Development at Hera Pictures (I Fought the Law, Hamnet).
- In conversation with Russell T Davies, who will be talking to journalist, editor and author Terri White. Davies is one of the biggest names in British TV. His work includes the ground-breaking Queer as Folk, Bob and Rose, Casanova and The Second Coming. In 2004, he revived Doctor Who and created Torchwood. This was followed by the trilogy Cucumber, Banana and Tofu, an adaptation of A Very English Scandal on BBC 1, Years and Years for BBC One/HBO, and It’s A Sin for Channel 4/HBO MAX and Nolly for ITV. He is currently in production for an original 5-part drama for Channel 4 called Tip Toe.
Saturday 7 February
- The Industrial Ideas Complex with Bradford-based screenwriter Kat Rose-Martin. Rose-Martin is a writer/actor and inaugural winner of the Kay Mellor Fellowship. She was part of BBC Writers Room Northern Voices in 2020 and currently has original TV projects in development with Rollem Productions, Dancing Ledge Productions, Urban Myth Films, Warp Films and APC Studios.
- Mastering Vertical Storytelling with Nosa Eke, Dan Lowenstein and Anna Costello, chaired by writer Emma Nuttal. Eke was chosen as a future leader by Google Creative Labs, Lowenstein has spent the last year working on 18 vertical drama projects and Costello is the Principal Writer at Scriptic, a BAFTA-nominated studio.
- Writing a hit crime thriller with Chandni Lakhani writer and co-creator of Netflix hit Department Q.
- How to break a show. Sarah Morgan will go through the nuts and bolts of TV drama structure. Morgan has created original TV pilot scripts for BBC studios, ITV, Sky, FX and Apple and was recently on the writing team for Netflix’s Geek Girl and Sky’s Romantic Getaway.
- What’s Up With TV? Former BBC and UKTV commissioner, and founder of Asante Space, Sarah Asante lifts the lid on the commissioning process from pitching and packaging through to navigating relationships and understanding the secret language of commissioners.
- Three Page Challenge: Comedy Edition. Lisa Laws, Development Director, North East Screen, Chris Jones from Hat Trick Productions and Navi Lamba from BBC Comedy will give feedback on comedy scripts from three North East screenwriters.
Sunday 8 February
- Writers on Writers. BBC Writers Pilot Scheme alumni Faebian Averies will be in conversation with her mentor screenwriter and playwright Anna Jordan, whose TV credits include Succession (HBO), Killing Eve (Sid Gentle Films), One Day (Netflix) and Sweetpea (See-Saw/Sky).
- How to Write Characters We Care About with screenwriter Jeremy Dyson. In 1995 Dyson formed the comedy group The League of Gentlemen with Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith and went on to enjoy a highly successful career in the UK, appearing on stage, radio, TV and film – winning among others the Perrier award, the Golden Rose of Montreux, and Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards for best TV comedy.
- Show Me the Money! Lisa Holdsworth, screenwriter and Northern representative of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain will chair a panel with screenwriters Karin Young (Emmerdale), Ishy Din (Phoenix Rise, Shakespeare and Hathaway) and Georgia Kanner, literary agent at Independent Talent Group on what it really takes to earn a living as screenwriter
Lisa Laws, Development Director at North East Screen:
We’re proud to be backing the Screenwriting Weekender again this year. It’s yet another exceptional line up which will see leading production companies, commissioners and world class writing talent join us in Newcastle.
The event provides opportunities for our talent to build the networks and gain the knowledge they need to begin turning their brilliant ideas into career plans. Events like this are vital for us to continue growing a sustainable screen industry here in the North East.
Roxy McKenna, Development Producer (Screen) at New Writing North:
This event creates a vital opportunity for writing talent to connect with industry, develop their craft and be inspired by some of the most experienced screenwriters in the UK today. With the onset of AI and increasingly fragmented audiences it feels more important than ever to bring writers together to not only build a strong understanding of this shifting landscape but to forge new creative relationships and illuminate practical ways writers can build a career in the industry. The North is rich with talent and stories, and the Weekender’s aim is to ensure writers are in the best possible position to exploit that.
Leading entertainment company, FilmNation TV, is supporting 10 bursary places to support northern writers who would otherwise be unable to access the event to take part. See more information on how to apply via the booking page.
Tickets: £100 + booking fee and includes access to all sessions across the weekend, lunch on Saturday and refreshments throughout. Book at https://newwritingnorth.com/event/screenwriting-weekender/
New Writing North’s has increased its work to support screenwriters based in the North of England over the last decade. In early 2025 we announced a renewed partnership with Channel 4’s 4Skills which includes bursaries, bespoke programmes of talent development, screen industry insight and expertise, networking, mentoring and peer-support.
