The BBC is giving aspiring actors unique insight into the world of professional television drama, with expert tuition and money-can’t-buy access. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be seen by some of the UK’s leading casting directors and talent agents. The very best candidate will get the chance of representation with a top agent and best of all, their big break…a role in a BBC Drama.
The new six-part series, Bring The Drama (w/t), is being produced by multi-award-winning Wall To Wall Media for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. The application process is now open and aspiring actors can apply here: Bring the Drama (working title) | Shows and tours (bbc.co.uk)
The series will find and develop untapped acting talent that represents the UK today, from all kinds of backgrounds, who love to act, but who have never had the chance to realise their dream.
The successful candidates will benefit from an intense acting experience with leading industry mentors, from casting directors to writers and celebrated stars.
TV drama is experiencing a golden age and the UK is at the epicentre of an explosion of shows of exceptional quality. This timely series gives exciting new talent the opportunity to learn about the industry, working with scripts and sets from some of our favourite British dramas, with the help of some of the country’s most successful TV talent.
The programme will use and celebrate British drama as a way of offering our unsung talent an introduction to the real world of screen acting. The series ends with a dramatic final showcase with the winner securing the chance of representation by a top agent and a role on screen in a BBC drama.
Clare Mottershead, BBC Commissioning Editor, Factual & Events says: “British TV actors are among the best in the world, but there’s still plenty of undiscovered talent waiting for their big break. In this entertaining and revealing new competition, we’re scouring the UK to find our next acting superstars as we put them put through their paces behind the scenes of some of Britain’s biggest and best-loved dramas.”
Managing Director of Wall to Wall Media Leanne Klein says: “As a nation, TV drama is now the art-form we consume more than any other, so it’s hugely exciting to be making a series that will take viewers behind the scenes of some of our favourite tv shows and unpack the essential skills of acting via the incredible expertise of leading lights in the industry. I hope it will be a gripping watch for all who love watching actors as well as those who’d love to act.”
Suzy Klein, Head of Commissioning, Arts & Classical Music says: This new competition is about giving everyone the chance to break into a fearsomely competitive industry. Many people across the UK dream of becoming an actor, but few get the opportunities and training to do it. Bring the Drama promises to take them on the ride of a lifetime, giving them the skills and experience that they could only get in a prestigious acting school. And with a major real-world campaign of access into the wider film, TV and theatre industries running alongside the TV series, we hope to support the pipeline of world-beating talent that makes the UK one of the most creative places in the world.”
To complement the series, the BBC will curate a Bring the Drama Festival, showcasing the acting profession and encouraging behind-the-scenes access to other careers in the creative industries. The BBC will work with cultural organisations across the UK to promote and showcase the diverse range of opportunities in the sector and accelerate a talent pipeline which will enrich the creative landscape in the years to come.
Bring the Drama (w/t) has been commissioned by BBC Arts and BBC Factual Entertainment for BBC Two and iPlayer. The commissioners are Suzy Klein (Head of Arts and Classical Music), and Clare Mottershead (Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment and Events TV). It will be produced by award-winning production company Wall to Wall Media UK, who make both unscripted shows (from Who Do You Think You Are? to Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star) and scripted series (from The Windermere Children to Waterloo Road.) The executive producer is Emily Smith (Creative Director UK at Wall to Wall), and the showrunner is Alan Brown.
AN ASIAN writer has explained how his new book makes Britain’s imperial past “accessible, engaging and thought-provoking” for a younger audience.
Award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, Journeys of Empire, explores empire through 10 journeys he described as being “extraordinary”. Sanghera said his book, published last month by Puffin UK, is “a way of helping children understand how Britain’s biggest story still shapes the world today.”
“We’re not taught this history very well,” he told Eastern Eye.
“The empire is morally complex – sometimes we were good, sometimes bad – so, how do you even begin talking about it? It’s also contentious. There are millions of us whose families were colonised, and millions whose families were the colonisers.”
Teachers cannot teach what they themselves were never taught, Sanghera pointed out.
“There are multiple layers to why British people are so bad at talking about this history. It touches on race, misogyny and geopolitics. It’s easier just not to talk about it.”
And , the cover of his book
Following the success of his bestselling children’s title Stolen History, Sanghera’s this latest work continues Sanghera’s mission to write for readers aged nine and above. With a focus on human experiences, Sanghera said he wanted show that history is not just a list of dates or conquests – it’s a tapestry of stories that connect people.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi immigrant parents, he began school unable to speak English. Later he graduated with first-class honours in English language and literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He has since built a career as a writer and journalist.
His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, and his novel, Marriage Material, were both shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. Empireland, Sanghera’s exploration of Britain’s colonial legacy, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- Fiction, named a Book of the Year at the 2022 National Book Awards, and inspired the Channel 4 documentary series Empire State of Mind.
His first children’s book, Stolen History, introduced young readers to the complex and often overlooked realities of empire. With Journeys of Empire, Sanghera aims to go further. “When I finally learned about the British empire, it changed how I saw myself, how I saw Britain, and how I saw India,” he said.
“It seemed obvious that you’d want to give this gift to young people – because your 40s is a bit late to be learning all this.”
Sanghera said the 10 journeys in the book take readers across continents and centuries, revealing both the ambition and the brutality of empire.
“The British empire covered a quarter of the world’s surface and a large portion of its population. It was seven times the size of the Roman empire,” he said.
Aiming to ensure diversity in both perspective and geography, Sanghera said he chose stories from various countries and different phases of the 400-year history.
Alongside India and Mahatma Gandhi, readers will learn about Guyana’s indentured labour system, Gertrude Bell’s adventures in Iraq, and the British invasion of Tibet led by Francis Younghusband.
“I wanted to highlight areas often left out of mainstream narratives,” the writer said. The stories are written with an accessible and honest tone, and with humour.
“Violence is a tricky area,” Sanghera said. “You can’t go into graphic detail, but you also shouldn’t whitewash it. The violence and racism of colonialism were intrinsic. “I tried to strike a balance - acknowledging the brutality without overwhelming young readers.”
Writing for children isn’t much different from writing for adults, Sanghera said.
“You still need engaging stories and to hold attention. The main thing is to avoid big words that might put them off.”
He pointed out how storytelling can counter the allure of digital screens.
“Kids are addicted to screens, and reading rates are falling globally. That’s disastrous for mental health, intellectual development, and politics,” he said.
“When you get news from screens, you’re in an echo chamber – you’re not being challenged or taught to think in a nuanced way.”
Sanghera’s hope is that stories of Journeys of Empire – from pirates to princes and explorers to rebels – will draw in young readers to a world of curiosity and reflection. He said, “The British empire is a complex story. Even the ‘good guys’ had flaws. That’s what makes it worth understanding.”
At the heart of his book is a message about complexity and contradiction. “The empire involved slavery and the abolition of slavery. It caused environmental destruction and inspired environmentalism. We live in a world that struggles with nuance, but that’s what makes us human,” Sanghera said.
“My hope is that readers – kids and adults – learn that opposite things can be true at the same time.”
After six years of writing about empire, Sanghera said he’s ready for a change. His next book will focus on the late pop star George Michael, due out in June next year.
“I thought George Michael would be a nice break from empire. But then I learned that his father came from Cyprus - which was under British rule. The reason he left Cyprus was because of the British. So, even George Michael’s story connects back to empire. You can’t escape it, wherever you go.”
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