Channel 4 Keeps Coming Up With New Talent
Russell Tovey, Ashley Walters, Lara Pulver, MyAnna Buring, Thomas Turgoose and Yasmin Paige are among the actors starring in Channel 4′;s Coming Up – the talent initiative that offers up-and-coming writers and directors the chance to showcase their work on national TV.
This year’;s Coming Up directors include Prasanna Puwanarajah, who was recently selected to direct a short film for the Olympic opening ceremony; and MJ Delaney who came to prominence with ‘Newport State of Mind”, one of the most talked about virals of 2010.
Writers include Tom Wells who was this year awarded the Critics Circle New Playwright Award for ‘The Kitchen Sink”, and Vivienne Franzmann – a teacher for 12 years before writing ‘Mogadishu”, for which she was nominated for the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award.
Commenting on the project, Ben Stoll, Drama Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 said: “Coming Up epitomises Channel 4′;s passion for discovering and supporting new talent. It’;s a fantastic opportunity for emerging writers and directors to see their distinctive ideas realised on screen, while allowing audiences to get the first glimpse of the storytellers of the future. Add to the mix some of the most exciting current acting talent, and I think we can expect some thrilling pieces of work.”
The seven dramas will be produced by Touchpaper TV, a Zodiak Media company that has partnered Coming Up for four years. Among the seven is Belfast-set drama ‘Spoof or Die”, supported by Northern Ireland Screen.
Now in its eleventh year, Coming Up has launched the careers of some of the most exciting writers and directors in British TV – and is the only UK initiative offering aspiring talent the opportunity to make an authored drama with a guaranteed network broadcast.
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