Radio & Screen Labs

Every year Scottish Book Trust offers writers the opportunity to develop their cross-media careers through our Radio Lab and Screenwriting Lab.

BBC Radio Lab 

Scottish Book Trust is delighted to be working with Radio Scotland Drama on the 2008 Radio Lab. BBC Scotland Radio Drama has established a strong track record producing a wide range of drama for Radio 4, Radio 3, Radio Scotland and BBC 7. Working with writers in Scotland and beyond, the department's output is both original and international.

Over the past eight years the Department has run a series of Radio' Labs to develop new writers and new writing for radio. The Radio' Labs have led to first radio commissions for a new generation of writing talent from Scotland including, Gregory Burke; Louise Ironside; Linda Cracknell; Louise Welsh; Simon Little; Maggie Graham; Andy Macdonald; Melanie Garrett; Lorraine McCann, Laura Marney and many more.

Screenwriting Lab

The Screenwriting Lab is an intensive three day course designed to provide writers with the skills needed to break into writing for film and television - one of the most competitive and lucrative areas of writing.

The Screenwriting Lab is led by award winning writer and director Adrian Mead and takes you through the realities of the script development process and the strategies you need to adopt in order to break into the industry. Participants also get the opportunity to work with actors and cinematographers.

Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive:

"I wanted to write to thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in Screen Lab. I came away feeling that I had learnt a lot but, more importantly, inspired to believe that screenwriting could offer a real career if approached in the strategic way that Adrian was proposing."

"Thank you again for the chance to take part in your Screen Lab course. It was, for me, an incredible learning experience."

"Full of energy, humour, practical professional insights and hands on exercises packed into the time available with no waffle "

Applicants to the Screenwriting Lab do not need to have existing experience in writing for television or film but must submit a short script as part of the selection process. Details of the next Screenwriting Lab will be available in the Autumn.

To register for updates on the Labs as well as our other projects please click here.