BBC and Netflix have engaged in a wonderful partnership that will see them developing, funding and co-producing various new and ambitious feature dramas that will see disabled creatives working both behind and in front of the camera.
The five-year partnership aims to help increase the representation of disabled talent on and off-screen, and give the disabled writers and creatives a bigger and better platform to tell their stories without any hindrance.
They will be considering projects from various UK producers where the works have been created or co-created by disabled writers who identify as disabled, deaf and/or neurodivergent. They can work on anything irrespective of genre.
In their joint statement released on Netflix’s site, they said, “We are looking for ideas which feel ambitious and elevated, and which challenge the limits that the industry might unconsciously put on disability. The intention of the partnership is to firmly place the shows alongside our most talked about and original dramas already being developed.”
Anne Mensah, the Vice President of the UK Series on Netflix said, “Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators are some of the least well-represented groups on television in the UK. Put simply, we want to change that fact.”
She added, “Together with the BBC, we hope to help these creators to tell the biggest and boldest stories and speak to the broadest possible British and Global audience. It’s been hugely exciting to develop this project with Piers Wenger and the BBC Drama team and we are incredibly passionate about the creative possibilities of this partnership.”
Wenger said, “We recognise the need for change and we hope that in coming together the BBC and Netflix have created a funding model which will help level the playing field for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creators in the UK.”
He thanked Mensah and her team “for the readiness and vision they have shown in coming on board to develop this initiative with us.”
All pitches have to be submitted to BBC wherein they will be assessed by both BBC and Netflix together. They will issue an outline and creative brief for those interested besides organising a webinar.
The project is eligible to UK based indie production companies who have:
- A BBC TV commission in the last three years (including BBC Films shown on a BBC UK platform).
- A TV commission for original content from another major UK broadcaster or SVOD platform available in the UK in the last three years.
They announced that all submissions must be sent to [email protected]. For further information about BBC dramas, producers have been encouraged to scourge the working with writers page.
More information regarding the same will be released soon.
