News Broadcasting
BBC seeks next generation of TV writers for drama academy
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has announced that it is looking for the next generation of TV writers for its Drama Writers Academy. This is a course that equips writers with the skills to work on BBC flagship continuing drama programmes.
The BBC adds that The Academy is the only course in the world that guarantees writers the opportunity to work on prime time television. Established by BBC Controller of Drama Production John Yorke, its aim is to create a pool of writing talent to work on some of BBC One’s best-loved and most popular shows – EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Doctors.
Students that secure a place will enjoy masterclasses from established writers like Tony Jordan EastEnders, Life On Mars, Jimmy McGovern The Street) and Dominic Minghella Robin Hood.
Alongside training on all aspects of drama production from editing to scheduling, students will receive direct writing experience on continuing dramas, with the aim of transmitting their finished scripts on BBC One.
Since its inauguration three years ago, 22 out of 24 graduates have gone on to gain full-time work in writing for TV, with nine of the graduates now established as core writers on continuing drama shows.
In addition many writers have graduated onto other shows: Daisy Coulam and Sasha Hails are currently writing for series two of BBC Drama Lark Rise To Candleford and Ian Kershaw for Shameless.
Creativity, talent and a passion for telling stories are essential criteria for those applying. Applicants must have had at least one professional commission in either television, theatre, radio or film.
John Yorke says, “Whilst you can’t teach writing, you can create a framework for new and emerging talent to find its voice.
“Over the last three years, with the help of some of the best people in the industry, we’ve been able to give new writers the space, time and tools to allow them to develop strong, individual work.
“It’s fantastic that in the current climate the BBC is still able to make such a major investment in new talent.”
Applications are open until 12 May 2008.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
