BBC extends Comedy Collectives bursaries to editors

The BBC is extending its Comedy Collective bursaries to editors in the second year of the scheme.

There are 10 places up for grabs for mid-level writers, producers, directors and editors – including edit assistants and assistant editors looking to step up.

The first cohort each received up to £10,000 worth of paid shadowing on a BBC Comedy production, plus a £5,000 development grant to put towards new material or further support towards the development.

As before, each will be allocated a production mentor.

Editor Gareth Heal, whose credits include Such Brave Girls [pictured], The Cleaner, Henpocalypse, Chewing Gum and People Just Do Nothing, joins director Christine Gernon (Ghosts, Gavin and Stacey) and Roughcut TV managing director Ash Atalla as an ambassador on this year’s scheme.

Heal and Gernon both provided craft sessions to last year’s cohort, who also partook in a private roundtable with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong.

According to the BBC, members of the first group are now securing agents, winning script credits and scoring broadcast credits.

Additionally, the BBC is launching its second Comedy Grants scheme, which is open to small companies, organisations and communities that want to support growth, outreach and inclusion activity within the comedy genre.

Both schemes open for applications on Thursday 11 January and will close on Wednesday 31 January.

For more details, click here