Any opinions on this? Being a reader must be a very handy way to get ideas from the gullible punters. http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2015/11/11/23568/controversy_hits_bbc_script_contest
BBC Writers room script reader wins
It certainly doesn't give out a feel good factor - except for her, obviously, she must feel pretty good about it.
every job I ever applied for had a warning to the effect
"please state if you are friends, related or worked with any of the management in this organisation.....failure to do so may lead to withdrawal of a job offer"
seems odd it doesn't apply to the BBC.
Quote: Auntybellum @ 12th November 2015, 5:38 PM GMTAny opinions on this? Being a reader must be a very handy way to get ideas from the gullible punters. http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2015/11/11/23568/controversy_hits_bbc_script_contest
I finally gave up sketch writing when one of my "failed" scripts appeared a year later in the second series.
Lying cheating bastards. 
Damn sure it was the script editor who pinched it off me. Script editors shouldn't be allowed to submit material
F**k 'em all.
Your actual script, or a similar storyline?
Hasn't one of the TV comedy execs got a show commissioned...?
Yeah I saw that. Seems very odd that this should be allowed and the notion that working there didn't help her in the interview process (presumably done by people she already knew) is quite absurd.
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 12th November 2015, 8:45 PM GMTLying cheating bastards.
All script editors, Herc, or the ones to do with the BBC? I think it's letting the bastards (the bad script editors) win if you give up.
F**k 'em all.
Sootyj can respond to this one?
I was one of the 20 writers fortunate enough to make the shortlist for this competition. I was interviewed for a place in the development pool, however I wasn't one of the 6-8 people they selected (the other folk that make up the 15 in the pool were the winners of other competitions/talent searches).
Sally's inclusion has understandably upset some people, but if you actually think about the logistics of the subterfuge she/the BBC is being accused of then the argument about it being a fix quickly disintegrates.
There were over 2,100 scripts submitted, which were read by several script readers. To get to the shortlisted 20, your script would have been read by at least 3 different people at various levels of the writersroom. So Sally's script must have been great.
If anything I'd argue that the odds were actually against her at the interview stage. The BBC is extremely sensitive to bad press, and they would have been well aware of the potential backlash from this (shown by the fact that they opened their announcement of the winners with an explanation of Sally's inclusion) and the potential for lasting damage to the integrity of the Writersroom.
So the fact that they took such a big risk shows that Sally Stott must be an extremely talented, funny writer who deserved to be a winner of that competition. I didn't quite make the grade. Fair enough - I'll just write something better next time.
What I can't understand is why this person - sufficiently inexperienced that they need this kind of break - was hired to judge the quality of other people's work.
Quote: Mr Writer Like In The Song @ 16th November 2015, 1:50 PM GMTWhat I can't understand is why this person - sufficiently inexperienced that they need this kind of break - was hired to judge the quality of other people's work.
And thus the logical Moebius strip is exposed.
These competitions always come down to luck, talent and hard work.
At a certain level of skill x number of writers are good enough.
That maybe 500, 50 or 5. But out of those who have the requisite skill and have put in the hard work.
Then the final selection will always have a certain degree of luck. This isn't racing there is no photo finish.
So any doubt on fairness, is to be honest to much. You wouldn't visit a casino that mostly had fair odds would you?
Quote: sootyj @ 16th November 2015, 3:09 PM GMTSo any doubt on fairness, is to be honest to much. You wouldn't visit a casino that mostly had fair odds would you?
You bet I would! Most casinos have odds loaded between slightly to horribly in favour of the house. If you find one that has fair odds, do let me know.
The issue that might matter here is:
She submitted an entry to the competition in a false name while she was employed as a reader judging the entries.
She didn't submit in her own name and let her boss know.
She didn't ask her boss up front if she could enter and how that ought to be managed as she was a reader.
As I understand it she only let on when she needed to attend a face to face meeting as an entrant.
From the above you might reasonably expect the BBC to decide that her entry was void but instead she was rewarded as a winner.
In competitions aren't you generally banned from entering if you work for or have relatives who work for the organising company?
Again, you're hit by the problem of what is working for the company and what is freelancing. Still, she should have still signed a contract.