British Comedy Guide

How many scripts do the BBC get?

Just out of curiousity, how many unrepresented scripts do you think BBC Writersroom get sent?

1,000,004?

I just sent one in - 1,000,005

It depends really on how many shows there are and also how many photocopies they need of it really.

Their answer is this:

'We receive approximately 10000 scripts every year...'

And that's just from Mikey J.

Ten thousand a year sounds like a very slim chance that yours will be read properly and appreciated

But a bit of simple maths makes it sound a little better.

365 days in a year but they probably don't work Saturday and Sundays
so that makes it 265 reading days.
Divide that into ten thousand and it makes 37 scripts per day.

37 a day isn't as daunting as 10,000 :)

Most of those ten thousand probably won't get looked at past the first few pages, though.

Oh, I agree - get the hook and gags in early

EDIT: I read my above words and thought 'and bring out the gimp'

According to the website they read at least the first ten pages of every script. If they get past ten they read the whole script and at the very least give feedback. If not it's coming back unmarked.

Quote: sean knight @ March 28 2011, 9:51 AM BST

According to the website they read at least the first ten pages of every script. If they get past ten they read the whole script and at the very least give feedback. If not it's coming back unmarked.

Having first discarded the ones written in crayon.
Or with my name on the front.

Quote: Lazzard @ March 28 2011, 11:29 AM BST

Having first discarded the ones written in crayon.
Or with my name on the front.

Apparently a large proportion are written in crayon. Some even in joined up writing.

Quote: sean knight @ March 28 2011, 9:51 AM BST

According to the website they read at least the first ten pages of every script. If they get past ten they read the whole script and at the very least give feedback. If not it's coming back unmarked.

Yes, so the first few pages.

Just thought I'd clarify the matter and possibly answer any other questions that might pop up with a bit of random knowledge. I wasn't correcting you or anything.

I have had my first feature length screenplay with them since December and am expecting it to come back through the door unread any day now. I keep thinking it is takng so long because they are reading it and then I think it is taking so long because of laughing stock and then I think well they said four months and then I think why am I worrying? and then I think. Bugger it. If they only read the first ten pages it is more than anyone else has read.

If it takes four months and I send another project in when my last has been returnedthat's three from me per year. If every one else is like me, and they receive 10,000per annum then there are only 3,333.3 writers sending stuff in. I gotta stand a chance.

My next one ready to go is entitled "How to clutch at straws"

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