Creators in Residence  

Our Creators in Residence programme pairs emerging screenwriters and content makers with some of the most experienced producers in the industry, drawn from BBC Studios’ own production teams or our invested indies. Launched in July 2020 as part of our drive to invest in new creative talent, the programme offers tangible opportunities to emerging creators within production business areas. This enables our creators to gain on-the-job training whilst working on their own authored work.

Recent placements

Ajay Tegala

Ajay undertook his residency at BBC Studios Natural History Unit working on Springwatch, where he finished his residency by presenting a segment on the broadcast show.

Alvin Yu

Alvin is a script writer & director. From crafting compelling pitches for giants like HBO, Sky Atlantic, and Netflix, to assisting the brilliant Gareth Evans in the creation of "Gangs of London," Alvin's dedication to telling dynamic stories shines through. Alvin will join BBC Studios’ scripted label, Clerkenwell Films.

Basma Khalifa

Basma Khalifa is a Sudanese multi-disciplinary creative, raised in Northern Ireland and Scotland and currently living in London. Across all of her creative outlets - from her work as a director, filmmaker, writer and fashion stylist, Basma believes in creating and telling stories for, and about, the under-represented youth of our generation.

Basma has completed a Creator in Residence with Louis Theroux’s production company, Mindhouse and BBC Studios Factual.

She has since worked with BBC Studios to create a short film for BBC Reel, as part of the Fresh Takes project.

Bethany (Bea) Duxbury

Bea is a queer sex worker and content creator from Lancashire. During her placement she focused on a scripted comedy-drama loosely based on her own experiences entering the adult nightlife scene in London.

Charlie George

Charlie is an award-winning stand-up comedian and writer, host, MC & speaker.

LGBTQ New Comedian of the Year 2019. So You Think You’re Funny & Funny Women Awards runner up 2019. Charlie has performed stand-up on BBC Asian Network Live, BBC’s No Country for Women Podcast, Comedy Central in Rhod Gilbert’s Growing Pains & ITV2’s Stand Up Sketch Show.

Daisy Maskell

Daisy is currently one of the most exciting and sought-after broadcasters in TV and radio. Having debuted her first BBC documentary, the National Television Award-nominated “Daisy Maskell – Insomnia and Me” on BBC One, Daisy has gone on to co-produce and present the Channel 4 documentaries and you can catch her work in Vogue and hosting on KISS FM.

Danielle Vitalis

An actress and writer from East London, Danielle's on-screen career has spanned action-adventure film to television comedy.

She has appeared in Attack the Block, I May Destroy You, Youngers and Famalam, for which she has also written sketches.

David Jonsson

A filmmaker and actor from East London, David’s on-screen roles include Industry for the BBC and HBO, and Deep State on FOX. Following a scholarship on the Warner Bros. Creative Talent programme, he has since been mentored by senior members of both BAFTA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2018, David gained attention for his mockumentary short GEN Y and is currently developing his first feature film. In 2020, Digital Spy named him as a Black British Star of Tomorrow.

Hammed Animashaun

Actor Hammed Animashaun has worked in television, film and theatre with credits that include: BBC Studios Comedy Productions Black Ops, Amazon Studios’ The Wheel of Time, Paramount’s Time Bandits, films such as The Loneliest Boy in the World and Film 4 and Fudge Park’s The Festival, and theatre productions ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Three Penny Opera, Master Harold and Barbershop Chronicles at the National Theatre and The Producers at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.

Kate Wickens

Kate is a writer who will be joining BBC Studios Kids & Family. From her early success with ‘The Fishdance Kid' as part of the London Film Festival’s Best of UK Shorts and graduating from the BBC Writersroom Writers’ Access Group in 2021 - she’s known for subverting expectations and celebrating the quirks that make us human. 

Layla Wright

Award-winning presenter, journalist and documentary filmmaker, specialising in powerful TV and radio documentaries, Layla’s documentary series False Hope? Alternative Cancer Cures aired on BBC Three and BBC Radio 4.

Layla secured a hugely exciting placement with Louis Theroux’s production company, Mindhouse, where she went on to develop and present Panorama: The Champions League Final: What Went Wrong?

Layla continues to work on documentary development with both Mindhouse and the BBC Studios Factual Podcast team.

Liv Little

Liv Little’s career spans audio, journalism and TV. She is also the founder of gal-dem, a media company committed to spotlighting the creative talents of women and non-binary people of colour. Liv has worked in commissioning at the BBC and as a writer in residence at BBC Studios.

Liz Daramola

Liz is a playwright and comedy screenwriter from London, and works as Literary Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith. While part of Soho Theatre’s Writers Lab 2019-2020 she developed her debut play BONHOMIÉ (shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award 2020 and longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Mustapha Matura Award 2021). In 2020, Liz was part of Edinburgh TV Festival’s The Network, and in 2021, she joined the Royal Court Writers’ Group and BBC London Voices. She is currently writing on PJ MASKS for Frogbox and is developing two new original TV series.

Marek Horn

Following his debut play at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a subsequent sell-out run at Bristol Old Vic, Marek is currently adapting his debut play, ‘Wild Swimming’ for Moonage Pictures. Marek is also working on further television projects with a range of production companies. His latest play ‘Yellowfin’ was produced at Southwark Playhouse in 2021, and he has further adaptations in the pipeline.

Mary O’Connell

Mary describes herself as a North London socialite whose stage presence is dangerously aloof. Her comedy offers a left field view of life, making for hilarious and absurd material.

She was a runner up in the live 2020 Funny Women Awards Final, longlisted in the Thousand Films Female Writing Competition and was most recently seen on BBC Presents: Stand Up for Live Comedy.

Max Tobin

A filmmaker and presenter from Birmingham, Max has been writing and directing short films since childhood. His film ‘I Will Despise You’ won him the title of RTS Young Filmmaker of the Year 2021. In 2020, Max branched out to presenting science-focused TikTok posts on his account Ministry of Science, which has amassed over 300,000 followers, as well as creating a Snapchat and YouTube series.

Since his Creator in Residence, Max continues to work with BBC Studios, creating and presenting online content for BBC Reel and has received Best New Presenter nominations 2023 at both Edinburgh TV New Voice Awards and Broadcast Digital Awards.

Olivia Davies

Experienced investigative journalist Olivia was awarded Young Welsh Investigative Journalist of the Year in 2020. Olivia has been working with BBC News and Current Affairs since the age of 16 to hone her craft, and is passionate about making investigations more accessible to young audiences. With experience working on high profile international news stories, Olivia has travelled extensively to uncover stories that matter.

Paddy Smyth

Paddy Smyth is a media commentator, influencer and disability rights activist. He won the 2019 series of The Circle on Channel 4 and presented The Fitting Room for RTE2 in the same year. He has most recently appeared on Celebrity Pulling With My Parents on RTE2 Ireland. His down to earth honesty and powerful messaging has seen him front social media campaigns for a range of brands such as Emma Mattress, Primark, TKMazz, Kiehl’s, Amazon Prime, Bumble and Disney+. He was also one of Facebook and Instagram’s Diverse Voices of 2021.

Rutendo Shackleton

Conservation scientist and natural history presenter Dr Rutendo Shackleton co-hosts the BBC Earth Podcast. With an Undergraduate and Masters degrees in Veterinary Medical Sciences, Rutendo also has a PhD in the social welfare of elephant herds in zoo-based conservation programmes in the UK - focussing on using social bonds to monitor the welfare and health of elephants in zoos.

Rutendo brings her wealth of experience to a new audio adventure for anyone who’s ever marvelled at the natural world.

Shahira Allen

Content creator and plus size model, Shahira Allen has built her digital presence as Afro Glory. She shares beauty tips, gets extremely creative with afro futuristic makeup, and creates space for conversation around being Black and British. 

Shu Shi Lin

Shu is a British Born Chinese influencer who uses her platform to share a positive outlook on life, cultural lifestyle content and bringing representation for the East and South East Asian community in the UK. Focused on food, travel and lifestyle content; Shudocuments different chapters of her life from overcoming orthorexia, identity struggles and navigating a new chapter of independent living in London.

Previous brands she has worked include: Chinatown London, BBC London, Lonely Planet and Mercure Hotels to name only a few. Her fun-filled vlogs explores many London scenes and locations up and down the UK, as well as destinations from Hong Kong and Tokyo to New York and Morocco. She frequently creates Cantonese talking videos to connect with her heritage and culture and has found a new love for cooking with her air-fryer, where she shares many intriguing recipes, experimenting to her own tastes. Shu is a confident presenter, having previously presented on the BBC documentary, ‘A Very British History’, talking about being British Chinese and the history of the Chinese community through the years in Britain.

Tiffany Sweeney

An award-winning investigative journalist, with eight years’ experience at BBC World News, Tiffany has credits across TV, Radio and Digital. The first person to win the Edinburgh TV Festival Debut Presenter award, Tiffany’s BBC Three documentary ‘Secrets of Sugar Baby Dating’ demonstrated her ability to seek out and uncover stories.

During her Creator in Residence with independent production company Parable, Tiffany was integral to the commissioning of BBC3 documentary ‘Crashed: $800 Festival Fail’, alerting the team to the story and then working across the development of the commissioned title.

Verona Rose

Verona is the creative force behind BBC3's 'Fully Blown' and a comedy star on the rise. From TV shows to reality gigs, she's a dynamic performer and writer. Catch her in action on Netflix's 'Top Boy' and as the host of ITV2's 'Secret Crush. Verona will undertake her placement with BBC Studios Factual Entertainment Unit to develop its reality shows.