Learn the language of TV drama – how it’s constructed and how to talk about it to the industry, with expert advice from screenwriter and showrunner, Colin Teevan (Das Boot, Rebellion). Drawing on his substantial experience, Colin teaches a professional approach to screenwriting that will mark you out as someone who understands what producers and commissioners want. Discover how to use an established genre to turn the story that you want to write. Establish the world of your drama on the page so that a production team will get everything they need to know – but crucially no more than that. Put your protagonist in a hostile situation and figure out what they must do to overcome it. And learn how everything on the screen talks – not just dialogue.
By the end of this course, you should have written at least the first 10-12 pages of your script and have the confidence to be able to deliver your pilot to an industry standard.
Our online courses are designed for flexible learning. Allocate your own study time and take part from wherever you are in the world. Each week, we recommend spending at least four hours on the course. It’s also important to be planning and working on your TV pilot throughout the six weeks.
All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor.
Encourage your writerly friend or loved one to get creative! We have £230 digital gift vouchers available, enabling you to buy any five-week online course as a present.
Colin Teevan is a celebrated playwright, translator and writer for screen. He is writer, creator and executive producer of Rebellion (RTE, Netflix) seasons 1 and 2 and lead writer, showrunner and executive producer on Das Boot (Bavaria Fiction/Sky TV) seasons 2, 3 and 4. He is also the writer and creator of Charlie (RTE), three original films starring Aidan Gillen, who won an IFTA for Best Performance. His other work for television includes Silk (BBC) starring Maxine Peake, Vera starring Brenda Blethyn and Single Handed (ITV). Colin currently is showrunning a show for Channel 4/Playground, and his feature film for Amazon is in production. He has new series in development with Gaumont Germany, Bavaria Fiction and Windlight. Colin’s theatre pieces have been produced by many leading British theatres including the National, the Young Vic, the Soho Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland. He is also the creator of our highly popular advanced course in Writing an Original TV Drama Serial, and is Emeritus Professor of Screenwriting and Playwriting at Birkbeck, University of London where he lectured for over 12 years. He previously lectured on Creative Writing and Screenwriting at UEA, Durham, Newcastle and Queen’s Belfast.