Brian Dungan from Skerries, County Dublin is the winner of BBC Northern Ireland Drama’s second annual Tony Doyle New Writers’ Bursary Award. Brian will receive a St£2000 cash prize and will join five other finalists on a residential seminar where they will receive expert tuition from professional scriptwriters and producers and gain an introduction to the world of television drama.
Brian’s winning entry, The Breaking Wave, was an assured piece with an unusual slant on the murder mystery genre. He won the MTV/Ericsson Short Script Competition in 1999, but has not had anything previously produced for television. The 24-year old graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a degree in Film and Broadcasting. Two of his short scripts were produced during his degree course.
On winning the award Brian said, “I am delighted to have received such a prestigious award especially when up against such strong competition. I have been trying to break into television writing for some time and I hope that this will open up some doors for me.”
Robert Cooper, BBC Northern Ireland’s Head of Drama, said “Writers are the life-blood of television drama and BBC Northern Ireland has a long history of forging links with Irish writers, often gaining them their first television commission. We uncovered a great talent in last year’s Bursary winner Bill Murphy and this year we are delighted to have another strong winner. I look forward to working with Brian in the future.”
Brian and five other finalists were short listed from 161 entrants who came from as far as France, Spain and the USA. These five finalists - Alison Maxwell from Maynooth, Heather Richardson and Aaron Gray from Belfast, Paul Soye originally from Dublin and Jenny Roche Conroy from New York (originally from Galway) will join Brian on a residential seminar in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Monaghan the end of May 2002.
The seminar tutors include scriptwriters Barbara Machin (Waking The Dead, Casualty, The Bill, Emmerdale), Ali White (Any Time Now) and Adrian Hodges (Amongst Women, The Lost World, Lorna Doone, David Cooperfield), producer Peter Norris (Falling For a Dancer, My Uncle Silas, A Young Person’s Guide To Becoming A Rock Star, Between The Lines, Casualty, The Darling Buds Of May) and BBC Northern Ireland Drama producer Tanya Nash. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their work individually with BBC Northern Ireland’s Head of Development, Stephen Wright.
The aim of the Tony Doyle Bursary is to encourage Irish writing for television - the medium in which Tony Doyle excelled - and to forge creative links between writers and broadcasters in Ireland.
This year's judging panel included actors Liam Cunningham, Lorcan Cranitch and Tina Kellegher, producers Alan Moloney and Peter Norris together with Sally Doyle and Robert Cooper.
Last year’s winner, Bill Murphy, went on to receive a commission from BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour to write a five-part drama to be broadcast from 5 - 9 August 2002. He joins the ranks of other Irish writing talent including Colin Bateman (Wild About Harry, Divorcing Jack, Murphy’s Law), Gary Mitchell (As The Beast Sleeps) Ronan Bennett (Love Lies Bleeding, Rebel Heart) Tim Loane (Out of The Deep Pan, Teachers (C4)), John Forte (Henri), Pearse Elliot (Rap At The Door) and Graham Reid (The Billy Plays, Life After Life, Precious Blood) - who all received their first commissions from BBC Northern Ireland Drama.
The deadline and criteria for submissions for next year’s Bursary will be available on the BBC Northern Ireland Drama website www.bbc.co.uk/ni/drama in early autumn.
DH
