Tony Jordan, MD of Red Planet Pictures, today announced that two aspiring writers had been chosen as joint winners of the company’s coveted annual writing competition after the judging panel decided both scripts were worthy of the title.
The Red Planet Prize 2014, held in partnership with Kudos, has been jointly awarded to documentary editor Paul McIntyre and former film art executive Tracy Ann Baines.
Paul McIntyre’s tense drama, The Family Next Door, tells the story of a woman who finds a mysterious hole leading to her neighbours’ house - and a series of revelations about long-buried family secrets.
Tracy Ann Baines’ script, called Iron Roads, is a bold nineteenth-century drama about the men on the frontline of the industrial revolution, building the iron roads for Britain’s railways. This epic yet intimate tale highlights the role of these forgotten men and their families.
Open to any UK writer, a joint team including Simon Winstone and Judith King for Red Planet alongside Karen Wilson and Alison Jackson, Executive Producers for Kudos, have overseen the competition through each stage. Having already submitted a short 10-page sample during the first round, finalists entered a full-length script for consideration by an industry panel, including Tony Jordan, Kudos CEO Jane Featherstone and Channel 4’s Deputy Head of Drama, Beth Willis.
On announcing the winners, Tony Jordan said: “The quality of this year’s competition was extraordinary, perfectly illustrated by the fact we have two winners. They were two wonderful scripts and we look forward to working closely with Tracy and Paul at Red Planet Pictures in the future.”
Commenting on this year’s award winners, Karen Wilson, Executive Producer, Kudos said: “We have a long history of nurturing and developing new talent and were struck by the creativity and quality of Tracy and Paul’s scripts. This is a unique opportunity for emerging talent and we can’t wait to read what Tracy and Paul produce next.”
Red Planet and Kudos have become synonymous in the UK with captivating television productions with high quality and creative writing at the heart of all their projects. Both companies are committed to finding and providing development platforms for new writing talent as well as developing innovative and original new concepts for drama series.
The Red Planet Prize, which has been running for seven years, has enjoyed considerable success in uncovering some true hidden talent. Previous finalist Robert Thorogood created the BBC One smash hit series Death in Paradise, now starring Kris Marshall and produced by Red Planet Pictures, which returns to BBC One for a fourth series in the new year.
