Voices 2026 - Scotland

We are delighted to introduce the ten writers selected for Voices Scotland 2026. Over the last six months, they have immersed themselves in the world of television writing, exploring what makes great drama and beginning to develop original TV concepts of their own. Not only is this group exceptionally talented, but they have also been an absolute joy to work with. Their dedication, determination and passion have shone through at every stage of the programme, and it has been inspiring to watch their ideas grow and their voices develop. We have loved being part of their creative journey and are incredibly excited to see where their talent, ambition and storytelling will take them next.

Stephanie Fyfe (Commissioning Executive for BBC Drama) and Audrey McFadden (Assistant Producer, BBC Writers)

JESS BRODIE

Jess is a Glasgow-based playwright who, after completing her BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow, was a member of Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab where she wrote her first full-length play.

In 2019, she was selected as one of Playwrights’ Studio Scotland’s mentored playwrights, developing a new play with mentor Stef Smith. Her work has been showcased at Assembly George Square, Hidden Door Festival and Summerhall. She has been longlisted for the David MacLennan New Playwriting Award and was shortlisted for the St Andrews Prize for Playwriting 2024.

Her debut play, GUSH, was commissioned and produced by the Traverse Theatre in Spring 2026.

ISLA COWAN

Isla is an award-winning writer, performer and director from Edinburgh. She specialises in eco-feminist storytelling, and is committed to exploring issues of gender, class and environment in her work. Isla recently won the Assembly ART Award and the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize for her acclaimed fringe play SHE WOLF and was nominated for the Filipa Bragança Award for best female solo performance. Isla’s plays have also been shortlisted for prizes such as the St Andrews Playwriting Award and the Phil Fox Award.

Recent writing credits include: ALRIGHT SUNSHINE (Tron Theatre, Wonder Fools, Pleasance ENP), HERE IN THE LONG NOW (CCTA International Tour), TO THE BONE (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), SHE WOLF (Assembly Roxy), TO SAVE THE SEA (co-written with Andy McGregor, Sleeping Warrior), AND... AND... AND... (Strange Town Touring Company), JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (Hopscotch), and DAPHNE, OR HELLFIRE (Pleasance).

Isla was 2024 Playwright in Residence at The Traverse (IASH) and is currently Resident Writer at the Tron Theatre. She has upcoming commissions with the Royal Lyceum and Stellar Quines.

MAIREAD HAMILTON

Mairead is a Scottish writer and director with nearly a decade of experience working across film and television. She cut her teeth in Gaelic-language drama, writing and directing multiple series of BANNAN (BBC ALBA, 2013–2021), before expanding into English-language scripted work.

In 2025, she joined the inaugural NFTS Sean Connery Talent Lab, where she wrote and directed CHECKOUT, her first English-language short: a supermarket-set comedy slasher with a septuagenarian lead. The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and later screened at Leeds International Film Festival. This was followed by SURVIVOR, her second English-language directed short of the year, which screened at Inverness Film Festival and was broadcast in Gaelic on BBC ALBA on 1 January 2026.

Mairead is passionate about telling stories set in moral grey areas, led by sharp, resilient women who are often underestimated. A Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Skye, currently based in Glasgow, Mairead also works as a freelance script editor and is currently in development with a crime drama.

ROSS MACKENZIE

Ross is an author from Glasgow.

His novels for children and young adults have won several national awards, including the Scottish Children’s Book Award, the Scottish Teenage Book Prize, and the Blue Peter Best Story Award.

He has a passion for writing dark, high-concept stories about the things that might happen in the corner of your eye. Grounded in reality, but often with a fantastical twist.

A child of the 80s, Ross has always had a passion for television and movies. Now, at 44, he finally feels ready to make the step from fiction to screenwriting. His first script, THE LIBRARY OF DREAMS, earned him a place on BBC Voices 2026.

Represented by Steph Thwaites at Curtis Brown.

IAIN MURRAY MCLELLAN

Iain, a screenwriter born and bred in Glasgow, is focused on crafting high-stakes television drama.

Before a pivot to screenwriting, Iain trained in infectious disease control and spent 15 years with the United Nations Migration Agency as a humanitarian, coordinating emergency assistance in the largest displacement crises across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. This experience directly informs his authentic perspective when crafting high-stakes geopolitical television drama that is character-driven. Iain’s writing centres on emotional storytelling edged with sharp humour. Iain has previously written for The Guardian and his humanitarian TV pilot, BAD WILL, was a finalist in Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Competition and at the Nashville Film Festival for 2025.

Iain can usually be found writing in the library or bingeing on procedurals, political dramas, and anything by Joe Barton, Hugo Blick, or Michaela Coel. Iain is delighted to develop his craft and technique with BBC Voices 2026.

NIALL MOORJANI

Niall is an award winning and critically acclaimed Scottish-Indian, non-binary and neurodiverse writer, storyteller and theatre maker based between Edinburgh and London.

They have performed all over the world, from Old Delhi to New York (and old York for that matter). They create for both children and adults, dealing with themes of queerness, anti-colonialism, myth and legend.

At the core of all their work is hope, joy and kindness. Their work has been published in multiple places, but most notably with Methuen Drama, KANPUR:1857 (2025), and Lantana, RAJIV’S STARRY FEELINGS (2023).

KENNETH MURRAY

Kenneth is originally from Easterhouse in Glasgow and writes for film, TV and theatre.

A graduate of the prestigious TV Fiction Writing Masters at Glasgow Caledonian University, Kenneth has contributed to work for the National Theatre of Scotland and BBC The Social. Kenneth is also a graduate of the Dancing Ledge ScreenSkills Writer's Mentorship Scheme for 2024/5.

He has won awards for his work on the representation of those with experience of the care system in the media, including acting as a consultant on My Mum Tracy Beaker and The Beaker Girls for BBC Children's.

His journalism has featured in The Daily Record, The Metro, The Spectator and Holyrood Magazine.

Kenneth is particularly interested in telling stories which give a different perspective on well-trod social issues and stir the pot. He is currently working as part of a writersroom for a children’s TV show and separately on new ideas across mediums.

BEN RAMSAY

Ben is a writer and director from Kirkcaldy, Fife, fascinated with stories that explore and reflect contemporary life in Scotland, as well as narratives that explore unique pockets of history through a genre-driven lens.

A participant in both BBC Voices as well as the New Writers Collective 2026, Ben’s work has been produced twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and he has worked with several organisations across the country including Alchemy Arts, Playwright’s Studio Scotland, and the Almeida Theatre.

A supported artist of the Peggy Ramsay Foundation, Ben’s most recent play THE STAG AND THE HOUND, was staged to acclaim in both Edinburgh and Fife, and was subsequently shortlisted for the Alpine Prize. His current work, sci-fi thriller ARK RESIDENTIAL, was a finalist for the David MacLennan Award 2026.

Having recently completed an awarded residency with Cove Park, Ben’s latest horror play IN A BIG COUNTRY will be staged at the Gateway Festival in Edinburgh this year.

DANA SUTHERLAND

Dana is a Highland writer & performer living in Glasgow. She has a Masters in TV fiction writing from Glasgow Caledonian University and has written for TV & Radio for BBC Scotland’s BREAKING THE NEWS and BREAKING THE YEAR. Dana also freelances as a HETV script editor – most recently on COUNSELS with Balloon Entertainment.

Her spec script PLAYING WITH MATCHES was a quarter-finalist in the UKTV & Female Pilot Club, and a semi-finalist in the WeScreenplay Diverse Voices contest.

Dana is passionate about creating character-driven stories infused with humour across a range of genres – regularly focusing on themes of community, connection, moral ambiguity and identity. With a slice of something crime-y. She writes heightened pacey scripts often with a touch of surreal silliness – all grounded in an authenticity of character. Dana is keen to develop female led narratives with a particular interest in female friendship and older queer perspectives in the North of Scotland.

INDRA WILSON

Indra (they/them) is an award-winning queer writer based in Glasgow. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2021), their practice is rooted in feminist and queer methodologies, creating politically engaged work that blends humour, playfulness, and emotional clarity. Indra is interested in character-led storytelling that explores identity, power, and social history, often making complex ideas accessible through comedy, metaphor, and accessible narrative form. Indra’s work centres underrepresented voices and asks how personal and political histories shape the present.

Their debut play, FLOAT, premiered as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, winning the Bragi Summerhall Award for New Writing before transferring to London. Their work has also been staged and developed at the Tron Theatre, Capital Theatres, and Summerhall.

Indra is currently writing a play for young audiences with Strange Town and co-writing DOASGES with Close to Home Productions, exploring the history and cultural impact of the contraceptive pill. Indra works as a community artist with organisations including Wonder Fools, Glass Performance, and Toonspeak.