Voices 2026 - Wales

We are thrilled to announce the 2026 BBC Writers Voices from our hub in Wales. Like any good TV drama, this deserves a hooky opening to reel you in!

This year, we’ve really put our Wales cohort through their paces. Over the last six months, they’ve battled mythical Welsh entities, fought for survival on a remote Welsh island and awakened revolutionary ancestors of the past… we might have taken a bit of creative dramatic licence here!

Those are just some of the exciting ideas that our brilliant cohort of 12 writers have been developing with us to outline stage over the course of the programme. Our writers come from a wide range of different backgrounds and disciplines – each with a unique and distinct voice. During their time as part of BBC Writers Voices, they’ve developed and honed their skills through a series of masterclasses with industry experts, they’ve met with BBC Drama Commissioners and networked with Indies.

Of course, every good TV drama deserves an equally hooky end to their opening episode. And so, we can’t wait to see what our talented group of writers go on to do next! Incredibly, off the back of Voices, we’ve already seen some of our cohort go on to have further success and be accepted onto other TV writing courses which is a testament to their hard work and talent.

Mae’n bleser gennym gyhoeddi rhaglen BBC Writers Voices Wales ar gyfer 2026. Fel unrhyw ddrama deledu dda, mae hyn yn haeddu dechrau gafaelgar i’ch denu chi i mewn!

Eleni, rydym wir wedi profi gallu ein ‘Lleisiau Cymreig’. Dros y chwe mis diwethaf, maent wedi brwydro yn erbyn creaduriaid chwedlonol o Gymru, wedi ymladd i oroesi ar ynys Gymreig anghysbell ac wedi deffro cyndeidiau chwyldroadol o’r gorffennol...efallai eu bod wedi manteisio ar ryddid dramatig greadigol yma!

Dyma rai o’r syniadau cyffrous y mae ein grŵp gwych o 12 awdur wedi eu datblygu gyda ni hyd at y gam amlinellu’r rhaglen. Daw ein hawduron o amrywiaeth eang o gefndiroedd a disgyblaethau – pob un â llais gwahanol ac unigryw. Yn ystod eu hamser ar BBC Writers Voices, maent wedi datblygu a mireinio eu sgiliau trwy gyfres o ddosbarthiadau meistr gydag arbenigwyr o fewn y diwydiant, wedi cwrdd â Chomisiynwyr Drama’r BBC ac wedi rhwydweithio â chwmnïau cynhyrchu annibynnol.

Wrth gwrs, mae pob drama deledu dda yn haeddu diweddglo yr un mor afaelgar a’i phennod agoriadol. Felly, rydym yn edrych ymlaen yn eiddgar at weld beth fydd y camau nesaf i’n grŵp talentog o awduron! Yn dilyn llwydiant Voices, rydym eisoes wedi gweld rhai o’n cyfranogwyr yn mynd ymlaen i gael hyd yn oed mwy o lwyddiant a chael eu derbyn argyrsiau ysgrifennu ar gyfer y teledu; mae hyn yn brawf amlwg o’u gwaith caled a’u talent.

Celi Fowler (Commissioning Executive) and Elise Gallagher (Commissioning Coordinator)

JON BERRY

Jon Berry is from South Wales. His writing for theatre includes critic's gem TACHWEDD (The Slaughter), at Theatre503 in London; STRAYS for Sherman Theatre, and ELEGY FOR DAVID for The Old Fish Market.

He has been a part of 503Five, Royal Court Writers' Group, Sherman Theatre's New Welsh Playwright Programme, and won the Kevin Elyot Award for Theatre.

A storyteller with a gift for lyrical narratives and character studies, he is most alive in stories where the obvious is not given.

He is currently working with on productions across theatre, TV and film.

MAX BURTON

Born in Abergavenny, South Wales, Max’s writing embraces the warmth of everyday Welsh people in trying circumstances. In 2022, his short film STUCK, starring Steve Speirs - a vignette of a man trapped in gridlock whilst his wife is in labour - was funded by the BFI in partnership with Chapter Arts. His filmmaking has led him to become a Prince William BAFTA Bursary recipient. 

Max’s writing has placed in the top 5% for Matriarch Productions/Birdie Pictures Grass Routes Prize, and he was selected for the Tall Story Pictures Welsh writer callout, where his voice was recognised for its warmth and emotional honesty.

In his spare time Max performs stand-up comedy, and recently reached the semi-finals of So You Think You’re Funny? at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025. Max’s co-founded theatre company, The Fiascoholics, also debuted their satirical play 4’S A CROWD (OR WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN STUCK IN A BUNKER DURING THE APOCALYPSE) at the festival. Following rave reviews, the production transferred to London’s Hope Theatre in October, and Max has since been commissioned to create sketch content for Arla milk.

Max is beyond proud to be writing a bold new script as part of the BBC Voices scheme. He is currently seeking representation.

ELAN DAVIES

Elan Davies is a Welsh–Zambian award-winning actor and emerging writer, rapidly gaining recognition as a rising talent in Wales. She has developed work through the Royal Court’s Plays from ur Note programme, Burnt Orange Theatre’s Zest Residency, and the National Theatre Writing Course.

Her debut one-woman show, BLACK LOVE, previewed to a sold-out audience at McQueens Theatre, London, and is set to return this year after being shortlisted for the Mustapha Matura award in 2025.

Her short film INHERITANCE is currently in development with Cinecdoche and Bafta Winning actor and director, Emily Burnett. Elan is known for multidisciplinary performance and creating work that blends acting, writing, and movement.

JAMES DAVIS

James Davis is a writer from Pontypool, South Wales. He is an MA Screenwriting graduate of the National Film and Television School and a BAFTA Prince William Bursary Recipient. 

His comedy-drama pilot THE PONTY PIGEON was shortlisted for the BAFTA-Rocliffe New Writing Competition, while his dark comedy pilot TURKEY TEETH recently reached the final stages of the BBC Open Call. 

His horror-comedy short BUNNYHOOD, which he co-wrote, won the La Cinef Third Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival before screening at Sundance, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and being selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. His fantasy-drama feature script DAFYDD'S GREAT CONCOCTION reached the quarter-finals of the Academy Nicholl Fellowship 

Alongside his writing, James also directs. His short A DEAD CANARY won Best Drama at the RTS West Awards, while his experimental short YEW was commissioned through BBC Wales and Ffilm Cymru's Ffolio Scheme.

He was the winner of the NFTS x Mediapro Studios Competition, leading to the development of a Welsh comedy-drama series. More recently, he co-wrote ANGH, an independent drama feature directed by Theja Rio and starring Douglas Henshall.

His work blends the everyday with the surreal, drawing on his experiences growing up in post-industrial South Wales.

He is currently seeking representation. 

LLOYD GLANVILLE

Lloyd is a Cardiff-born screenwriter who uses his work to showcase the diverse culture and vibrant communities of modern Wales.

His script UNSUSTAINABLE, an optimistic sitcom about climate change, won the British Comedy Guide Hat Trick Sitcom script competition, beating over 900 entries. Hat Trick took the script under a shopping agreement in 2022. The same script was selected in the BBC Writers 'Find Me Funny' scheme in 2018 and performed on stage in Cardiff. This led to Lloyd providing sketches for BBC Cymru Wales projects, gaining his first broadcast writing credits.

In 2020, he directed his first short film CARDIFF, I LOVE YOU as part of Ffilm Cymru’s Ffolio programme. The film has been viewed over 100,000 times via BBC Arts and was shown on BBC4.

In 2024 he was longlisted in the David Nobbs Memorial Trust script competition and the Bad Wolf Blaidd Writers Scheme.

Lloyd also has a production background, working on shows such as SHERLOCK, TROLLIED and MERLIN.

YASSA KHAN

Yassa Khan writes films where trauma becomes beauty.

A native Welsh speaker of Pakistani and Welsh heritage, Yassa is a writer and director whose films transform deeply personal stories into bold, cinematic experiences. Blending emotionally intimate storytelling with striking visual language, his work explores identity, family, memory and the resilience found in unlikely places.

After leaving a successful career as Head of Art at a London advertising agency during the pandemic, Yassa wrote and directed the documentary COSMOTO, following anti-poaching officers in Zambia, before directing OVERHEATED, featuring Billie Eilish and Vivienne Westwood. He also directed the Pet Shop Boys and Soft Cell music video PURPLE ZONE.

His breakthrough narrative short, PINK, based on coming out to his bank-robbing father, screened at BFI Flare and won Best Short at the Oscar-qualifying Tasveer Film Festival, establishing him as a distinctive new filmmaking voice.

Yassa is currently developing his debut feature, DAFFODIL, a Sinema Cymru finalist, and the dark comedy short CLOSET, supported through Beacons and Ffilm Cymru.

MAC NIXON

Mac Nixon is a BAFTA and BIFA-nominated writer-director based in Wales, whose work has screened internationally, including Cannes, LFF and Palm Springs Film Festival. He was also nominated for Sony’s Future Filmmaker Awards 2026.

His recent short film FLOCK was produced with Film4 and the BFI. His previous film, JACKDAW, was commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales and funded by the National Lottery, BFI NETWORK and Ffilm Cymru Wales.

As a writer, Mac is drawn to timeless human themes - community, greed, loss, belonging and identity - and is particularly interested in finding fresh, modern perspectives through which to explore them. His work is often noted for its tone, atmosphere, visual storytelling, world-building and distinctive sense of place.

Alongside his film work, Mac is Creative Director of STORM+SHELTER, where he oversees live-action and animation projects including TV commercials, brand films and long-form content.

Mac has a slate of TV pitches and a lookbook available upon request, as well developing his debut feature film.

BRYCHAN PROBERT

Brychan first discovered his passion for screenwriting while studying TV and Film Production at college and later at university. During that time, his student films earned nominations at several festivals, including the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival and the RTS West of England Student Awards.

Since graduating, he has worked as a set caterer across a range of HETV productions while continuing to write alongside his day‑to‑day work. He is currently developing a number of spec scripts and exploring funding opportunities for upcoming short film projects.

LAWRENCE QUILTY

Lawrence is a Cardiff-based writer of mainly contemporary comedies with a political bent. In 2022 he won the Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize for a script later developed into THE INDEPENDENT SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF THE UPPER END OF THE LOWER BRECK ROAD, about an ejected Red Wall MP who resolves to hold on to his constituency office by force, which the Liverpool Echo called “a distinctive, funny and impassioned play, using a unique premise to ask searching questions about our politics” when it ran for three weeks at Liverpool Royal Court in May 2024.

Later that year, AI LOVE YOU, a short film about a tech-savvy couple unwitting catfishing one another, was broadcast on BBC Two Wales as part of It’s My Shout. In 2025, I LOVE IKEA (OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND SEE THE WONDERFUL EVERYDAY), a forty-minute radio play about millennial angst and soft furnishings, was performed live in Suffolk each day of INK Festival with an audio version currently in production with Janno Media.

He is currently developing with The Other Room MAKE CARDIFF GREAT AGAIN: KILL ALL THE SEAGULLS, about a populist council’s world-endingly calamitous attempt to tackle an urban pest problem.

MIRANDA SHAMISO

Miranda is a Birmingham-born, Cardiff-based actor & filmmaker with roots in Zimbabwe.

Her screen credits include TED LASSO (Apple TV+), PRISONER (Sky), and BELIEVE ME (ITV). She is currently developing her debut feature, a project she began in Lle, Ffilm Cymru's filmmakers' talent lab, and her short film FOLKLORE is currently on the festival circuit.

Her writing & filmmaking journey was spurred on by BAFTA-winning actor Rakie Ayola, who mentored her through CULT Cymru's Mentoring 4 Creatives programme. Since then, she was selected for ARISE, a year-long artist development scheme run by Fio, and was awarded a Ymddiried Media Grant Cymru in support of her writing & filmmaking.

In another life with her love for sun, sand and sea, Miranda would have been a surfer, but growing up in landlocked Birmingham she found consolation in a skateboard. In her spare time she loves getting on a potter's wheel, eating and cooking culinary delights, and being a regular at her local sauna.

JACOB ETHAN TANNER

Jacob is an actor, writer, and director from South Wales.

His play SHUNK was Longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award 2024/25, shortlisted for the Bristol Old Vic Future Playwrights Competition 2026, and shortlisted for the BBC Writers Open Call 2025 - reaching the Top 1% of all entries - gaining him a place on the Voices 2026 development scheme.

As one of the Pentabus National Young Writers 2025, he was commissioned to create his 3 part horror short ANALOGUE: A HORROR ANTHOLOGY, which has won several awards and screened at horror festivals across the UK, Canada, and the US.

He has been shortlisted for several development schemes, including the Bread & Roses Emerging Artist 2026 and the Jerwood Arvon Writer Residency 2026/27.

Jacob's short film I’M NOT AWAKE AND NEITHER ARE YOU screened at the BAFTA Cymru qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival 2025; his debut short IT’S QUIET IN THE COLD screened in competition at the Canadian Screen Awards qualifying RIFFA 2022; and his horror/thriller play NURTURE made its debut at The Hope Theatre (London) in 2025, where it was shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship: Theatre Award 2025.

In his writing, Jacob frequently explores themes of grief, class, and identity - often through a darkly comedic lens, or horror-adjacent narrative. He's looking forward to taking the next steps in his career and is currently seeking writing representation.

SOPHIE WARREN

Sophie is from North Wales, based in Cardiff. She is a script editor and Development Assistant.

She trained on the Emmy and BAFTA Winning Welsh Drama LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES and is the script mentor and editor for the English Language films for 'It's My Shout!', where she won Best Screenplay for her short film back in 2021.

She has a passion for telling stories from working class small towns and writes with heart and humour.

Her main goal for Voices is to find a writing agent and connect with other writers at the same stage of their career in Wales.