Awards Programme of Events
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Celebrating 60 years of wins for writers PROGRAMME THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS 11 ST ANDREWS PLACE, REGENT’S PARK LONDON NW1 4LE MONDAY 14 JANUARY 2019 The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is a trade union registered at 134 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Welcome to the Writers’ Guild Awards 2019. Photo: Julie Brook Whilst our politicians never fail to I hope it hasn’t missed your notice that the disappoint us, writers, like vultures, Writers’ Guild turns 60 this year. 60 years LEAD SPONSOR look around with beady-eyed interest at of campaigning, negotiating, chasing, soothing carnage and adversity. Only a few years and championing. Formed when ITV was ago the complaint against the public was still a toddler and Bruce Forsyth presenting political apathy and lack of engagement. Sunday Night at the London Palladium, with film Be careful what you wish for… allegedly on its last legs due to the threat from television and radio considered a basket case, In such a climate of chaos and dissent we turn it challenged those predictions by bringing to our artists and writers to make sense of together writers from all these areas in the things for us and judging by the remarkable common cause of dignity in labour. Many things range and ambition of this year’s nominees, they have changed in the interim but as we stumble are thriving on the challenge. forwards together I commend that cause to you tonight. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS Olivia Hetreed WGGB President HISTORY OF THE AWARDS Since they were established in 1961, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards have been honouring the cream of British writers and writing. The Awards also recognise the importance of our work in preserving freedom of speech, and championing writing as an essential part of our national and international culture. Previous winners include: Danny Boyle Jimmy McGovern Caryl Churchill Richard Curtis Lynda La Plante Tom Stoppard Jo Brand Anthony Minghella Steve McQueen Matthew Vaughn Roddy Doyle Kay Mellor Dawn French Jennifer Saunders Russell T. Davies THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 6.30pm Drinks reception 7.00pm Welcome by WGGB President Olivia Hetreed THE WGGB 2019 AWARDS CEREMONY HOSTED BY JOANNA SCANLAN Best Online Comedy Best Long Running TV Series Best Writing in a Video Game Best Children’s TV Episode Best Radio Comedy Best First Novel Best Musical Theatre Bookwriting Best First Screenplay Remembering WGGB Members Best Radio Drama Best Play for Young Audiences Best Play Best Long Form TV Drama Best TV Situation Comedy Best Screenplay Best Short Form TV Drama Outstanding Contribution to Writing 9.00pm Celebration drinks and canapés 11.00pm Bar close & carriages THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 ABOUT WGGB As the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, we look back on six decades of wins WGGB’s Annual General Meeting is just one of the ways writers play a vital role in the direction of their union for writers against a backdrop of Photo: Em Fitzgerald breathtaking change and digital revolution in the arts, media and entertainment industries. We also look forward to writing ““What enables writers in Britain to face the future in a changing world the next chapter of our history, with our with some confidence?... The continued existence of their own trade trade union heritage at our heart. union of professional writers… a group of highly committed writers of books, plays, film scripts, radio and television programmes willing to “ We are the TUC-affiliated trade union representing professional writers in TV, work for each other’s good” film, theatre, radio, books, poetry, comedy, animation and videogames. Bill Ash, former WGGB Chair, speaking on the eve of the Our members also include emerging and aspiring writers new millennium (our Candidate Members). We have been negotiating better pay and working conditions for writers since 1959. We also lobby and campaign on behalf of writers, to ensure their voices are heard in a rapidly changing digital landscape. BECOME A MEMBER To find out how we are celebrating 60 years of wins for writers, and how you can help write the next chapter of our history, please visit: We welcome all professional writers working in the fields we represent, www.writersguild.org.uk/wggb-at-60/ and have a variety of membership options, including one for aspiring/ emerging writers (Candidate Members) and Affiliate Members. You can join online at www.writersguild.org.uk or by phoning our membership team on 0207 833 0777 THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS 60 YEARS OF WINS FOR WRITERS 1979 1997 The Public Lending Right Act is passed, giving The Theatre Writers Union merges with British authors a legal right to receive payment WGGB, resulting in greater combined for the free lending of their books. WGGB negotiating power and strength in fighting cuts members, including Maureen Duffy and Brigid and threats to theatre funding. Brophy, play a major role in the long-running campaign for PLR. 2007 1985 The launch of a videogame category at the annual Writers’ Guild Awards in 2007 reflects WGGB successfully campaigns against the WGGB’s work in this rapidly expanding Peacock Report, which recommends the medium as it moves into the 21st century. In the last decade, WGGB has joined demonstrations against cuts and campaigned to protect vital funding for the arts scrapping of the television Licence Fee. The Photo: Shutterstock.com/BasPhoto union will go on to support public funding of the BBC as it faces charter renewal in 2010 the future. 1959 1967 Savage cuts to the arts come thick and fast 1988 under the new Coalition Government and, The Television and Screen Writers’ Guild (later at that year’s AGM, WGGB President David The Marine Offences Act outlaws offshore pirate Edgar warns that the next 12 months are likely to be named the Screen Writers’ Guild and radio stations such as Caroline, which are swiftly WGGB becomes one of the first organisations the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain) is born. It to lend its support to the Organisation for to “prove as, if not more, challenging than the replaced by legitimate new local radio stations last”. The following year WGGB is one of eight operates from a basement in Harley Street and and a whole new round of battles for WGGB. Lesbian and Gay Action, critics of the Section originates from two predecessor organisations 28 amendment to the 1986 Local Government unions to launch the Lost Arts campaign and For example, Radio Brighton announces that it will later go on to support the In Battalions – the British Screen and Television Writers’ will not be paying for any written radio material Act, which states that a local authority “shall Association and the Screen Writers’ Association. not intentionally promote homosexuality campaign to tackle the effect of Arts Council and instead will simply offer a prize for the best cuts on new writing in theatre. 20-minute radio play. or publish material with the intention of 1961 promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the 2012 Chair of the then Screenwriters’ Guild Ted Willis 1973 acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended signs the first national minimum terms agreement family relationship”. The campaign is to last for WGGB negotiates the game-changing Digital for writers in the UK, laying down basic fees for Union official Eric Paice describes it as the over 15 years. Rights Agreement with the BBC. Speaking television drama. Another agreement follows in lousiest year in the history of the union. Rampant about the union’s work in this area, then 1962, guaranteeing a minimum fee of £2,000 for inflation is leading to wage freezes, and lacking 1991 General Secretary Bernie Corbett says it has a feature film. Over the years many agreements the industrial clout of miners, postal or car safeguarded writers’ rights “in the digital age” follow, not just in TV and film, but in theatre and workers, writers’ earnings have fallen behind At the 1991 Writers’ Guild Awards ceremony and future-proofed our “industry-leading radio, too. That same year the union launches most sections of the community. in London Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie collective agreements for at least another its first annual Awards honouring the cream of makes a rare and surprise appearance during generation”. British writing. the fatwa against him to collect the Children’s Book Award. THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 @TheWritersGuild #wggbawards #wggb60 THE WRITERS’ GUILD AWARDS 60 YEARS OF WINS FOR WRITERS WGGB runs many events around the craft of writing Photo: Em Fitzgerald 2015 2018 The landmark Writers Digital Payments The Equality Writes campaign is launched, scheme launches, guaranteeing TV writers tackling inequality in the screen industries, royalties whenever their work is shown on after WGGB commissions a major BBC iPlayer or ITV Player. independent report showing only 16% of film screenwriters in the UK are female, and only Free is NOT an Option – a campaign against 14% of prime-time TV drama is written unpaid development work in film and TV – is by women. That same year, the union launched the same year, with support from continues to call on broadcasters to release actor Julie Waters, film-maker Ken Loach and programme-level data from their Project cross-party MPs and peers. Diamond diversity initiative. And, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, it joins other organisations to develop 8 Principles for combating bullying and harassment.