“We’re thrilled to introduce the ten super-talented writers selected for London Voices 2025. It has been a real joy supporting them as they uncovered the stories they’re most passionate about and developed those ideas into series outlines. Their concepts span a wide range of tones and themes, reflecting the richness and diversity of their individual voices and perspectives. Throughout the programme, they’ve also taken part in a series of focused workshops designed to sharpen their creative process and prepare them for the exciting road ahead. We look forward to seeing what’s next for this talented bunch!”
Zahra Al-Sultani, Development Producer, BBC Writers
Awate Abdalla
Awate Abdalla is a critically acclaimed writer focused on stories at the intersection of race, class and surrealism – with a dose of humour.
A former Artist in Residence at the Tate and British Library in 2020 and 2019, Musician in Residence for the PRS Foundation and British Council working in Brazil in 2018 and Resident Artist at The Roundhouse in 2016 – Awate has produced a wide range of commissioned multimedia works mixing music, film, theatre and visual art.
Awate’s short film I WAS TOLD THERE’S FREEDOM HERE played at the Barbican in 2021 as part of the TAPE Collective’s ‘But Where Are You Really From? The Good Immigrant’ programme. Awate was part of the writers’ room for series such as Sid Gentle’s RAGDOLL (season 2) and BroedMachine’s CUTZ. He’s been working with THE AMERICANS producer Joshua Brand and Two Cities Television on a crime series titled INVISIBLE, and is writing a semi-autobiographical feature supported by the BFI Development Fund called THE SHED.
Awate’s 2018 debut album, Happiness was supported by BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Spotify, Noisey, MOBO x Help Musicians UK and called a, “British rap masterpiece” by Trench Magazine.”
Sarah Agha
Sarah Agha is a writer and actor based in London of Irish and Palestinian heritage.
Her articles have been published in Backstage Magazine, GQ, Middle East Eye, The New Arab and in the charity anthology ‘Out of Isolation’ by Unicorn Publishing.
As an actor, Sarah plays series regular Betsy Temple in Channel 5’s ‘The Hardacres’ and she recently played Fatima in the Film 4 / BFI feature ‘Layla’. She previously co-presented the BBC Two documentary ‘The Holy Land And Us.’
Sarah is actively pursuing a career in screenwriting for television. She has written a comedy sitcom set in a chaotic family business which earned her a place on BBC Voices and has started developing a new drama comedy on the scheme.
Before working in the industry Sarah studied Theology and World Religions at Trinity College Dublin. In her spare time Sarah runs the Arab Film Club.
James Appleby
James is a London-based writer creating high-concept psychological dramas set at the uncanny and speculative edges of reality. Drawing on his background in advertising strategy and neuroscience, his stories playfully test the modern limits of death, purpose, identity, and violence.
His co-written feature script BLUE was featured on The Brit List (currently in development with Complete Fiction) and led to multiple feature film commissions (with Scott Z Burns and Charles Finch). James is now seeking representation as he creates his own film and television projects.
Sharmila Chauhan
Dr Sharmila Chauhan is a playwright, screen and prose writer: Her work is a transgressive exploration on gender, sexuality, power as well as the South Asian experience.
Her feature WITHOUT YOU / THERMOO was on the Brit List and The Writers Lab. Her short films OYSTERS and GIRL LIKE were commissioned by Film London. She’s currently developing an adaptation of her play BE BETTER IN BED as well as a thriller about her experiences in a yoga cult.
Her plays include THE HUSBANDS (Soho, Kali and Pentabus Theatre), BORN AGAIN/PURNAJANAM, (Southwark Playhouse) and BE BETTER IN BED (Finborough) She is writers’ lead at Soho Theatre’s Writers Lab programme.
Shortlisted twice for the Asian New Writer award, Sharmila’s short stories have been published widely in print and online. Sharmila also has a PhD in pharmacology and a BPharm. She lives in London with her husband, two children and cat Tashi.
She is represented by Elizabeth Dench and Fiona Grant at The Dench Arnold.
Jason David
Jason David is an award-nominated writer who loves to blend his working class Caribbean roots with a dash of magical realism.
He graduated from University of the Arts London with a Screenwriting MA in 2022 and hasn’t stopped scriptwriting since. His 2024 longlisted BBC Open Call pilot, PANTS ON FIRE, asked: what would happen if a sudden affliction meant that all politicians couldn’t stop telling the truth? While his play, ART BOY, shortlisted for the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award, follows a troubled teen as he tumbles through the magical world of paintings to talk to its subjects. Jason’s plays, long and short, have been performed at several theatres across London, including: Hen and Chickens, Water Rats, and Barons Court.
Jason is actively seeking representation and is busy working on his beef-filled TV pilot, outlined with BBC Voices, that combines his love of burgers and revenge stories.
Jamie Hewitt
Jamie is a new writer from London. His first script, dystopian love story DAY JUMPERS, won the BAFTA Rocliffe TV Drama award in 2023. His second script, body horror revenge thriller LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO, secured him a place on BBC Writers Voices programme.
He is currently writing a domestic drama about parasocial relationships, a relationship thriller about a woman who moves back home and falls in love with her childhood sweetheart, and an action thriller about a kidnapping which is the start of a much bigger plan to destroy a multinational corporation.
He has also worked extensively in production and script development, working across shows including A Discovery of Witches, Strike Back and the much-missed Doctors.
Jamie is represented by Sarah Williams at Independent.
Stephen Hunt
Despite nearing 50 years of age, Stephen is a ‘new’ writer with a strong desire to tell stories from a working class perspective.
His latest drama CARAVAN has just been optioned after winning Best Drama Script in the Studio21 Scene-By-Scene 2024 competition. It was also Shortlisted for the BBC Open Call 2024, culminating in his place here on BBC Voices London 2025.
His previous drama REPARATIONS was shortlisted for the ALL3Media/Edinburgh TV Festival ‘New Writers’ collective in 2023.
He is looking for representation.
Shane ShayShay Konno
Shane ShayShay Konno is a non-binary screenwriter and playwright based in London. Mixed Japanese-Irish-American, ShayShay uses a transatlantic comedy style to explore race, queerness and their intersections. ShayShay was recently part of BFI & Trans+ On Screen’s “The Dark Room.” ShayShay’s theatre works THE SIMPLE LIFE & DEATH and WICKED WITCHES return to The Pleasance in October & November respectively. ShayShay is currently seeking representation.
Lydia Rui
Lydia Rui is an Australian-Chinese writer and director based in London. They hold a MA in Directing Fiction from the NFTS, with support from Screen Australia Enterprise and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, as well as a BFA in Film & TV from NYU Tisch School of the Arts (transferring from a degree in Media, Culture, and Communications).
Lydia’s feature film project, COUNTING CARDS WITH MY FATHER, has garnered significant industry recognition, including selection for the 2023 TorinoScriptLab (where they won the arteKINO International Award for further development), the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, and the Zurich Film Festival Academy. In 2024, their screenplay was nominated as one of five feature scripts to the Brit List. They are currently part of BBC Writers: London Voices and have been mentored by BAFTA & Emmy nominee Weronika Tofilska as part of the BBC x EAST mentorship scheme.
As writer/director, Lydia’s short films have screened at prestigious Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying festivals, including Tribeca Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, HollyShorts, and Rhode Island, and more. Their shorts have been Vimeo Staff Picked, nominated twice for Australian Directors Guild awards, and won the 2020 Flickerfest Rebel8 Emerging Female Filmmaker Award.
Their writing typically explores identity, intergenerational trauma, desire, and overcoming alienation. Ultimately, in each of these themes, is an inherent quest to understand the interplay of nature versus nurture, or fate versus free will.
They are represented by Hannah Boulton and Rosie O’Riley at The Agency.
Jake Vithana
Jake Vithana is a London-based screenwriter, producer, director and dramaturg. A BAFTA Connect member, he has written eighteen original short films and produced twenty-four. His work has received international recognition, including Best Short Film at the Paris ARFF and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the National Youth Film Awards. In 2025, he wrote and produced six new shorts, continuing his commitment to bold, emotionally resonant storytelling. He is currently developing three original TV series—THE MEDIATOR, DIRTY SMACK, and THE DISTANCE—as well as the feature film THE THREE SIEGES OF BODEGA ALVARO. When not writing, he’s usually watching films, forgetting to eat, and wondering if it’s still a rewrite if no one ever saw the first version.
Jake is represented by Kate Weston at Fillingham Weston Associates.
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