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In the UK, TV pilots get “optioned” the same way feature scripts do in the US! Learn about this and many other fascinating differences between writing in the UK, the US, and Canada, in Gray’s fun interview with UK writing team James Whitehouse and Hannah George.


James Whitehouse and Hannah George started working together nearly four years ago.

Since then, they have worked for the BBC, writing six episodes of the award-winning new CBBC children’s drama series ‘Wolfblood,’ which has since been acquired by Disney for international release. They have also written on Nickleodeon’s hit series ‘The House of Anubis.’

They have a had several of their own scripts optioned in genres as diverse as children’s sci-fi, and adult sitcom, and drama. They are currently in development with several companies for these, and writing on CBBC comedy show ‘The Slammer.’

In this fun interview, they tell what you should look for in a writing partner, and describe many fascinating differences about writing in the UK versus writing in Hollywood or Canada, including optioning TV specs, writing without a full time writers room, and much more!

They are represented by Harriet Pennington-Legh at Troika.

Follow James on Twitter: @JMJWhitehouse

Follow Hannah on Twitter: @HannahMGeorge

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,000 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

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Author: Gray Jones

Graham “Gray” Jones is a seasoned TV editor/writer located in Valencia, California (on the northern outskirts of LA). He has an honors Screenwriting BFA from York University, where he graduated with distinction in 1994.

He hosted one of the world’s leading TV-themed podcasts, "Chuck vs. the Podcast," about NBC’s Chuck, and currently hosts the "TV Writer Podcast," in partnership with Script Magazine.

He runs several companies, including http://archive2digital.com, http://avgearguy.com, and http://drivingfootage.com. Check them out!