Russell Tovey in New Cross

Russell Tovey, Ashley Walters, Lara Pulver, MyAnna Buring, Thomas Turgoose and Yasmin Paige are amongst the actors confirmed to star in Channel 4’s Coming Up – the annual talent initiative which offers up-and-coming writers and directors the unique opportunity to showcase their work on national TV.

Coming Up 2012 will see emerging off-screen talent working with established on-screen talent to create seven brand new original dramas to be shown on Channel 4. Now in its eleventh year, the scheme has launched the careers of some of the most exciting writers and directors in British TV.

Ben Stoll, Drama Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 says: “Coming Up epitomises Channel 4’s passion for discovering and supporting new talent. It’s a fantastic opportunity for emerging writers and directors to see their distinctive ideas realised on screen, whilst allowing audiences to get the first glimpse of the storytellers of the future. Add to the mix some of the most exciting current acting talent, and I think we can expect some thrilling pieces of work.”

Ashley Walters and Lara Pulver in Camouflage

Coming Up boasts an increasingly impressive list of alumni, with participating filmmakers achieving a broad range of success over the years:

Tom Bidwell (Would Like To Meet, Coming Up 2011) was Oscar-nominated for his short film Wish 143 and is currently writing a new Channel 4 series.

Director duo Wayne Yip and Alex Garcia (Would Like To Meet, Coming Up 2011) directed the third series of BAFTA-winning Misfits on E4…

Nicole Taylor (Emo, Coming Up 2008) has written for Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Ashes to Ashes, and Scott and Bailey…

Jack Thorne (The Spastic King, Coming Up 2007) went on to write for Skins, Shameless, co-created Cast Offs, and shares writing credits with Shane Meadows for the award-winning This is England ’86 and This is England ’88 for Channel 4, for which he won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Writer (Drama) in 2011 (with Meadows). Thorne also won Best British Newcomer at the 2009 London International Film Festival for The Scouting Book for Boys and created and wrote The Fades…

Tom Harper (Spoil, Coming Up 2007) directed The Scouting Book for Boys, Misfits and This is England ’86, and most recently BBC One’s adaptation of The Borrowers starring Christopher Eccleston and Sharon Horgan…

Yann Demange (A Man in a Box, Coming Up 2007) has gone on to direct last year’s critically acclaimed Top Boy for Channel 4, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Dead Set and Criminal Justice 2…

Tony Saint (Service, Coming Up 2006) has written Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley, Micromen and On Expenses…

The fourteen writers / directors taking part in Coming Up 2012 are:

BEN AND LUMP
Writer: Tom Wells
Director: MJ Delaney
Starring Lewis Reeves, Thomas Turgoose (This is England)

CAMOUFLAGE
Writer: Lydia Adetunji
Director: Robert McKillop
Starring Lara Pulver (Sherlock), Ashley Walters (Top Boy)

COLOUR
Writer: Vivienne Franzmann
Director: Lynsey Miller
Starring Leah Nathan, Michael Ajao (Attack the Block), and MyAnna Buring (White Heat)

NEW CROSS
Writer: Laura Neal Director:
David Stoddart
Starring Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Alice Saunders

IF WE DEAD AWAKEN
Writer: James Phillips
Director: Luke McManus
Starring Branko Djuric (In the Land of Blood and Honey, No Man’s Land), Ingaborga Dapkunaite (Burnt by the Sun), Phoebe Fox (Black Mirror) and Stanley Townsend (The Shadow Line)

POSTCODE LOTTERY
Writer: Laurence Wilson
Director: Tom Marshall
Starring Con O’Neill (Criminal Justice), Jo Hartley (This is England), Debra Stephenson (The Impressions Show)

SPOOF OR DIE
Writer: Stacey Gregg
Director: Prasanna Puwanarajah
Starring Ryan McParland, Yasmin Paige (Submarine), Michael Smiley (Kill List), Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult)