Vol 1 | Issue 19 | ISSN 2979-8744 (online)

I have a long and enduring relationship with the Edinburgh TV Festival which is hosted by the TV Foundation.

I’ve watched from afar for around six years. For at least three of those, I’ve actively applied for opportunities through their mentoring and training programmes. I was fortunate enough to attend once before as a participant on The Network, and I’ll be returning this year as a delegate.

It's no secret that this particular festival comes with a hefty entrance fee. Even the early bird rate plus VAT is circa £850. And that doesn't include accommodation or flights/trains etc.

And to add insult to injury, it is happening at the busiest time of year for an already very expensive city, right bang smack in the middle of the Fringe and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Over the years, I’ve applied for every scheme I could that offered access to the insights and mentoring available to us as writers. And the Edinburgh TV Festival is one I'm no stranger to.

I applied three times to get into The Network and was fortunate on my second application to be offered an interview, but no cigar, and on my third try I was given a placement which meant that my accommodation and my ticket were covered (though not travel)

And as such, this year they offered me a comped alumni ticket that also came with discounted student accommodation. Which means I can stay in Edinburgh for four days/three nights for little under £300.

As I went last year as part of the scheme, I spent much of my time hidden away from the festival, working exclusively with my cohort and the East Enders team, and didn't get to see the festival but did get to go to networking in the evenings and enjoy part of the last day before I went home.

There is a huge amount of industry people at this event, and it's worth saying that when these events are astronomically expensive, they are not trying to attract the average person let alone aspiring screenwriter.

Before you throw your coffee at the wall in a rage about the hypocrisy of the industry saying they want to attract more ‘working class’ voices but create events that quite literally anyone but the working class could afford, it’s worth taking a breath.

If a normal person can’t afford it, this particular event probably isn’t designed for them.

This fee is reflective of someone who could charge it back to their employer or write it off as expenses. You could say the same for the larger RTS events, Content London, and even some other regional industry “festivals”.

These are more akin to traditional industry conferences; if you worked in stationary procurement, you’d likely not fork out to go to the Tokyo Stationary of the Year Awards – even if your... umm... ‘friend’ gets all gooey over transparent post-it notes and erasable pens. You’d expect your employer to pay for it*.

The trouble we face with these events is they feel like the one and only place you might find producers and commissioners in their natural habitat and why wouldn’t you want to go and try to make friends?

But we’ve talked before about knowing when you’re ready to be in front of these kinds of people. It’s a small industry and let me tell you, producers and commissioners have a memory like an elephant.

*if my boss is reading this 🥹🙏🙏

I mean, if you have a spare £1,500 and you fancy a week of hobnobbing and industry talks, do it! But if that £1,500 is something that could make or break your year, it might be worth thinking carefully about. And by thinking, I mean researching.

You’d no less book a holiday without doing the research, so make sure you do the same to help manage your expectations.

Being able to afford the festival doesn’t make you more attractive to a producer or commissioner if your work isn’t yet at the level they work at. You just become the industry equivalent to all the gear but no idea.

There are some ways to get a more reasonable fee, for example if you're a freelancer (and can evidence your tax returns), you can access a day rate of around £50. There are also bursaries available, the deadline for this year has been and gone. But it's worth noting. Oh, and book travel and accommodation as early as you can to save on the dynamic/panic pricing.

[ Side note: if you ARE going this year and you are looking for some cheap plane tickets, I have two spare from Bristol to Edinburgh return – owing to a steep and expensive learning curve in parenting a tempestuous 20 year old. Nuff said ]

Last year, because I was there as part of The Network, I spent much of my time with my cohort and the East Enders team. I learned about how BBC continuing drama works, how they schedule and draft, how they build storylines, and how they work with writers (more about this another time.)

I also spent time with talent executives understanding how best to put myself forward.

We met members of the cast. We had our work read and performed by them. And yes, I also once walked past Jack Thorne having a meeting in a quiet space near the toilets.

Was that surreal?

Obviously.

Did I resist the urge to stare directly at him?

Also obviously.

Was I successful in that?

Obviously not.

But that isn't actually why I’m going back.

There are plenty of famous people at the festival. Last year this was Steven Moffat, Charlie Brooker, Tina Fey, Shonda Rhimes, and accidentally encountering Jack Thorne near a toilet.

But if I spend my time trying to get close enough to my screenwriting heroes to gush at them, I’m probably missing the point.

The real value is in learning more about the industry, understanding how people work, meeting people at different stages of their careers, and finding the people who might actually become part of my professional network.

I’d much rather spend my time talking to the production assistant who discovered the script that wowed me this year than telling a famous writer how much I love their work (sorry Jack) besides, these writers will all be doing the very same thing.

As with most of these festivals and events, there are opportunities to have meetings, coaching, mentoring, get invited to private parties, round table discussions, awards. And these are the things that I'm looking forward to experiencing this time around that I didn't get to access last time.

I plan to meet with my mentor from last year, Brian McIver, along with some of the other alumni and people I’ve met through wider networks. I also plan to shimmy my way into a private party or two... 🤞

I'm especially happy to be attending the talks and experience insights and attend the TV Awards – for which I pre-selected documentaries for.

It’s going to be full on and I may need a holiday after to recover...

The Edinburgh TV Festival has great YouTube channel with recordings from some of the talks and events from other years gone by. The main one I’d look out for is the McTaggart Lecture.

At the very least, sign up to their newsletter and keep an eye on the opportunities they offer. You don’t need to spend £1,500 to access this festival.

If distance and expense is putting you off, it’s worth noting that The TV Foundation survey attendees every year, and I suspect I’m not alone in citing the cost of attending is a real barrier, as they put the venue out to tender last year, and the festival will be moving to Manchester for 2027.

Are you planning on going? Send me a DM, let's grab a drink.

Helen

Next up… What I gained from my time in The Network at the Edinburgh TV Festival 2025

© Helen Tompson 2026 | Feel free to share this newsletter with other writers. If you'd like to reproduce or quote larger sections, just drop me a message first.