UKTV & Female Pilot Club Unveil Four Female Comedy Writers Over 45 for Groundbreaking Script Challenge

Liam Cooper

UKTV & Female Pilot Club Spotlight Comedy Scripts with Women 45+

UKTV and Female Pilot Club have unearthed fresh female comedy talent with a new script challenge. They called on women writers to submit original comedy scripts featuring female leads aged 45 and above. Out of over 340 entries, four finalists scored top marks and will get top-notch development support ahead of live readings next year.

Meet The Winners: Four Female Comedy Stars Ahead

Hayley Tamaddon – Soap star and Dancing on Ice champ, Hayley’s a West End and film veteran thrilled to be part of this initiative.
Leigh Douglas – Actor, writer, and stand-up comedian known for her acclaimed one-woman show and comedy shorts hitting film festivals worldwide.
Nikki Patel – Coronation Street alum turned writer whose debut piece is a heartfelt tribute to her mother.
Sydney Stevenson – Writer, actor, and director with TV credits including Misfits and Red Dwarf, plus award-winning scripts under her belt.

Female Pilot Club: Backing Women in Comedy

Since 2019, Female Pilot Club has championed female comedy voices with live readings starring top UK comedy talent like Kerry Howard and Tracy-Ann Oberman. This is their first collab with a broadcaster, aiming to smash industry gender gaps.

“Female Pilot Club exists to amplify brilliant female comedy voices and we’ve been proud to partner with UKTV on this groundbreaking initiative to find stories that foreground the lives of older women,” said Kay Stonham, award-winning writer and Club founder. “We were amazed to receive over 340 submissions from talented UK writers.”

UKTV Exec on Diversity and Future Plans

Lindsey Rost, UKTV’s Development Executive for Scripted Comedy, enthused, “We’re thrilled to work with these brilliant female comedy writers. The strong submissions prove female and diverse comedy talent is thriving. We can’t wait to showcase these funny, fresh scripts featuring women leads over 45 in the new year.”

The Female Pilot Club was founded by comedy heavyweights Kay Stonham, Emily Chase, and Abigail Burdess to tackle gender inequality in film and TV comedy writing. With stats showing just 17% of UK comedy films and 11% of sitcoms feature women writers predominantly, this script call shines a bright spotlight on female voices ready to take centre stage.

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MONSTER JAILE# FORMER MERSEYSIDE POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR 11 YEARS AFTER RAPING WOMAN IN HOTEL ROOM A FORMER MERSEYSIDE POLICE OFFICER HAS BEEN JAILED FOR 11 YEARS AFTER RAPING AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A WOMAN DURING AN 80-MINUTE ORDEAL IN A HOTEL ROOM. RYAN THEAKER, 30, FROM NETHERTON, WAS A SERVING POLICE CONSTABLE WHEN HE ATTACKED THE WOMAN, WHO WAS KNOWN TO HIM, IN 2023. A JURY AT LIVERPOOL CROWN COURT CONVICTED THEAKER IN AUGUST OF RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ASSAULT BY PENETRATION. DURING THE TRIAL, JURORS HEARD A COVERT AUDIO RECORDING MADE BY THE WOMAN ON HER MOBILE PHONE DURING THE ATTACK. ## VICTIM SECRETLY RECORDED ATTACK THE RECORDING LASTED AROUND 85 MINUTES AND CAPTURED THE WOMAN REPEATEDLY ASKING THEAKER TO STOP. PROSECUTORS RELIED ON IT AS EVIDENCE THAT SHE HAD NOT CONSENTED TO THE SEXUAL ACTIVITY. AT SENTENCING, JUDGE BRIAN CUMMINGS KC SAID THEAKER HAD CAUSED HIS VICTIM “SEVERE PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM”. THE JUDGE ALSO TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS IN “LARGE MEASURE” RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WOMAN ATTEMPTING TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE IN 2024. ## ‘THE MONSTER NEVER WINS’ THE WOMAN ADDRESSED THE COURT ABOUT THE IMPACT THEAKER'S OFFENDING HAD HAD ON HER LIFE. SHE SAID: “PEOPLE LIKE HIM HAVE NO PLACE IN SOCIETY. “I STILL STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW HE WAS ABLE TO GO INTO WORK, ARREST SOMEONE FOR A CRIME THAT WAS LESS OR THE SAME AS WHAT HE HAD DONE TO ME AND STILL BE PROUD TO WEAR THAT UNIFORM.” SHE DESCRIBED THEAKER AS “A MONSTER”, ADDING: “THE MONSTER NEVER WINS.” THE WOMAN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH SHE CONTINUED TO SUFFER PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY, THEAKER HAD NOT SUCCEEDED IN COMPLETELY BREAKING HER. “I AM NOT AFRAID,” SHE TOLD THE COURT. ## EXTENDED SENTENCE IMPOSED THEAKER WAS SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS IN PRISON. JUDGE CUMMINGS ALSO IMPOSED A FIVE-YEAR EXTENDED LICENCE PERIOD. THEAKER MUST SERVE AT LEAST TWO-THIRDS OF HIS CUSTODIAL SENTENCE BEFORE THE PAROLE BOARD CAN CONSIDER WHETHER HE SHOULD BE RELEASED. THE COURT HEARD HE HAS SINCE ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMITTING THE SEXUAL OFFENCES, ALTHOUGH HE SAID HIS RECOLLECTION OF THE NIGHT WAS LIMITED BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL. HIS BARRISTER, JENNY TALLENTYRE, SAID HE HAD BEGUN REFLECTING ON THE IMPACT OF HIS BEHAVIOUR AND HAD EXPRESSED SHAME AND EMBARRASSMENT. ## BARRED FROM POLICING THEAKER RESIGNED FROM MERSEYSIDE POLICE IN AUGUST 2025 BEFORE A SEPARATE MISCONDUCT HEARING CONCERNING VIDEOS HE SHARED IN A WHATSAPP GROUP IN 2021. THE FORCE DESCRIBED THE VIDEOS AS ABLEIST. THEY WERE UNRELATED TO THE SEXUAL OFFENCES AND WERE DISCOVERED WHEN HIS PHONE WAS EXAMINED DURING THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. THE MISCONDUCT HEARING PROCEEDED FOLLOWING HIS RESIGNATION AND FOUND GROSS MISCONDUCT PROVEN. IT CONCLUDED THAT THEAKER WOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED HAD HE REMAINED AN OFFICER. HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PLACED ON THE COLLEGE OF POLICING BARRED LIST, PREVENTING HIM FROM RETURNING TO POLICING ROLES COVERED BY THE SCHEME. ## FORCE CONDEMNS FORMER OFFICER ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE KAREN JAUNDRILL SAID: “THE BEHAVIOUR FOR WHICH THEAKER HAS BEEN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED HAS NO PLACE IN SOCIETY, AND CERTAINLY NOT WITHIN POLICING.” SHE SAID HIS ACTIONS WERE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF MERSEYSIDE POLICE OFFICERS AND STAFF AND THAT HIS FORMER COLLEAGUES HAD BEEN LEFT SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED. SHE ADDED: “CLEARLY WE NOW KNOW THIS MAN WAS NOT FIT TO BE A POLICE OFFICER, AND IT IS RIGHT THAT HE IS NO LONGER PART OF THE FORCE.” FOR GOOGLE NEWS, I’D USE **“FORMER MERSEYSIDE POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR 11 YEARS AFTER RAPING WOMAN IN HOTEL ROOM.”* Former Merseyside Police officer jailed for 11 years after raping woman in hotel room

UKTV & Female Pilot Club Unveil Four Female Comedy Writers Over 45 for Groundbreaking Script Challenge

UKTV & Female Pilot Club Spotlight Comedy Scripts with Women 45+

Meet The Winners: Four Female Comedy Stars Ahead

Female Pilot Club: Backing Women in Comedy

UKTV Exec on Diversity and Future Plans

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