Pure and Sex Education writers make Bafta Breakthrough list

Kirstie Swain and Laurie Nunn among 20 young creatives to receive a year of mentoring

Creatives behind Netflix’s Sex Education, Channel 4’s Pure and BBC2 doc The Mighty Redcar are among the 20 young people chosen as Bafta’s Breakthrough Brits 2019.

The annual scheme showcases the next generation of TV, film and games talent, giving them a year’s Bafta membership and a tailored year of mentoring and career development.

This year’s cohort includes writers Laurie Nunn (Sex Education), Kirstie Swain (Pure) and Kayleigh Llewellyn (BBC3’s In My Skin), the latter two of whom are former Broadcast Hot Shots.

Also making the list is Jen Kenwood, an executive producer and former head of development at Drama Republic, who produced Pure, which has recently been picked up by HBO Max.

Producer Coco Jackson, who has worked on Love Island, The Voice UK and Dancing on Ice, said her nomination reflected Bafta’s growing recognition of the significance of reality TV.

Another former Broadcast Hot Shot, The Mighty Redcar series director Daniel Dewsbury, who was Bafta-nominated for BBC2’s The Detectives, said he planned to use his place on the scheme to support his ambition to make documentaries that put real people into dramatic situations.

Niamh Algar, who starred in Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne’s C4 drama series The Virtues as well as Pure, is among the actors on the list.

This list was chosen by a jury that included director Penny Woolcock and actor Bertie Carvel.

To see the full list, click here.

This article first appeared in Broadcast Now written by Robin Parker. Read the full article here.