New course wins applause from industry leaders

The institution is launching a new BA (Hons) degree in scriptwriting for stage, screen and gaming.

Hailed as the first of it’s kind- this is the first time all three elements have been brought together under one single degree.

It has been applauded by academics and endorsements have already been given by a number of respected writers.

These include the likes of Stephen Russell, whose TV work includes Coronation Street, Peaky Blinders and more recently We’re Doomed! The Dad’s Army Story.

He described the programme, written by local tutor Chris Hepworth, as the kind of thing he would like to take if he was starting out now.

Chris, who hails from St Annes and is a former UCLan Masters degree graduate, has been at the college since 2002 and has ammassed a lot of support for the course from the creative industries.

He is over the moon with the response and said: “This will be a full Lancaster University BA honopurs degree, which, considering Lancaster is in the top 10 in the country and top one per cent in the world it is a massive endorsement for the course.”

Chris’s speciality is descriptive and screenwriting and is proud to have written a programme that contains elements which the college hopes will provide students with the transferable kills they need for the workplace.

He said: “ Blackpool has a really good reputation for performing arts so we wanted to look at some way of fusing the writing across multiple platforms.”

And, he added, the new comprehensive course will include English , writingf or film, theatre and media as well as the gaming industry.

Starting this September, it is aimed at people doing level three studies, which is A levels or BTec qualifications.

However the college said it would consider “nonstandard” candidates such as people currently working in the industry who want to further their qualifications.

Chris said the course had only just gone live on the UCAS site and was already receiving applications.