At the Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh Q&A the other week, Kate Rowland of the BBC Writersroom said that they’d soon be kicking off a talent search called Sharps, and that people should keep their eyes on the website for further details.

So I did – and if you’re interested in writing, you should probably do the same, as there are often posts with details of writing competitions or other opportunities in a variety of bradcast media – and lo and behold, details of ‘Sharps’ have now been posted.

It seems pretty interesting to my mind – the brief is for a half-hour TV script on the topic of ‘the nation’s health’, which it seems you can interpret pretty broadly. After the entries have all been received and sorted, 20 writers will be selected for a workshop, and then eight of them will be asked to attend a week-long residential course with what sounds like a lot of mentoring, as well as £500. Loads of writing-based skills practice, and money? I suspect I won’t be the only one who’ll be sufficiently enticed to send something in.

I do wonder, though, if they may have made something of a rod for their own backs in regard to the period of time they’re allowing to complete the sifting process – the closing date is Monday 16 June, and people who’ve been shortlisted will be notified by the following Monday, 23 June. That would mean they’ll really have to churn through the submissions, especially as the workshop is currently scheduled for 28 June, the Saturday after that.

Still, that’s a logistical thing for the good people at the BBC to sort out, and certainly no reason not to enter, as far as I’m concerned. And given that known troublemaker Lucy has today sent a mass e-mail to those of us lucky enough to be listed in her virtual black book, drawing our attention to Sharps, I suspect that many other people who blog on such things may well be thinking of entering too.

Are you planning on having a go? Do feel free to post a comment, or e-mail me at john[at]johnsoanes.co.uk, I’d curious to know.

*I am very, VERY sorry about this.