UK training organizations The Script Factory and Skillset have announced a new initiative, Writers' Circle,to find new screenwriters from the worlds of theatre, literature, TV, radio,and stand-up comedy.

The programme will support eight'conversion' writers who have already had success in other fields andwant to cross over into film.

Writers' Circle is being supported by three patrons,playwright, Iris writer, and Notes on a Scandal director RichardEyre, Tulip Fever novelist and Pride & Prejudice adapter Deborah Moggach, and TV writer turned film writer Ronan Bennett.

The programme will run for one-year and includenetworking events, industry introductions, and a series of intimate dinners atthe homes of industry leaders including Moggach andMike Figgis.

The Script Factory is taking applications and theeight participants will be announced in April.