Writers and creators encouraged to upload their work to BBC Lockdown project

Budding writers, comedians and creators across England are being invited to share their lockdown-inspired work to connect with and entertain the millions of people staying at home during the lockdown, thanks to the launch of a new local BBC campaign.

Lockdown Upload is for anyone who’s inspired by the world we’re living in right now – whether they’re just starting out in their craft at home, or have had gigs or performances cancelled.

Anything that coveys how people are feeling during the pandemic can simply be uploaded to bbc.co.uk/upload, from comedy sketches, short stories or poems, to blogs, vlogs, podcasts, reviews and diary pieces.  

Uploads that catch the eye of local BBC radio teams will be broadcast live on air or published on their news and social media feeds. What’s more, some of the work will also be selected to go into a special archive at the British Library to give future generations a glimpse into what it was like living through this period.

In collaboration with Paper Nations, Lockdown Upload is also working with libraries, community groups and writers’ networks right across the country to encourage new writers from all backgrounds to take part.

·         Lockdown Upload can be anything that is directly inspired by life as we currently know it. You could be creating something now simply because the lockdown has given you time and space to get started or you might just want to bring some light to people in these strange times. Everything is welcome.

·         Upload any kind of content: audio, video, text and images. We especially love video and audio, so writers: if you can record yourself reading your work, that would be brilliant. (If the thought of that fills you with complete dread, you can upload the text).

·         We’ll watch, read or listen to everything you upload and what catches our attention will go on air or on our digital platforms.

·         Whether it’s your first creation or you’ve been quietly making stuff for years, upload it.

·         Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure where it would ‘fit’, that’s our job to sort out. And it doesn’t need to be slick: we’re all about content made at home. We’ll get back to you if we’d like to showcase our work, and we might even help you add some extra polish.

·         Please upload to your local station.