If you’re a performer or creator living in the UK, the BBC – aka the world’s oldest national broadcaster – may well be one of your dream employers. Home to hit shows like Normal People, Line Of Duty, I May Destroy You, and Killing Eve, the Beeb (as it’s colloquially known) has a well-established reputation for innovative and creative programming.
The majority of its streaming products are available in the UK only, but some, including the BBC World Service, can be accessed abroad – and its global reach adds to its appeal for many actors.
If you want to audition for the BBC, you’ll need to find out if the show you’re interested in is made by the BBC’s production arm, BBC Studios, or an external production company. Then you have to identify the programme’s casting director (CD) and get yourself on their radar.
Understandably, the audition process is competitive, but with 5,500 hours of drama made every year, there are plenty of opportunities.
Here’s a look at how the BBC casting process works.
JUMP TO
The BBC is the largest broadcaster in the world in terms of employees. The Beeb, or Auntie as it’s also sometimes known, was established in 1922 with a mission to “inform, educate, and entertain,” and it’s still seen as a broadcasting giant more than one hundred years on.
The corporation makes all kinds of shows – from news programmes to reality entertainment to documentaries – but for actors, its scripted drama and comedy hold all the appeal. Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who, EastEnders, Fleabag, Luther, and Happy Valley are all BBC shows. Increasingly, the BBC is making content in partnership with other corporations: Industry was made with HBO, serial killer drama The Serpent was produced with Netflix, and the forthcoming drama Lockerbie is a BBC/Netflix co-production.
Traditionally, the BBC made all its shows in-house, but now it has a commercial programme-making arm called BBC Studios.
BBC Studios sells its shows to other broadcasters, in the UK and abroad, while also making “co-productions.” In the case of I May Destroy You, the BBC and HBO funded the production together. The BBC also does international deals where it makes a show but sells the broadcast “rights” to networks in other countries.
There are internal and external casting agents working for the BBC. For example, long-running BBC dramas such as Silent Witness, Casualty, and Father Brown are made by BBC Studios Drama Productions, and they are regularly looking for talent.
The casting team behind BBC One soap EastEnders – responsible for launching the careers of former cast members Himesh Patel and Martine McCutcheon, among others – are constantly on the lookout for people to join Albert Square. Drama Schools such as Sylvia Young and Anna Scher have great “feeder” relationships with the soap, providing talent such as Natalie Cassidy, Adam Deacon, and Patsy Palmer. There are tips on the BBC website on how to break into acting for soaps.
Taljat David/Shutterstock
For shows made by external companies – for example Fleabag, made by Two Brothers Pictures, and Normal People, made by Element Pictures – CDs belonging to, or hired by, those companies will be used.
An advantage to having an agent is that they will know who is casting what, and they’ll have well-established relationships, helping their clients get seen.
If you don’t have an agent, you can also do some digging yourself. Knowing who is casting which shows is crucial to getting your foot in the door.
Casting directors are typically listed on the credits of existing shows, as well as on IMDb. Leading CDs usually have their own website or a social media presence. For starters, check out Kelly Valentine Hendry (Ghosts, Fleabag), Kate Rhodes James (Line of Duty, Sherlock, Bodyguard), Sara Crowe (A Very British Scandal, Mum), and Emma Sylvester (Father Brown, Casualty).
Once you’ve found a CD you’d like to make contact with, approach them via email (addresses can be found on agency websites) in a friendly, polite manner, summarising why you’d like to meet them. Include your headshot, CV, and contact details. You never know – your app might drop on the desk just as they’re looking for a talent just like yours.
Read trade websites like Broadcast and Televisual, and entertainment-focused publications like Backstage and Variety, for news of productions getting underway. One brilliant place to monitor is the BBC press office, which often issues press releases on shows about to go into production. Check your preferred platforms for casting calls too.
The BBC has a casting account on X (formerly Twitter), which mainly features callouts for quiz shows and reality TV, but it’s worth keeping an eye on just in case.
So, you’ve identified who is doing the casting for your BBC show – now you’ve got to get an audition. Here’s how to further your chances.
1. Gather and update your personal documents. Make sure your headshots, CV, and showreel are up-to-date. Check: Do your photos still look like you? Does your CV include details of your latest roles? Does your showreel contain a good range of clips, featuring your most impressive credits and your versatility?
2. Make the approach. When you’re contacting a BBC casting director, be polite, enthusiastic and brief – these are very busy people who may not have a lot of time to read your email. You can find contact info for most CDs on the Casting Directors’ Guild website. Contact them via their preferred method, but if you’re unsure, a friendly polite email is always a good place to start, and follow up with a phone call if necessary.
Gavin & Stacey casting director Lauren Evans told Backstage what she wants in an email approach from an actor. “You don’t need to write a covering letter with an email. Just be brief, clear, concise. Something like: ‘This is my name, this is where I’m from, and this is what I’d like to show you, please do keep me in mind…’ I think when your email starts to become a life story, then it’s all a bit much.”
3. Use social media. If you don’t have an agent, you need to do your own legwork, and one way to get your work in front of the right people is via social media. Publish your showreel, pin it to the top of your profile, and send it to BBC casting directors as well as the directors you want to work with, following the approach guidelines outlined in Step 2.
4. Do your research. If you want to get cast on a BBC show, it’s worth watching as many BBC dramas as possible. Not only will you start to spot trends and notice things about the types of actors it casts, but it’ll also arm you with plenty to discuss with a director if you make it to an audition. In short, immerse yourself in all that iPlayer has to offer.
Be as ready as you can before entering the audition room. That means reading your sides in advance, checking that you understand the instructions you’ve been given, and having confidence in your own abilities.
Normal People star Paul Mescal told Backstage how he prepares. “I’ll obviously read the sides, memorise the lines, and I’ll try and do that as quickly as possible so the closer I get to an audition I’m not thinking about lines,” he says.
If going “off book” isn’t possible, don’t worry. Casting directors know the limitations of what they’re asking. As CD Daniel Hubbard, who has worked extensively in film as well as for the BBC, explained to Backstage, it’s better to concentrate on character approach than learning lines off by heart.
Evans also advises being as prepared as possible. “Prep the scenes really well, but don’t become so rigid in your approach that you can’t change it up if asked for an alternative version,” she says.
The BBC is a prestigious place to work, and there’s no one route to getting cast on its shows. If you’ve got the talent and you’ve done the research, you’ll already be on your way to getting noticed.