Producer's Toolkit: People: Agreements: Writers, BBC, 1

Writers are invariably self-employed. You will therefore negotiate and pay fees, rather than wages or salary. You will not be required to deduct National Insurance contributions or PAYE tax.

The industry agreement that deals with the engagement of writers of in-house-produced BBC programmes is the Television Drama Framework Agreement between the BBC and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB). It sets out the terms on which the BBC commissions scripts of at least 15 minutes’ duration from writers.

It covers scripts for:

An episode of a series or serial for which the writer provides the format;
An episode of a series or serial for which the BBC or a third party provides the format and characters;

An original teleplay;
An adaptation;
A dramatisation;
An episode of a series or serial for which the BBC or a third party provides not just the format and characters, but also a story outline.

All these terms are carefully defined by the agreement. The agreement does not apply to programmes made in Gaelic or Welsh, except where programmes are made simultaneously in Welsh and English.