A scriptwriter from Enfield has made it through to the final of a competition organised by BAFTA to find the UK’s most promising comedy writers.

Tony Cooke, 35, along with his writing partner Brona Titley, was one of the top five out of almost 500 entries for a special incarnation of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum, and both will now fly to the US to have their work performed at the New York Television Festival in October.

“To be shortlisted is an exciting, surprising buzz, with none of the risk of arrest or imprisonment,“ Tony says. “When we were writing the script, Brona and I laughed a lot, but we never really knew if that was just too much coffee and sugar. To have legends of the industry say what we did was funny is hugely encouraging.

“The chance to hear actors perform our script, and very wise people talk about our script, are probably the most valuable things we can get as writers.“

Tony’s script, Nannies, was judged by a jury of comedy professionals from the UK and US, including writer/actress Jessica Hynes (Twenty Twelve, Spaced), producer Caryn Mandabach (Nurse Jackie, In with the Flynns), executive producer Tom Anderson (Cheers, My Family), and representatives from all the major UK broadcasters at BAFTA’s headquarters in London.

Nannies tells the story of Maisie and four other under-paid, overworked child minders on her exclusive London street, are paid to parent the next generation of the ridiculously rich.

This isn’t Tony’s first success in comedy script writing.

In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC’s Last Laugh sitcom writing competition, and since then he has written for both comedy and children’s TV shows.

His comedy credits include The Armstrong & Miller Show, Mumbai Calling, Dead Ringers, The Kumars at No. 42, and commissioned original sitcom scripts for BBC1 and BBC3.

His children’s credits include The Revolting World of Stanley Brown, Hounded, and BAFTA-nominated episodes of The Legend of Dick and Dom and Diddy Movies.

  • Nannies will be performed at the New York Television Festival from October 21-26. Details: bafta.org