It is our company policy not to read unsolicited scripts or story ideas for film or TV productions from outside writers:

This is for a number of reasons:

We do not have the resources to read the hundreds of submissions we would receive if we had an "open door" policy. There are also legal ramifications if a submission we receive bears a coincidental similarity to a project we produce at a later date: In any case the vast majority of Aardman's productions are generated from in-house ideas:

The only unsolicited submissions we will look at are those by established writers that come through a recognised literary agent. If you are an established writer but don't have an agent please send us a CV and a brief, one paragraph, description of your idea.

We realise that this is a discouraging policy for first time writers and doesn't help answer the question: "How do I get started in the first place?"

We believe that if you are serious about being a writer, the chances are that you will be writing already. You will probably have written books or articles, for radio or sketches for a long-running comedy series, you may be putting on a show at the Edinburgh festival…

We recognise that it takes considerable dedication and persistence, as well as talent of course, to develop a career as a writer and find an agent: and it is at that stage of your development as a writer that Aardman will be in a position to consider your ideas.

We would recommend that you get hold of the current Writers & Artists Yearbook (published by A&C Black and available through Amazon.com). This has comprehensive listings of agents, tips on how to submit your work and useful articles by established writers about the different fields of work available.