Yasmeen Khan is an experienced screenwriter and playwright for TV drama, radio and stage. Since 2018, Yasmeen has been a regular writer for BBC1’s Eastenders having written 40 episodes to date, including several double episode commissions and she also regularly attends story conferences and contributes to storylines for the show. Yasmeen is also currently writing an episode for BBC1’s Waterloo Road. Selected for the Edinburgh TV Festival’s Ones to Watch, 2021-22, Yasmeen often draws from her from British-Asian heritage within her writing, highlighting a wide range of issues and experiences in the stories she develops.
Yasmeen is also an accomplished playwright and has written several productions for stage and digital broadcast. An accomplished writer-performer, Yasmeen’s acting spans stage, TV and radio and includes both comedy sketches and drama. Outside of writing, Yasmeen is an award-winning radio presenter. Yasmeen has delivered thousands of hours of live radio, working at both the BBC and commercial radio ranging from drivetime to late night phone ins, covering everything from breaking news, powerful one-to-one interviews, arts and culture features as well as producing and presenting documentaries for BBC Radio 4. She recently made a two-part special for the BBC World Service following film-maker Richard Curtis over two years as he wrote and developed his film Yesterday. During lockdown Yasmeen hosted her own podcast, The Rehearsal Room, where she talked one-to-one with fellow creatives including writer and broadcaster Richard Osman, actor Sunetra Sarker, and creator of cult 90s series This Life, Amy Jenkins.
| Television (Broadcast): | |
|---|---|
| Eastenders | BBC Drama / BBC1 Regular writer for the long running BBC soap. 40+ episodes commissioned (2018-present) including double episode commissions. (Writer) |
| Waterloo Road | Roper Ladder Fiction / BBC1 Writer for the prime-time school drama (2024) Story conferences and 1 x 60′ episode commissioned |
| Television (in development): | |
|---|---|
| Untitled comedy drama project | 60’ Returning comedy-drama series (Writer/Creator) |
| Television (previously in development): | |
|---|---|
| Creases | BBC Studios Sitcom pilot commission (Writer) |
| Radio (Broadcast): | |
|---|---|
| Umbreen’s Junction | BBC Radio Comedy-drama about a young woman making a career decision and dealing with grief (2020) (Co-writer and performer) |
| Wheatish | BBC Radio 4 Radio play about a Muslim woman and her fertility – Sabina contemplates becoming a single mum, despite what her own mum and ‘the community’ might think. Was selected for ‘Pick of the Week’ (2020) (Writer) |
| Jackastory | BBC Radio A series of short stories, each focussed on a key day in the lives of three very different people (Writer and performer) |
| Theatre (Digital): | |
|---|---|
| Going The Distance | The Lawrence Batley Theatre and Dukes Theatre 75’ digital comedy starring Sarah Hadland, Shobna Gulati and Matthew Kelly (2021). (Co-writer) |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | The Lawrence Batley Theatre and Dukes Theatre 60’ lockdown theatre/film hybrid filmed as a studio sitcom – re-imagining of The Importance of Being Earnest within a contemporary northern setting. It received a 5-star review from The Stage (2021). (Writer) |
| Leave the Plastic On | Rifco Theatre Satirical online sketch show (2020-2021). |
| The Middle of LIDL | Lawrence Batley Theatre A monologue for the Lawrence Batley theatre, streamed online during lockdown (2020). (Writer and performer) |
| Green Triangles | Northern Broadsides Theatre An audio monologue for Northern Broadsides theatre streamed online during lockdown (2020). (Writer and performer) |
| Theatre: | |
|---|---|
| Back In The Day | National Theatre Connections Festival 90’ time-travelling comedy-drama exploring mental health, caring duties and everything that was good about the 80s (2024). (Writer) |
| Untitled Project | Untitled Project ACE funded R&D for a 90’ satire about branding British Islam. (Writer) |
| Leave the Plastic On | Rifco Theatre Satirical online sketch show (2020-2021). |
| Lost Property | Full House Theatre A children’s play produced and toured by Full House theatre (2019). (Writer) |
| Hear Me Now | Contributed monologues for Hear Me Now auditions anthology for young actors of colour (2019) (Writer) |
| Break The Floorboards | Rifco/Watford Palace Theatre A national touring dance/comedy-drama production. (Writer) |
| Education |
|---|
| MA Mass Communications |
| BA International Business, 2:1 |