Thriller Lab
Fuelling bold new thrillers, powered by real-world expertise.
The OKRE Thriller Lab was a funded three-month development programme for writers and producers. Thriller Lab reflects OKRE's approach to supporting ambitious storytelling by bringing creative talent into direct collaboration with researchers, charities and people with lived experience from the earliest stages of development. It supported writer / producer duos to create bold, gripping thrillers grounded in real-world science and expertise.
Thriller Lab was a genre development programme designed to turbocharge thriller storytelling in film, TV, video games and social first platforms.
Created to bridge the gap between creative storytelling and real-world expertise, the programme saw writers and producers brought together with academics, researchers, charities and individuals with lived experience. By embedding these perspectives into early-stage development, Thriller Lab helped creative teams build stories that are both compelling and grounded in contemporary social issues.
Following a competitive selection process, ten writer-producer teams were chosen to take part in a three-month development programme.
Participants engaged in a series of workshops, expert-led sessions and collaborative discussions designed to challenge assumptions, deepen research and strengthen project development. The cohort explored themes including inequality, injustice and mental health, considering how the thriller genre can engage audiences while addressing complex social issues in meaningful ways.
Alongside creative and research support, teams received development funding to help progress their projects and opportunities to share their work with OKRE's network of industry partners.
The selected cohort brought together an impressive range of talent from across the UK screen and interactive sectors, with projects spanning television, film and video games. Their participation demonstrated the breadth of stories that can emerge when creative ambition is combined with specialist knowledge and lived experience.
Following a competitive selection process, ten writer-producer teams were chosen to take part in a three-month development programme.
Participants engaged in a series of workshops, expert-led sessions and collaborative discussions designed to challenge assumptions, deepen research and strengthen project development. The cohort explored themes including inequality, injustice and mental health, considering how the thriller genre can engage audiences while addressing complex social issues in meaningful ways.
Alongside creative and research support, teams received development funding to help progress their projects and opportunities to share their work with OKRE's network of industry partners.
The selected cohort brought together an impressive range of talent from across the UK screen and interactive sectors, with projects spanning television, film and video games. Their participation demonstrated the breadth of stories that can emerge when creative ambition is combined with specialist knowledge and lived experience.
“What makes Thriller Lab special is the chance to develop those ideas alongside academics, charities and expertise through lived experience. I’m looking forward to seeing how this cohort opens up new and surprising possibilities for the thriller genre.”