Fleabag creator, writer, and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge is offering a rent-free London apartment to support playwrights in the early stages of their careers. The 41-year-old purchased and donated the accommodation through a new theatre initiative called Writers’ Block, which tackles the high cost of living in the capital for writers from underprivileged backgrounds.
Selected writers using the flat will live there completely free of rent, paying only for utility bills. Alongside donating the physical property, Waller-Bridge provided what organizers described as a generous financial contribution to help establish the initiative.
Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne, whose writing credits include Enola Holmes, Wonder, and the stage hit Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, is among the prominent figures providing financial backing to the project.
Reflecting on his early struggles, Thorne noted the immense financial hurdles new creative talents face today. “I was lucky when I started out, my brother lived in Croydon and was able to put me up,” he recalled, explaining that his brother housed him selflessly for five years before he moved to Luton.
Thorne emphasized that secure housing is vital for creative freedom. “For many writers, the need for a roof makes writing impossible which is why this pilot is so important. If we want stories told about our complicated world, we need writers of every background writing them,” Thorne said. He added, “If you’re from privilege, your biggest problem is what to fill a page with. If you’re not, so much of your struggle is about the need to survive.”
Playwright and screenwriter James Graham, creator of stage productions Ink, Quiz, and Dear England, is also supporting Writers’ Block. He pointed out that the initiative addresses deep-rooted class barriers within the creative arts.
Graham warned that despite industry efforts toward diversity, economic barriers remain severe. “The industry’s urgent pursuit of representation is still letting down the biggest area of under-representation of all, which is class,” Graham said. Recounting his own arrival in London, he shared, “When I first made it to London, I slept on friends’ floors and worked in call centres and bars while I wrote. Every spare room a scheme like this can give to writers starting out in London, not only helps them write but saves them from giving up completely.”
Additional high-profile backers of the scheme include Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright, Peter Morgan of The Crown, and film director Martin McDonagh, who is Waller-Bridge’s partner and directed the Oscar-winning feature The Banshees Of Inisherin as well as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Writers’ Block developed directly from the Adopt a Playwright Award initiative. Established in 2008 by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read, the original program focused on securing affordable living spaces in London for disadvantaged writers who needed to attend meetings, rehearsals, performances, and career-building events. Mason and Jervis-Read are also the co-creators behind the newly launched Writers’ Block program.
