Catching Up with Alumni - Ada Player
Broadway BFI Film Academy Short Course Case Studies | Ada Player
We’re incredibly proud to celebrate the success of Ada Player, a graduate of Broadway Cinema’s 2017 BFI Film Academy Short Course, who has been nominated for a TV BAFTA for the Channel 4 Comedy Blap pilot Peaked.
Ada co-wrote and starred in Peaked, developed collaboratively with Bron Waugh and produced by Boffola Productions. The pilot was commissioned by Laura Riseam and showcases Ada’s unique comedic voice and creative vision.
This isn’t Ada’s first standout project. In 2021, they co-wrote the short film Johnny and Tommy alongside Bron Waugh and Tashi Gool as part of the online mini-series Storytellers. The film aired on BBC Radio Bristol and went on to win the Funny Women Short Film Competition.
Johnny and Tommy brought Ada back to Broadway five years after graduating, with the film screening twice at Short Stack, a Film Hub Midlands platform for showcasing local and regional filmmaking talent. The Short Stack screenings helped draw the attention of producers, ultimately sparking the pitch that became Peaked.
Most recently, Ada Player (and Bron Waugh) returned once again to Short Stack with their latest short film, Spare Part, screened in March 2025, to be released this summer on Directors Notes.
We’re also excited to see Ada continuing to break new ground—look out for her in her debut Edinburgh Fringe show, The Origin of Love, as well as in Radio 4’s Time of the week.
Peaked is available to stream now on YouTube and Channel 4 — don’t miss it
We caught up with Ada Player to reflect on their creative journey since taking part in the BFI Film Academy Short Course. The interview was conducted by Hope Cook, Broadway’s Marketing Coordinator, and Ella Townsend, Young Talent Coordinator at Film Hub Midlands and Course Lead for the BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway Cinema.
Open applications for the BFI Film Academy Short Course are coming this summer 2025.
Hi Ada, it’s great to meet you—thanks for taking the time to chat with us! To start, what was your experience with film and the industry like before joining the BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway in 2016–17?
Honestly, very limited! I was making silly comedy videos and music videos with my friends on our phones. No one in my family worked in the film industry or any creative industry, so I had no guidance or connections. The BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway was a massive opportunity—it was my first real introduction to technical filmmaking.
I’d done lots of theatre and comedy growing up, and in school, and I was always involved in local drama productions. Acting has always been part of my life, but I was really excited to try out being behind the camera.
What was the experience of joining and participating in BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway like for you?
It really opened my eyes to how collaborative filmmaking is. I learned about all the different individual roles that go into production, and loved being in a big group of creative people, I loved building relationships with everyone. I used to travel from Derbyshire. At the time, there wasn’t much in the way of opportunities like the BFI Film Academy Short Course in my area, but funnily enough, I met someone else on the course who lived down the road from me, and we drove in together every week. It was so nice to meet people interested in the same thing as me, so nearby!
What impact did the BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway have on your approach to the screen industry?
The course gave me a safe space to try things out before stepping into the professional world. I took on the role of Director, which was a big learning experience. The professionals on the course gave us so much useful guidance— I especially enjoyed learning how to work with crew and actors in a way to get the best out of them, which is something I’ve carried with me ever since.
Doing the course also meant that I was able to attend the BFI Film Academy Residential course for Animation in Bristol, which was just as brilliant. Learning a whole other side to storytelling. I loved it so much, I ended up moving to Bristol for uni!
Since taking part in the BFI Film Academy Short Course at Broadway, you’ve created a short film, Johnny and Tommy, in collaboration with Bron Waugh and alongside Tashi Gool. Where did the idea for Johnny and Tommy come from? What was the influence and inspiration behind the script?
It came out having a location (a seaside town) and a lot of improvisation with Bron and Tashi. We spent time talking in character, figuring out the dynamics and messing around in the locations. Originally, it was going to be a film about a sea monster—but when we got there realised it was naff. So we kept talking, kept playing, and the idea for Johnny and Tommy evolved naturally from there.
How did it feel to come back to Broadway to screen Johnny and Tommy, and your latest short film, Spare Part, at Short Stack?
Gorgeous! I love Short Stack, there are so many exciting films and interesting people to talk to. This time I loved Joe Wheatley’s ‘Rona’, it was so charming, funny and sad. It’s so worth watching.
After screening at Short Stack, I'm excited to share that Spare Part will be released on Directors Notes on June 2nd!
What have been the highlights of your career in film so far?
So far, the biggest highlight was getting Peaked commissioned and filmed as a BLAP!
A Blap is a showcase and a pilot in one; it’s shorter than a pilot, but unlike a pilot, it’ll definitely get released to the world.
Congratulations on getting to work with Channel 4 on your own Comedy Blap Pilot, it’s a great achievement. Is this something you’ve wanted for a while?
Thank you. I’ve always wanted to make comedy, so yes! But also, no! The TV industry is confusing, and I don’t think I understood it well enough at the time to plan and plot to get a BLAP commissioned. Boffola were so brilliant with guiding us through the process. My career master plan has been trying to focus on making things I think are funny, with the hope that doing that will get me somewhere.
What was it like to film Peaked in Derbyshire and work with Channel 4?
We filmed Peaked over three days. It went so fast! Writing it, we always had Derbyshire in our mind, filming bits and bobs on our phones in places we’d like it to be set. In our other films too, we find it really helpful to write with locations in mind - you know the atmosphere and what is around to play with. It was so exciting to film Peaked there and show off Derbyshire a bit. Not much has been filmed in the area apart from the moment where the train falls off the cliff in ‘Mission Impossible’.
Filming in Derbyshire meant that we got to work with lots of talented people from the area, too. Including Costume Designer Sally Hodgson, and the brilliant photographer Gemma Poyzer, who are both established Film & TV creatives from Nottingham!
Working with Channel 4 was a delight! They supported our vision wholeheartedly, and the notes they gave were always insightful. I think that's the brilliant thing about ‘Blaps’, they create a space where newer comedians can try out ideas without the pressure of a full series.
Your style of comedy has a distinct deadpan tone. What drew you to this style of comedy?
We love characters who take themselves way too seriously. In Peaked, our characters are trying so hard to seem cool—they’re around 23 but emotionally still stuck at 14. I think Peaked is deadpan but also really dumb. We were inspired by films like Napoleon Dynamite, Rushmore and Ghost World, along with shows like PEN15, Peep Show and Stath Lets Flats. Also randomly, Badlands! (For its lovely music and romantic Voiceover)
Beth, the character you play in Peaked, is a real standout. Will we see more of her?
Beth is one of my favourite characters to play, because she has so many contradictions. A wannabe femme fatale who doesn’t get much action at all. She’s shy, but will play confident and cool to make boys like her. Has tons of bravado, but is intensely sensitive to criticism.
Right now, we are still waiting to hear more from Channel 4 - TV is so incredibly slow! We will probably be old and wrinkly if it ever gets greenlit. But we have other pots on the boil, including a character comedy show called ‘The Origin of Love’ which we are taking to the Edinburgh Festival this summer. We play different couples struggling with their love lives. It’s very goofy and out there, tonally the other end of the scale to Peaked, but just as stupid.
How does it feel to now have Peaked nominated for a TV BAFTA?
INSANE!! I can’t believe it. It is so exciting. I am so proud of Peaked and everyone who worked on it. It’s such a lovely feeling for it to be celebrated.
Is there anything in the pipeline that you can share with us?
- My debut show, The Origin of Love, at the Edinburgh Festival 2025.
- Mine and Bron’s latest short film, Spare Part, will be out soon.
- Currently recording the second series of Lorna Rose Treens Radio 4 Woman's Hour Parody ‘Time of the Week’, so that should be out soon, too.
Finally, is there any advice you’d give to people thinking of taking part in a BFI Film Academy Short Course?
Do it. Meet people, make films, and just throw yourself into it. You’ll learn so much, connect with other people, and it’s loads of fun.
Thank you so much for your time Ada, it’s been lovely speaking to you and we wish you all the best for the future. We know that you’ll do great in whatever you go on and do next.