New Delhi: Phoebe Waller-Bridge has bought a flat in London and is offering it rent-free to emerging writers from disadvantaged backgrounds. Waller-Bridge is part of an initiative aimed at making the theatre industry more accessible.
The 41-year-old, best known for creating and starring in Fleabag (2016-2019), has donated the property to Writers’ Block, which seeks to address the financial difficulties faced by aspiring playwrights who need accommodation in London to pursue their careers. Writers staying in the flat will not have to pay rent but will be responsible for utility bills. The actor and screenwriter has also made what the scheme described as a “generous financial contribution”.
Waller-Bridge is not the only prominent name supporting the initiative. Screenwriter and Adolescence (2025) co-creator Jack Thorne, playwright James Graham, Happy Valley (2014-2023) creator Sally Wainwright and The Crown (2016-2023) writer Peter Morgan have also extended their support. Waller-Bridge’s partner, filmmaker Martin McDonagh, is involved in the initiative as well.
Writers’ Block has been developed by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read, founders of The Offies, the Off West End Theatre Awards. The initiative builds on their Adopt a Playwright Award, established in 2008 to support emerging writers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The new scheme is a partnership with Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, London. It connects playwrights who need accommodation in the capital with people willing to offer spare rooms or properties at significantly reduced rates.
Accommodation through the network, known as Omnihosts, costs no more than £30 a night or £500 a month, with several hosts charging less. Waller-Bridge’s flat, however, is being offered entirely rent-free.
Jack Throne, who co-wrote the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016), recalled how his brother helped him when he was starting as a writer by providing him with a place to stay.
“I was lucky when I started out; my brother lived in Croydon and was able to put me up. He did so, rather selflessly, for five years, before I moved to Luton and he got his peace,” he told the BBC and shared that for many writers the need for a roof makes writing impossible.
“If we want stories told about our complicated world, we need writers of every background writing them,” he added.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)