Blink Films is searching for people whose lives were transformed by reading — and the deadline to get involved is 18th March
A new BBC Arts documentary is looking for ordinary people with extraordinary stories about the power of reading, and the production team wants to hear from book lovers across Sussex.
Blink Films, the BAFTA-nominated production company behind documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and Netflix, is making a new programme exploring how a single book can completely change the course of someone’s life. Whether it sparked a career change, ended a relationship, prompted a move abroad or simply shifted how someone sees the world, the team wants to hear about it.
The call-out is broad. Perhaps a novel inspired you to retrain in a completely new field and leave a stable job behind. Maybe a memoir gave you the courage to confront something you had been avoiding for years. It could be that a book you struggled to finish — one that tested your patience and persistence — ended up unlocking something remarkable once you reached the final page.
The producers are equally interested in stories where reading itself was the challenge. For people who came to books later in life, or who overcame barriers like dyslexia or literacy difficulties, the act of finishing a single book can be as life-changing as anything written inside it.
Brighton and Sussex have long been home to one of the most active literary communities in the UK, from independent bookshops and reading groups to the city’s annual literary festivals. The region’s readers are exactly the kind of voices the BBC programme is hoping to feature.
Anyone interested in taking part should email the production team at [email protected] with their story, the title of the book that changed their life, why it proved so significant, and a contact number. The team is looking for genuine, personal stories rather than polished pitches — authenticity is what matters.
The deadline for submissions is 18th March 2026, so there is still time to put something together. Contributors do not need any previous media experience, and the production team will guide anyone selected through the filming process from start to finish.
If a book changed your life, this is your chance to tell that story to a national audience. The BBC wants to hear it — and so do we.
