Gracie Otto Joins With BBC First For New Twitter Drama

Australian acting/directing royalty Gracie Otto has joined forces with fledgling Foxtel station BBC First to create #Whatsnext, a five-part “collaborative story” written in conjunction with the Aussie public.

From 6pm (AEST) tonight, August 25, the populace will have the opportunity to have their say over the next five days (until Friday), during which time renowned actor/director Otto – the daughter of iconic patriarch Barry and sister of similarly famous screen star Miranda – will be guest-tweeting from BBC First’s Twitter account to “inspire a crowdsourced narrative of intrigue”.

To be a part of the creative collaboration, you can use the hashtag #Whatsnext to engage in having an active hand in the way the show’s story plays out, in 140-character bursts, with Otto on-hand to respond to audience suggestions in real-time, as well as provide a growing array of props and themes to help prod the budding creatives in the right direction. The next day, whatever the result of the co-authoring exercise has been will be released by BBC First “at lunchtime”, allowing credited contributors a chance to see the finished narrative into which their suggestions have been woven.

At the outset, participants have a base group of five characters, developed by Otto, on which to build and whose fate they will decide over the next five days, including The Heiress, The Politician, The Actress, The Russian Oligarch, and The Concierge.

“#Whatsnext is completely out of my comfort zone of writing, which is what makes this such a thrilling project to work on,” Otto said of the campaign in a statement.

“By using Twitter to harness Australia’s collective imagination, I’m looking forward to creating something really unexpected and powerfully entertaining.”

The complete #Whatsnext will be released via BBC First and social media next week. Get involved from 6pm tonight by following @BBCFirstAus on Twitter, and using the hashtag to have your say.

For more of the divine Ms Otto, check out our recent interview with the swiftly developing auteur, in which she discusses where she got the idea for her first feature-length directorial effort, The Last Impresario.