Shai Hussain

Shai Hussain is a screenwriter and author represented by SWA. His extensive credits span the BBC, West End stage, and international festivals, recently highlighted by a coveted 8.1 score on The Black List (placing in the top 5% of submissions) for his film script Company Sahib, which he has recently adapted into a novel. He is also currently developing a screenplay based on The Battle of Bamber Bridge.

Audio & Radio
On the airwaves, Shai’s BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play: Til Jihad Do Us Part—starring Goodness Gracious Me’s Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia—was broadcast to critical acclaim. This followed its success as a feature script finalist in The Big Pitch competition, where it attached director Gordon Anderson (The Inbetweeners) and narrowly missed out on a £250k production prize. His upcoming episode of the Doctor Who audio spin-off, The Diary of River Song: The Tashpa Stone, is set for release in early 2027. Shai’s extensive radio drama pedigree also includes writing for BBC Asian Network’s daily soap Silver Street, his standalone play Reality Check, and the co-written collection Resolutions.

Screen & Television
For the screen, Shai is the creator of the critically acclaimed comedy web series Three Shades of Brown. Its pilot premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival and amassed thousands of views before being selected as the sole UK show representing British filmmaking at Vermont’s Independent TV Festival. His sitcom Generasians was optioned by NBCUniversal, and he wrote episodes for Channel Zing’s daily soap opera Cloud 9. Shai was also commissioned to write Hey Krish for The VIP Studio—a preschool animation based on baby versions of Hindu gods—and adapted the bestselling novel Orphan of Islam into a film treatment. His short film The Waving Man, starring Bhaskar Patel, was produced via a Digital Commission from Arts Council UK.

Stage & Industry Recognition
An alumnus of the prestigious BBC Comedy Room and the BBC New Talent Hotlist, Shai’s recognition began when his script Brown Alert was shortlisted for the BBC Fast Cuts competition. His stage work includes showcasing a 30-minute sample of his play Settling at London’s West End Criterion Theatre. He also devised two short monologues for Tamasha Theatre, published in Oberon’s Hear Me Now anthology, and his speech on UK screen diversity at the House of Lords was published by The Asian Writer.