Hollywood writers to resume talks

Scottish singer KT Tunstall this week showed her support for writers

Hollywood screenwriters, who have been on strike for nearly two weeks, say they will re-open negotiations with their studios on 26 November.

They will be the first contract talks since the writers went on strike on 5 November, demanding a bigger share of profits from DVD and internet sales.

The strike has crippled US TV, forcing talk shows to be suspended and threatening favourite primetime series.

Writers said they would stay on the picket line until a deal was reached.

But one, Sean Jablonski, who pens the cosmetic surgery series Nip/Tuck, was glad to hear that negotiations were back on.

"That's fabulous, that's great. You can't get a deal until two sides sit down and talk about it," he told the Associated Press.

Shows like Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy are reported to be on the verge of shutting down production, with no lines for their actors to learn.

The rapid impact of the strike highlights the pivotal role played by writers, not only in writing original stories, but on the set, says the BBC's Peter Bowes in Los Angeles.

Many shows operate on a tight schedule. Once it has been interrupted, a production can be affected for months.

But the employers, represented by The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, have made it known, through newspaper ads, that they believe writers are already paid well enough for their work.