What’s your role at MultiStory?
I am the Editor of the PESTON programme which goes out on Wednesday after the News at Ten on ITV and have been at Multistory since it launched as as Sunday show in 2016.
What made you want to get into TV and how did you make that a reality?
Coverage of politics on TV has been something of an obsession for me for years! Even at school I’d regularly tune in to programmes like ‘This Week’ and ‘Question Time’ when I should probably have been out doing something much more conventionally exciting! I spent a bit of time teaching Economics after University and then decided to take the plunge, train to be a journalist and hopefully one day bag a job making entertaining and informative programmes that ask key questions of the people who decide how the country is run.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are?
They always say getting the first job is the hardest when it comes to the media and I definitely found that to be the case. Even though I’d had some experience in local journalism and at Sky News I had absolutely no idea how I’d get my first proper job in the industry. Thankfully the brilliant organisation Creative Access popped up with an internship position that looked like my dream job – to help launch Peston on Sunday in the run up to the EU Referendum. What more could a young politics nerd want?! I was lucky enough to get that first job and I’ve been here working my way up for nearly 7 years since so it was definitely the right one!
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Every time we do a big interview on a big important story it feels like a real privilege to do what we do. But to pick one moment, I helped produce the 2019 General Election Debates and counting down to the start of Johnson vs Corbyn (which would help almost 7 million viewers decide how to vote) felt pretty unreal.
What was your biggest “pinch me’ moment
In the first week of my time on Peston on Sunday I was asked to stand in and pretend to be then Chancellor George Osborne so Peston could practice interviewing someone on the set of his brand new programme. I did it in character and he grilled me on the economic policy of the day. I’d been teaching students economics using clips from him on the news a year earlier and frankly couldn’t quite believe where I was or what I was doing!
Are there any big learning curves or disaster moments you can look back and laugh about now?
It’s probably best I don’t mention some of the (very few) more insane moments working with frontline politicians! However I had a lengthy stint working with the brilliant Anushka Asthana on ‘Screeny’ – our show’s brilliant if somewhat temperamental touchscreen. The tech disasters were numerous and hilarious for everyone not involved I’m sure!
What are your favourite TV shows?
Now that I do politics every day I’m watching plenty of less serious stuff in my spare time. Ted Lasso on Apple TV is my favourite as a wholesome and hilarious escape from the news!