What’s your role at MultiStory?
Executive Editor.
What made you want to get into TV and how did you make that a reality?
I spent my childhood acting, with Oldham Theatre Workshop. By my teenage years – after missing out to Anna Friel for a role on Brookside – I realised that my future lay behind the camera. During University, I spent my placement year working in a press office; reacting to big news events and spending time with TV crews, opening up a whole new world…It seemed like fun, and I wanted to join in.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are?
Like most of us in telly, I started as a runner. I was given a 3 day contract working in the entertainment team at Granada TV in Manchester. It was September 1999, and I didn’t realise how rare my background was (working class girl, from a comprehensive school in Rochdale). It’s as true today as it was then, 24 years ago. As an industry we need to work harder to encourage people from a wide variety of backgrounds to come and work with us.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being promoted to Executive Editor on Tonight. Growing up, I remember avidly watching TV credits wondering what all the jobs were and hoping that one day I would have my name at the end of a programme.
What was your biggest “pinch me’ moment?
From starting out as a runner on shiny floor entertainment shows to jumping ship making documentaries and current affairs, I’ve had so many pinch me moments… But one that stands out, was when I spent the summer of 2005 in LA and Santa Barbara making a documentary on the Michael Jackson trial.
Are there any big learning curves or disaster moments you can look back and laugh about now?
There are plenty of disasters; like when I made a series about horror holidays and was chased around Turkey by the mafia. Or, when casting for children with behaviour issues, one family welcomed me into their home while they openly dealt heroin. And never to be forgotten, when I was making a film about the hunt for a serial killer, the world’s media descended on a small town and I was booked into a temporary hotel. It transpired that it was next door to where he lived… In TV there is always so much to learn and amazing people to learn from.
What are your favourite TV shows?
I love watching TV dramas. Without fangirling too hard, most of my favourite shows were made by Nicola Shindler during her time at the helm of Red Productions from ‘Queer As Folk’ to ‘Happy Valley’ and ‘It’s A Sin’… From the US, I fell hard for ‘Succession’ and love ‘Dopesick’ and ‘The Bear’ on Disney Plus.