Authors
Children Of The Revolution: Filming in Tahrir Square
Tonight, as Egypt - Children Of The Revolution airs - filmed over a year through Egypt's revolution and tumultuous aftermath - two of the three young people we followed, Gigi and Ahmed, are back on the streets still fighting for the regime to "really" fall. The third, Tahir, an Islamist tort...
How drama My Jihad got its name
As Fahmida and Nazir's sweet story returns for three more episodes, writer Shakeel Ahmed explains why no other title would do.
How to survive Celebrity MasterChef: Heat four with Samira Ahmed
She's top of the class when it comes to news broadcasting, but how will journalist Samira cope with the pressures of the kitchen?
C-Bomb: From YouTube to television
'A new place for aspiring comedians... and a potential route for them to work in television.' Producer Jon Aird reveals how a short online video became a pilot episode on BBC Three.
Blue Peter: Overcoming my phobia for a record-breaking swim
In the five years I've been a Blue Peter presenter this is one of the hardest things I've done, but also one of my proudest moments. I wanted to do one final challenge on the show that would push me both physically and mentally, and hopefully inspire people young and old to take up something...
Mixed Britannia: Telling the story of mixed race Britain
I guess there are two ways of approaching a TV production: knowing exactly what you want to say and finding the people who fit into the mould, or telling the story you discover as you go along. There's always going to be a bit of an overlap, but in the case of Mixed Britannia on BBC Two I'd ...
Stacey Dooley in the USA: Girls Behind Bars
America is the world leader in locking people up. Today in the land of the free there are more prisoners per head than anywhere else in the world. Here's how a TV development team got access to the fascinating world of women's prisons
Young, British And Angry: What fuels the English Defence League?
One of the main reasons I have ended up doing what I now do - making documentaries from the less accessible and hospitable parts of the world - is that I have always been slightly desperate to escape small town English life. I grew up in Bedford, but most of my family is from neighbouring Lu...
The Fall: Gillian Anderson on portraying an enigma
'Her emotions have become engaged and that's unusual for her. She is thrown.' As the finale is upon us, Gillian Anderson shares her thoughts on her character in BBC Two's thriller - DSI Stella Gibson.
Welcome to Lagos - it'll defy your expectations
When my friend rang to ask me out for a drink, I was already in Heathrow Terminal 5. "I'm not going to be around for the next four months or so," I told him. "I'm going to Lagos." His immediate reaction - "Why? What's wrong? Are you in trouble? Is it the police?" - was typical. Nigeria, and L...
Roger: Genocide Baby
The idea for Roger: Genocide Baby sparked to life as I sat watching BBC Breakfast, munching on some oats. A young British actor, Roger Nsengiyumva, was promoting his new film Africa United and I heard him say something like, "Yes, I was born in 1994 during the Rwandan genocide." I put my...
Spitfire Women: Margaret Frost on her role in the Battle of Britain
Spitfire Women is a documentary that tells the story of the female pilots who transported aeroplanes for the RAF as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Eighty-nine-year-old Margaret Frost was one of the one hundred and sixty-eight women in the ATA and features in the programme. She spo...
People's Strictly for Comic Relief: Robin Windsor and Anna Kennedy in conversation
At the dress rehearsal for the finale of People's Strictly, we made Robin and Anna sit down and record a chat for you!
Sectioned: Filming inside a mental health unit
I'm really interested in making documentaries that go into worlds we seldom get to see, so I was thrilled to be asked to work with producer Lucy Cohen on an observational film made inside a psychiatric hospital. I'd also had an old mate who'd been in and out of psychiatric hospital many time...
Strictly Come Dancing 2010: Conducting the live band
Well, here we are back again in Studio One at BBC Television Centre for my fifth series conducting the live band on Strictly Come Dancing, after taking over from the great Laurie Holloway. This year looks like it's going to be a good one, judging by the launch show. The new set looks amazing...
21 Up New Generation: It's like my extended family
'He introduced me to one of his best mates as his "second mum."' How filming every seven years for BBC One's documentary series builds long-term relationships with contributors.
The Crusades: the thrill of a priceless manuscript
I first fell in love with crusading history as a schoolboy and continue to be fascinated by these medieval holy wars. In many ways, they have become my life's work. For me, the Crusades, the wars fought between Christians and Muslims for possession of the Holy Land between 1095 and 1291, hav...
Filming Lapland: The comedy and tragedy of Christmas
Lapland covers quite touching issues that are affecting the Lewis family - like the loss of their family patriarch - and then my character, the holiday rep Jingle Jill interrupts with quite hilarious material. It's very much a comedy drama. I remember when I read the script how moving and tou...
Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets Of The Skies
'Clouds are about as far from the popular image of light and fluffy floating puffs of cotton wool as you can get' Meterologist Felicity Aston on flying through clouds for BBC Two's two-part documentary.
In the Club: Bringing Jasmin’s storyline to life
How working with midwives and chatting to pregnant colleagues helped actress Taj Atwal bring an emotional story to the screen
