BBC Digital

Context

I joined the BBC as a digital content producer, initially creating supporting content for major BBC One and BBC Two programmes including Troy, Pitch Battle and the Grenfell documentary. Alongside broadcast work, the BBC was actively exploring how to reach younger audiences on social platforms, particularly 16–35 year olds, while still serving distinct channel identities — from the humour-led tone of BBC Three to the more global audience of iPlayer. Following this initial work, I was asked to stay on to work directly with the BBC’s Digital Factual Commissioner, the most senior editorial role in the digital factual space, to explore new ways of bringing established BBC programming into social-first environments.

Challenge

The challenge was to translate daily, long-running BBC programmes, previously untouched by social teams, into compelling, responsible social content for younger audiences. This meant finding emotionally resonant, human stories within large archives of factual and entertainment programming, while maintaining the BBC’s editorial standards and sensitivity around complex or traumatic subject matters. The work needed to attract attention in fast-moving social feeds without reducing stories to spectacle or losing their context and meaning. At the same time, the role itself was exploratory: there was no existing model for turning daily BBC programming into social content at scale, and part of the challenge was to assess whether this could become a sustainable, long-term approach for the organisation.

Approach

Working closely with the Digital Factual Commissioner, I was the first producer tasked with systematically exploring BBC archives and daily programming for social-first storytelling opportunities. I reviewed content across a wide range of formats, including quiz shows, human-interest documentaries and restoration programmes, identifying moments with strong emotional or narrative pull. This included programmes such as Pointless, Reported Missing, Antiques Roadshow and The Repair Shop. Editorial decisions focused on empathy, clarity and audience connection. We chose to create content that was longer than the usual social-first formats at the time, allowing greater scope for emotional engagement. Highlights included the restoration of a violin played as an act of resistance at Auschwitz on The Repair Shop, and a story from Reported Missing about a vulnerable man who disappeared after believing he was a burden to his family due to alcoholism, later found sleeping rough. Alongside this work, I led digital content to accompany Blue Planet II, contributing to the launch of the BBC’s Plastic Watch campaign — encouraging recycling, beach cleans and community action — and producing content presented by David Attenborough. I was also seconded by BBC News to create “The Big Day in a Small Film”, a Royal Wedding short conceived and edited live from the broadcast feed of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, released moments after the broadcast concluded.

Outcome

The Royal Wedding film became the BBC’s most viewed clip of the year, reaching over 18 million views and demonstrating the power of fast, editorially sound social storytelling built directly from live broadcast. More broadly, the work proved that daily BBC programming could be reinterpreted for social audiences in a way that respected both the content and the viewer. Following this work, the BBC recommended me directly to Netflix, where I went on to support the development of its UK digital content strategy the following year.

Impact