This year brings a new short-form CBBC commission for Saturday Mash Up - It's Strictly Come Dancing: Pro Dance Off!

Each week's dance style and music matches the themes you'll see later on the main Saturday night show.

The short episodes feature three of the Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers as we see them step into a virtual Strictly ballroom for the ultimate dance-off challenge - with a chance for the audience to learn a few dance moves along the way!

It's been a real career highlight to be part of this first series as shooting Producer Director, working closely with Series Producer Joe Turner and a very talented team. The professional dancers are incredible at what they do, and really embraced this new series, bringing Strictly to a much younger audience.

Tune in every Saturday morning on CBBC.

Last year I was a Casting Producer on Renovation Rescue, with new hosts Vogue Williams and Luke Mabbott. It was one of the more challenging casting projects I’ve worked on, with a tight turnaround and a very specific brief.

Working in casting can be relentless at times; especially on a series where the format is genuinely helping contributors, you just want to help everyone, but in reality the series has a limited number of episodes and strict parameters in which our stories need to fall. Saying this, I do actively seek out those jobs. Starting my career on Long Lost Family gave me a thirst for it, feeling like I was part of something that wasn't just producing great television but also a wider impact.

On Renovation Rescue, I was speaking to people every day who had been let down by builders and desperately needed support to finally finish their renovations so normal life could resume. With a major renovation, so many put their life savings on the line, and it's hugely impacting when things don't go to plan.

Penny's story is one I am most excited to share with the world. One of the first things Penny said to me was "I may be in my 70s, but don't underestimate me!" She had been on the roof herself that morning, documenting her concerns with her former builder's work. In recent years her partner of 20 years had passed, and she'd not only navigated a relocation but was now burning into her retirement fund in pursuit of her forever home, after being let down by builders. Despite her relentless run of hardship, her thirst for life was infectious - she knew she needed to "get on with it and make the best of the time [she had] here."

This is a tribute to Penny and all the families who brave a major renovation (and even braver, invite us in to film the journey!).

Catch the new series this Thursday, 30th July at 8pm on Channel 4 or catch up on demand.

Photo: Penny, Shoreham - Series 2, Episode 2.

This week has brought some very exciting news - I have been selected as one of the mentees on the 2026 Wonder Women Mentoring Programme, founded by Ria Hebden.

The programme runs for a year and pairs mid-to-senior women working in television and the creative industries with senior mentors, alongside masterclasses and access to the wider Wonder Women network. This year’s cohort is 31 women from across the UK, with Prime Video Pathway as headline sponsor.

Most of my career has been spent in broadcast - starting as a junior researcher on Long Lost Family and working across some incredible programmes in genealogy, history, architecture, reality, entertainment, game shows, dating formats and children's TV. This will be the first time I have been part of a mentoring programme and encouraged to properly reflect on the journey so far, and where I see myself in the years ahead.

This question can be challenging to work through on your own, and it isn’t one the usual industry networks are set up to answer. I'm excited for what the next 12 months will bring, and look forward to my first session with my mentor in the coming weeks.

My thanks to Ria Hebden and the Wonder Women team for the place on the programme, and to the women who have already made the industry more navigable by being honest about their own routes through it.

Photo: Wonder Women Launch Night

A massive congratulations to the incredible team behind Long Lost Family on winning the 'Hall of Fame' Broadcast (MBI) Award.

Long Lost Family was one of my very first jobs in television, and I ended up spending around three years at Wall to Wall progressing from Junior Researcher to Researcher and then AP.
It was a job like no other, working with an incredibly talented team on a programme that genuinely changes lives - an incredibly difficult place to leave! A hugely well-earned award for a show that has made an extraordinary impact over the years.

What a privilege it was to have been part of it all those years ago.

I am thrilled to share that Maternity: Broken Trust has won this year's Royal Television Society Award for 'Current Affairs - Home'.

Talented journalist Lucinda Borrell approached me in the development stages to shoot and direct the initial tape that led to this commission. We filmed with Jack and Sarah, as they let us into their lives for the first time to share their story in their fight for change, in memory of their daughter Harriet - the couple at the heart of this film.

The team at Pulse Films went on to make such a powerful documentary on such a tough and sensitive subject matter. Now their story, as well as many others, is out there for all to hear. I cannot imagine the pain these families have suffered and carry with them every day, it is unimaginable. I stand in admiration of their bravery.

“Groundbreaking current affairs at its best - robust, assured, and transformatory - harnessing the power of courageous parents in the face of ‘serious and systemic failures’ in maternity care at Nottingham University Hospital Trust. A heartbreaking film with extraordinary access to the personal stories of families who had hoped for joy and found grief.” RTS, 2025