A bit about me
What follows was originally published in the Guild of Television Camera Professionals magazine, Zerb.
How did you get started in your career?
I always wanted to work in television as a cameraman and made choices throughout my schooling to try and achieve that goal. My first job in the industry came in early 1995 when I started working as an edit archive assistant at the House of Commons in the broadcasting unit there. It was my job to manage the parliamentary recordings of the Commons and Lords, dubbing copies for broadcasters, and archiving the tapes. From there, I got to know the team down the corridor who broadcast proceedings, and eventually got a job with them as a camera operator working across all parliamentary coverage, most famously Prime Minister's Questions and the State Opening of Parliament. It was a fascinating time in British politics, with the end of eighteen years of Conservative rule and the start of New Labour. Not long after that I also became a director there, calling and vision-mixing chamber and committee coverage.
Operating Steadicam for Loose Women on ITV
What is your most memorable job so far?
After more than thirty years in television (mostly in news and current affairs), several moments stand out. 9/11 was a defining point in many of our lives. I'd moved to ITN as a cameraman working in studios and out on the road, and we went to air on ITV just after lunchtime and didn't come off until very late that evening. I was there in the ITV News studio as the horror unfolded, but I didn't get a single one of my studio camera shots to air: all the pictures were from New York. But to have been a part of that 'open-ended' broadcast, to see it in real time, and to know that the world had changed that day was an astonishing experience. Other moments I could mention would be 7/7, royal weddings, the 2012 Olympics and shooting the Queen's Christmas broadcast twice. But probably my most memorable experience was working on an OB camera at Hyde Park corner for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. I was just 24, operating a huge box lens up on a camera tower, and our ITN pictures were being fed to numerous countries, as well as being live on ITV. I don't think I'll ever top that in terms of the number of simultaneous viewers for one of my shots. It was incredible and humbling to be there.
Directing the Jeremy Vine programme for Channel 5
What item of kit do you always have with you?
Now that I mainly direct, an iPad and a pencil case with a variety of pens, pencils, sharpies and highlighters are my most useful tools, but when I was a full-time cameraman, I just couldn't leave the house without my Leatherman. It was simply my go-to tool to fix anything.
What has influenced you the most in your career?
I think many people see news and current affairs as a low-grade sector of television compared to drama or HETV. But having worked for so long in live news, where decisions have to be made quickly and yet correctly, where quick-thinking, smart decision-making and creative storytelling are your bread and butter, it's really helped me in other genres of work. I always much prefer to go live than prerecord something just because we can: there is something about the immediacy and adrenaline-rush of being live that simply cannot be replicated when recording.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
I've always found it good to keep perspective. It's simply this: remember, it's only telly. I like to foster a culture on shows I work on where everyone's contribution is welcomed, where creative ideas can flourish, and where collaborative teamwork flows easily.
But we are not frontline medical staff or brain surgeons or firefighters. Sometimes, in the stress-filled, time-restricted environment of TV production, it's good to remember that, whilst we do our absolute best, it's only telly. The second bit of advice is simple and straightforward: always pack a spare pair of pants.
How do you create a good work/life balance?
I was staff at the House of Commons, then ITN, then ITV Daytime for more than 26 years, so to a large extent, my working patterns were decided for me. Certainly, some of the shift rotations, with night and day shifts, were pretty challenging. I think I was fortunate that during most of my time as a cameraman at ITN, I didn't work weekends, so this gave me a decent amount of family time at home.
Working on camera 1 at The London Studios for ITV Daytime
Who has inspired or encouraged you the most?
I've learnt my craft with some outstanding friends and colleagues over the years, and I love working in talented and creative teams. I'm indebted to so many people for their encouragement and inspiration over the years, and it's difficult to pick out just one. But if I had to, I'd say Martin Collett, the senior director on Channel 4 News, inspired me a huge amount when I was at ITN. He gave us freedom to find new shots, to try things out, and he trusted us to get the right shots at the right time on really busy shows.
Matt Frei, Martin Collett, me and Jon Snow in the Channel 4 News studio
What is the best piece of advice you would offer?
Smile, be confident, remember people's names, be teachable, find a mentor, get feedback on what you've done, earn trust, fight imposter syndrome, be polite, always be early, and always pack a spare pair of pants.
Originally published in the Spring 2026 edition of Zerb. For more photos from my career, click on my Gallery, and for kind things that people have said about working with me, go to my Testimonials page.