NHS Films

A film made from BFI archive and my own material for the 75th anniversary of the NHS

My best film - I'd like it to speak for itself

This film was great because it was unplanned. I was travelling around the country documenting the vaccination rollout and looking for unusual locations. I came across Blackburn Cathedral. By sheer luck I ran into our contributors, they had a fantastic story that they told really well. I shot and edited it fast and everyone loved it. No changes.

I did a piece on sickle cell disease that I hope shows that my films, and the NHS, can tackle uncomfortable issues that require self-criticism.

The film I did on virtual wards exemplifies how Reithian principles (inform, educate and entertain) apply to my NHS pieces. On paper, the idea of a ‘virtual ward’ is difficult to understand but the film gives viewers an insight into what it means in practice. What will happen if they, family or friends are admitted onto a virtual ward. So ‘inform’ and ‘educate’ are covered. Then I’d like to think the film also ‘entertains’, because of the patients’ contributions. Their struggles and the relief they get from being on the ward are easy to empathise with, speaking to the human condition:

The best single moment I’ve captured at the NHS is from a long-running series with the health inequalities team. Communications head, Leicia Feare, gets access and Professor Bola Owolabi, plays the Louis Theroux role. The moment is when Bola asks the contributor what life was like before the team helped her, it demonstrates my belief that documentary can surpass drama as an art form. You can catch a moment that, because it’s actually happening, outclasses anything scripted. Bola has an amazing ability to connect with contributors (she’s a GP, so perhaps that’s not surprising). Then we just shoot what unfolds. These films are usually shot in a couple of days but take much longer to edit.