Is there an edit doctor in the house?

The script doctor and the fixer-in-the-edit - there isn’t really an established role for these people in factual television, and yet it’s a crucial skill that can mean make or break for a production searching for that compelling narrative line. 

It’s a role that film-maker Nigel Levy has found himself doing more often, drawing on his Hollywood movie directing experience as much as his documentary chops. For last week’s Lucy Worsley’s Fireworks for a Tudor Queen, Nigel was brought on late in the schedule to direct re-shoots, re-write and re-edit the show. 

Nigel’s credited title on the Lucy Worsley show was ‘Producer’ but maybe it's time now to give the factual Edit Doctor and Script Doctor their own professional grade - at least to formalise and recognise their roles.