Before the cameras roll: why early advice is the key to bold blue-light TV
Photo credit: Surrey Police
By the time filming begins on a blue-light programme, many key creative and structural decisions have already been made. The format is nailed down, access is agreed, target contributors are identified, and expectations for the narrative are set with the commissioner.
At Reviewed & Cleared, our TV production clients come to us because they want to be innovative and compelling, as well as responsible and robust. Legalling ‘cuts’ is part and parcel of the support we provide, but Ofcom or legal issues arising from access, format or filming style are best resolved long before the cameras roll.
For us, those really early conversations with producers are among the most productive. This is the sweet spot where our lawyers combine their practical knowledge of TV production with the nuanced and complex rules that affect blue-light filming. I love hearing an idea, navigating the shades of grey, and then enabling the editorial.
Some of the most important questions we can ask in the early stages of production are: What do you want the audience to think and feel? What do you want the viewer’s takeaway, or the wider impact, to be?
I ask teams not to 'self-legal' or fixate on compliance boundaries when coming to me with their ideas. Instead, tell me exactly what your dream content would look like without restrictions, and let's see how close we can get.
Their answers tell me so much. The upshot can even be a team realising that content they thought was off the table can be made fit for broadcast. An early chat can trigger something broader too, giving the team’s ideas clarity of purpose and renewed confidence in their aims.
A key early consideration is duty of care and having compassion for the people at the heart of a story. Blue-light shows broadcast moments of real vulnerability: some people caught up in an emergency are having the worst day of their lives, and our clients take that responsibility seriously. They want to get consent processes right, treat contributors with respect, and avoid disproportionate harm. Identifying duty of care parameters as early as possible should be part of the creative process, not a constraint on it. How we treat others during a production can shape where and when filming happens, how body-cams are used, how distress or complaints are handled, and ultimately how stories are told in the edit.
Early conversations also think about fairness and accuracy: stories need to reflect the complexities of real life rather than flattening people into heroes and villains. Addressing this early opens up greater editorial freedom, not less.
It’s a privilege for us to know so many producers who understand that the very human side of programme-making requires delicate, human-centred legal advice. Creativity and responsibility can move together, but some of our most important and rewarding work needs to happen long before anyone presses record.
If you need support on a blue-light programme, arrange a chat with one of the team at lawyers@reviewedandcleared.com or clare@reviewedandcleared.com
News & Views Category: Film & TV
