When a contributor raises concerns about consent after filming, it can create real uncertainty about whether a contribution can still be used. In practice, however, these situations are usually manageable and rarely fatal.

A contributor falls out with the production team: perhaps they dislike an editorial decision or want to disrupt transmission, and suddenly, wham! A Subject Access Request (SAR) lands, demanding any rushes, internal emails, production notes or assessments that could contain the contributor's personal data.

As media lawyers at Reviewed & Cleared, we often work with documentary filmmakers and investigative journalists to protect confidential sources. Our pre-publication team advises journalists across broadcast, audio and print on investigations into public bodies such as the NHS and policing, corporate wrongdoing, abuse cases, national security and environmental stories. In many of these cases, people simply wouldn’t speak without some protection.

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.

It's a moment that can make true-crime producers nervous: fulfilling the Ofcom obligation to notify the family of a deceased victim that their loved one will feature in a programme.

New year, new projects crossing our desks at Reviewed & Cleared! Every year we advise on a large amount of comedy, from scripted drama and sketch shows to live records.

As fun as it sounds, comedy can be one of the most legally sensitive forms of broadcasting.