Production: Inside M&S at Christmas
Production company: South Shore Productions
Broadcaster: ITV
Role: Director of Photography
Year: 2022
Programme: One-off factual documentary
Inside M&S at Christmas is an access-led factual television special produced by South Shore Productions for ITV. The 2022 programme takes viewers behind the scenes at M&S Food during its busiest season.
It follows staff, product developers, suppliers and store teams as the Christmas range is prepared and launched.
I worked as a Director of Photography on the production. My role involved contributing cinematography to the programme’s observational documentary coverage.
The filming combined real working environments with contributor-led sequences and polished seasonal imagery. As a result, the camera work needed to feel authentic while maintaining a strong broadcast finish.
The programme follows teams at M&S headquarters, retail stores, suppliers and food-production sites. It explores how new festive products are developed and brought to customers.
In addition, the documentary captures the pressures involved in delivering the Christmas range on time. It also looks behind the scenes at the creation of the company’s seasonal advertising.
Rather than only presenting the finished products, the programme reveals the work behind them. It focuses on the people, decisions and tight schedules that bring Christmas to M&S.
Access-Led Factual Television Cinematography
Access-led filming requires a responsive and unobtrusive approach. Contributors need enough space to work naturally in front of the camera.
Meanwhile, important moments can develop quickly and may only happen once. Therefore, the camera team must react without interrupting the action.
Filming locations can also change throughout the production. For example, coverage may move between offices, stores and busy food-production environments.
Each setting presents different creative and technical challenges. However, the cinematography must remain visually consistent across the finished programme.
My role supported this story-led approach. It allowed the production to capture genuine moments with clear composition and considered lighting.
At the same time, the cinematography retained the polished appearance expected from a programme featuring a major British brand. Ultimately, the project combined retail, food production and behind-the-scenes access within a nationally broadcast documentary.
The original 2022 special is available to watch on ITVX.
Explore my factual television showreel and my work on Welcome to Wrexham. You can also view The Secret Life of the Zoo or my Director of Photography services.
If you need an experienced DOP for a factual television or documentary production, please contact me.
