Factual Fast Track 2026: Meet the Delegates

Meet the ten Producers and Series Producers taking part in the fourth edition of Factual Fast Track Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Factual Fast Track is a reputation-building career development programme that fast tracks established, ambitious, Producers and Series Producers to move up the career ladder and work on larger scale and higher budget productions.

This programme is funded by BBC, Channel 4, Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen.

Ally is an experienced Senior Producer & Development Producer based in Belfast. She began her career at STV in Glasgow, before spending time in the States, working as a journalist with National Geographic. Ally specialises in access driven, character led storytelling that connects emotionally with the audience.  She enjoys creating inclusive and collaborative teams, and is currently producing a series for Big Mountain Productions & BBC Daytime that sees Natalie Cassidy train to work in the Health & Social Care sector.

Cailean has been working as a PD in factual entertainment and documentary for the last 7 years, recently taking on a Series Director role on a 3-part documentary series for Channel 4. He began his factual TV career in London before returning to Glasgow in 2013. Both in production and the edit, Cailean is passionate about making high-end primetime shows in Scotland that reach UK-wide and international audiences. Having recently completed an 8-month series with Rogan Productions, Cailean has worked several times with Firecrest Films and BBC Studios.  

Caoimhe is a freelance series producer working across Irish and English language television, based in Belfast since 2016. Caoimhe both series produced and presented the BBC Two NI series Croí na Ceiste le Caoimhe, and produced and presented three series of the sustainable fashion programme Éadaí SOS for BBC Two NI and TG4. In the last year, Caoimhe has PD’ed the new music series Casadh sa Cheol for TG4 and has expanded her experience of English language production, serving as series producer on two series of Tour de Fred for ITV.

Catalina is an award-winning Producer with extensive experience in factual television across production and development. Her recent credits include Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, the International Emmy Award-winning feature doc Queen of Speed and the acclaimed history box set, Rise of the Nazis. She is about to start as a PD and Edit Producer on the BBC2 series, Lucy Worsley Investigates. Catalina has worked with indies across the UK including 72 Films, Firecrest Films, Drum Studios and Two Rivers Media, and is excited to continue delivering ambitious programmes from Scotland to audiences in the UK and beyond.

Dominic has been working as a series producer for six years. As a Director, he specialised in history, specialist factual, and arts programming. As an SP, Dominic has led productions in a variety of genres, from factual entertainment to obs-doc. He has recently series-produced two series of Highland Cops for BBC Scotland and BBC2, and recognises the importance of producing premium returning series in the Nations and Regions. Dominic has worked with a variety of indies including Firecrest Films, BBC Studios, IWC Media, and Two Rivers Media.

Edel specialises in producing and directing factual series. Her strengths include an innate understanding of visual storytelling, a genuine interest in life stories, and an ability to gain and maintain the trust of contributors throughout the filming process. Some of her recent work includes Series Director on Battle of the Irish Dancers (Big Mountain for Sky Arts), Director on David Puttnam – The Long Way Home (Ice Box Films for RTÉ) and Series Producer and Director on Critical Incident (Reef and Tern TV for BBC). 

Ellie is a Belfast-based Producer with over ten years’ experience, delivering shows for broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Netflix and Paramount. She has worked across a range of formats including quiz, reality competition, chat shows, daytime, and documentaries. Ellie is an experienced team leader with a strong track record of managing contributors, talent and production teams, while delivering high-quality content within fast-turnaround environments. With experience across editorial and welfare producing, she is passionate about creating engaging, people-led storytelling and developing her creative leadership within premium factual and factual entertainment.

Emma is a BAFTA Scotland-winning series producer with over 16 years in the television industry. Beginning her career in Aberdeen and now based in Glasgow, she is proud to say that she has spent the majority of her career in Scotland gaining valuable experience across multiple genres. Most recently she has produced celebrity-led travelogues, including Sailing the Shipping Forecast with the Rev Richard Coles for More4, and prior to this she produced a number of award-winning polemic series led by social commentator Darren McGarvey, including the critically acclaimed Addiction series.

Lesley is a Series Producer specialising in making warm, creative factual content for young audiences and families. Working in the TV industry in Glasgow for over 15 years, she has led projects from development to delivery for broadcasters including BBC, CBeebies, CBBC and Channel 4. Lesley thrives on creating authentic, high-quality content that connects with viewers and makes a positive impact. Her most recent project led her to Kenya where she spent several weeks filming in the African bush – definitely her wildest production to date.

Philip has been working as a series producer for the past year on the returning obs doc series Paramedics on Scene, made by Firecrest Films for BBC Scotland. Prior to this, over seven years, he worked as a producer director on a wide range of programmes for the BBC and Channel 4, including the Scottish BAFTA-nominated Secrets of the Supermarket Own Brands, and several travel documentaries with Ade Adepitan. With a strong editorial sensibility, and an interest in access-driven storytelling, he is keen to pursue more specialist factual and original single films and series.

Factual Fast Track is funded by BBC, Channel 4, Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen