TV Show and Tell
by David Bodycombe & Justin Scroggie
Podcast about TV shows from idea to screen, with Producer David J. Bodycombe (@davidjbodycombe), TV Consultant Justin Scroggie (@TheFormatDoctor) and guests. Follow us on Twitter @TVShowPodcast. Email us: contact{at}tvshowandtell.com.
Episodes
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CONTENT EUROPE 2026 SPECIAL EDITION
Once again, Justin attends a major TV event in the sun so you don't have to. This episode is packed full of facts, insights and observations from the inaugural Content Europe event in Lisbon, where creators, buyers and sellers from across the format industry came together to share their shows,...
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Antiques expert Raj Bisram and producer Nicholas Sercombe
Today, we have two guests. Nicholas Sercombe is a veteran producer who's worked with talents as varied as Bob Monkhouse and Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer. And Raj Bisram is a familiar face on UK screens as an antiques expert on shows such as 'Bargain Hunt' and 'Antiques Roadshow'. Together, they've...
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Format development guru Ben Justice
Ben Justice has been involved with shows such as 'All Together Now', 'Richard Osman's House of Games' and 'Bridge of Lies'. In an innovative move, he's recently uploaded 'The Loop' on YouTube as a shop window for his own format. Justin and David discuss the state of the nation between YouTube and...
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MIPCOM 2025 special
MIPCOM, the major European TV market, held its 2025 edition. "Format Doctor" Justin Scroggie notes the event is shorter and quieter, but still showcases strong sales for shows such as 'The Floor'. Major themes include “Format Plus” (adding unique twists), the use of existing IP, the rise of...
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Autumn 2025 catch-up
Justin and David give their thoughts on shows from the past, present and future, namely: the BBC's version of 'Destination X', 'Shark: Celebrity Infested Waters' on ITV, NBC's 'On Brand' (airing currently) and the upcoming prank show 'Celebrity Sabotage' on ITV.
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Sian Gwilliam, founder of Bloody Norah TV
Sian Gwilliam is the founder of Bloody Norah TV, and a highly experienced Consultant and Production Executive across many genres, including comedy, quizzes, documentaries and sport. In terms of unscripted entertainment, she's worked on MasterChef, Mental Samurai, Next Level Chef and Ellen's Game…
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Multicamera director Abigail Dankwa
Our special guest is Abigail Dankwa, director of a wide range of entertainment and factual shows including 'Big Brother', 'Grayson's Art Club', '24 Hours in A&E', 'Have I Got New For You' and the rebooted version of 'The Big Breakfast'. She also series directed the BAFTA-winning show 'Life and...
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Joe Mace, ITV Entertainment Commissioning Editor
Joe Mace presented various youth and music programmes, before hopping over the fence to the development side. He's now Commissioning Editor for Entertainment at ITV, looking after a wide portfolio of entertainment shows, from 'Deal or No Deal' to the upcoming 'Genius Game'. Justin and David have…
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Extending IP beyond the TV, with Will van Rest
We chat with Will van Rest, the founder of JEM Media Ventures, about how TV brands can be extended to events and products that audiences want to purchase. After stints at Fremantle and Sky, Will worked at ITV for 17 years, ending up as the Director for Games, Live and Merchandising. Justin and...
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UK game show exec, Michelle Woods
Having worked her way up at the BBC, Michelle Woods is now one of the most experienced Executive Producers in the UK, with long stints at Remarkable and Youngest Media. Recently, she oversaw two new game shows series for Mattel, based on the board game properties 'Scrabble' and 'Trivial Pursuit'....
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MIPCOM 2024 special
MIPCOM, the major European TV market, held its 2024 edition recently. "Format Doctor" Justin Scroggie takes a discerning look over the important points from the event, touching on the impact of A.I., a glut of saboteur formats, and the aftermath of a global industry slump. However, there's plenty...
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Format licensing expert Pascal Dalton
Special guest Pascal Dalton explains how formats are sold and licenced across the world. While at ITV Studios, he looked after properties such as 'The Chase', 'Love Island' and 'My Mum, Your Dad'. He also set up a European production hub for 'The Wall', based in Poland. Justin and David discuss…
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Autumn 2024 round-up
David and Justin are 'back to busy' as they discuss some interesting recent statistics about the TV industry. Channel 4's Grand Designs property format turns 25 – what has made it stand the test of time? Plus, what's German comedian Stefan Raab up to, and can chess work on television?
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NBCU's International Formats VP Barrie Kelly
Barrie Kelly is Vice President of International Format Production and Development at NBCUniversal. As well as making format sales and co-development deals across the world, Barrie looks after the production of major formats including Top Chef, Real Housewives, Saturday Night Live and Hollywood…
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Improv comedy legend Neil Mullarkey
Actor, writer and business coach Neil Mullarkey is a founding member of London's Comedy Store Players improv group. We'll hear about his friendship with Mike Myers, his involvement with Saturday morning kid's television, and his work in teaching businesses to embrace creativity in the workplace....
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'Floor is Lava' co-creator Irad Eyal
Irad Eyal is the co-creator of the Netflix gungy game show 'Floor is Lava'. After a brief stint in early 'dot com' companies, he developed multiple formats for Endemol, and later 'Southern Charm' for his own production company, Haymaker West. David and Justin look at alternative outlets for…
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Question producer Julia Hobbs
What makes a good quiz question, and what are the pitfalls of writing them? Julia Hobbs is a top question producer working in the UK on shows such as 'The Chase', 'Pointless', 'Tipping Point', 'Million Pound Drop' and 'Fifteen to One'. Julia also has an interesting personal story about how she…
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'Key art' expert Fred Hammarlund
A developing new artform is the iconic thumbnails and screenshot images that appear in the menus and feeds of streaming platforms. What goes into them, and who decides what they should show? Fred Hammarlund, Creative Director of 2nd Place Studio, tells us about the secret science of 'key art'....
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Hidden camera director Thomas Stark Holland
Freelance director Thomas Stark Holland has a wide-ranging CV from specialist factual 'Meet the Humans' to prime-time L.E. hits like 'Saturday Night Takeaway'. He discusses the planning and technical know-how that goes into an ever-popular strand of entertainment: hidden camera stunts. David and...
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Daniel Jones and Luke Hatfield from Vaudeville
Our special guests are Daniel Jones and Luke Hatfield from Vaudeville, specialists in sound design and mixing. Their credits include 'The Repair Shop', 'David Mitchell's Outsiders', 'Reacher', 'The Kardashians' and many documentary series and one-offs. David and Justin take a look at two American...
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Richard McKerrow of Love Productions
Richard McKerrow is co-founder of Love Productions, best known for The Great British Bake Off and, most recently, The Piano. David and Justin also discuss how a game show's rules are honed to avoid emptying the production's coffers, and look at an interesting €1 million live TV stunt from…
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Leading warm-up artist Stuart Holdham
Special guest Stuart Holdham is a 'warm up artist' for an impressive roster of entertainment shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent, The Masked Singer, The Voice, Dancing On Ice and The Jonathan Ross Show. Justin and David discuss multichannel productions and the term…
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MIPCOM 2023 special
In our now-traditional special, Justin reports back from MIPCOM 2023. The 39th edition of the TV entertainment market, held in its usual home of Cannes in France, reflects an industry still in flux but still raring to do business.
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Media lawyer Luke English
Luke English is a highly experienced media lawyer who has worked with high profile artists, indie companies and corporate giants such as Sony and Disney. He explains some of the key terms in his industry, and what landmines to watch out for on the battlefield of contract law. Justin and David...
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Top TV reviewer Jack Seale
Our special guest is Jack Seale, who writes about TV, radio and film for publications such as the Guardian and the Radio Times. He reveals the inner workings of how - and why - TV reviews are written. Justin and David discuss the pros and cons of live television, and how to handle the tricky…
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MD of So Television, Graham Stuart
Graham Stuart is the Managing Director of So Television, the independent production company that he founded with the chat show host Graham Norton 25 years ago. He talks about how he made the transition from sports presenter to running things behind the scenes, and how he keeps his business…
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UK exec producer Luke Shiach
Luke Shiach has series- and exec-produced quizzes, comedy panel games and other formatted entertainment, including 'Celebability' for ITV2, 'Quizness' for Channel 4, 'A League of Their Own' for Sky, and 'Comedians Giving Lectures' for Dave. In a highly entertaining and candid interview, he…
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BONUS EP: On location at MIP TV 2023
'The Format Doctor' Justin Scroggie reports on location from MIP TV in Cannes. What are the hot ideas of the moment and, as real-life meetings continue to evolve after the pandemic, what is the overall feel of the market? Additional music: Liborio Conti.
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TV & radio star Matt Edmondson
Matt Edmondson's career has spanned children's TV, roving reporter roles and presenting for BBC Radio 1. He's also developed his own formats, and found unusual outlets for them in the form of board games. Justin and David discuss the benefits of skilling up, and divulge their top tips for getting...
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US writer and producer Phil Gurin
Phil Gurin is a writer-turned-producer who's gone on to work in a huge range of entertainment sub-genres, from beauty pageants to business formats, quizzes to stunt shows. We discuss his role as chairman of format rights body FRAPA, and why he's setting up a new distribution company. David and...
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Channel 5's first boss, Dawn Airey
From early on in her career, our guest Dawn Airey has been marked out as a talent in scheduling and commissioning. From a regional ITV station, she held high-profile posts at BSkyB and Channel 4. We also discuss what it was like to set up Channel 5 - the UK's first new channel for 15 years - from…
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TV Futurist Sandra Lehner
With traditional TV channels often having an average viewer age of over 60, and new media on the hunt to feed their spectacular growth, how can you build a bridge between the two? TV 'futurologist' Sandra Lehner talks to us about her work in navigating the future, from the metaverse to NFTs. In a...
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Casting Executive Andy Mallon
Contestants and contributors - where do they come from, and how are they selected? Our guest Andy Mallon is a casting Executive who has over a decade of experience finding people for quizzes, reality shows, dating shows and factual entertainment formats. Justin reports on the state of the…
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MIPCOM 2022 special with Axel Fiacco
Award-winning format devisor and international media lecturer Axel Fiacco writes 'Friday's Espresso', a weekly blog on the latest format trends (https://www.formatespresso.it/blog/). He joins Justin and David to unpack all the latest news and formats from the 2022 MIPCOM, the major European…
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Multicamera director Tony Gregory
Our special guest is multicamera TV director Tony Gregory, who's worked around the world on many major TV formats around the world, such as Big Brother, the Voice and Lego Masters. Justin and David argue about whether cricket or golf is the best sporting format, and we examine whether a Netflix...
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James Harkin from 'QI' and 'No Such Thing as a Fish'
James Harkin's career has led from doing accounts in a portacabin near Manchester to performing at the Sydney Opera House. He's responsible for a myriad of output from the offices of 'QI', from books and TV shows to radio programmes and live performances. He's also one-quarter of the…
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"The Show & Tells" - guest objects compilation
At the end of every show of 'TV Show & Tell', we ask our special guest for an anecdote related to a particular object. As we approach our first anniversary, we present a special compilation of the curious & varied objects that our guests have brought with them. Thanks to everyone who's been part…
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End of Season 2 round-up
David and Justin bring more news stories from the world of TV production. There's more from the 'How to Pitch' mini-series, this time taking a Hamiltonesque look at what happens in the room where it happens (assuming the commissioner turns up). We have more from our interview with the MD of…
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TV & radio legend Ross King MBE
TV and radio presenter Ross King MBE is a winner of 4 News Emmys and 2 Sony Awards whose easy-going style has proved popular with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. Ross gives some amazing insight on breaking into a highly competitive field, and how he's mastered a vast range of...
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Gameplay & interactivity expert Chris Goss
No matter where you live, there's a very good chance that you've seen the name of our special guest, Chris Goss, in the credits of a TV show. Chris has provided the computer systems that control the game play for a vast number of game shows including 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' (in 60...
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US game show producer Aaron Solomon
Aaron Solomon has been a writer, format consultant and co-executive producer on a wide-range of US network shows, including Mental Samurai, Weakest Link, $100,000 Pyramid, and the version of The Joker's Wild presented by Snoop Dogg. He explains the hidden mechanics that are used to make game…
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Pia Marquard, co-creator of 'Expedition Robinson' ('Survivor')
Justin reports from Copenhagen, where he catches up with the experienced Danish TV executive Pia Marquard. She talks about co-creating 'Expedition Robinson' (the format now known internationally as 'Survivor'), as well as 'The Lyrics Board' and 'Race to Mars'. David poses a quiz about whether you...
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Entertainment exec producer Sue Allison
With 'The Chase' winning an award at the recent BAFTA TV awards, it's a good time to talk to the show's original series producer Sue Allison. She describes how the format was tweaked days before recording, and how the Chasers were cast. Justin and David discuss the pros and cons of the...
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BONUS EP: MIP TV location report, plus the 'Press Your Luck' scandal
In this bonus episode Justin Scroggie is in Cannes, where he gives us a flavour of the atmosphere around the MIP TV festival and the formats being sold there. Also, we've got a bonus clip from our Bob Boden interview, where he talks about the infamous incident in 1984 when Michael Larson found a...
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US game show exec producer Bob Boden
Bob Boden knew he wanted to work in game shows from the age of 6. He since worked on shows such as The Price is Right, the $25,000 Pyramid, Card Sharks, Match Game, Press Your Luck and (currently) Funny You Should Ask. He also takes us through how he helped to develop Greed at the height of...
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Format rights lawyer & 'crisis PR' expert Jonathan Coad
Jonathan Coad is a media lawyer who is an expert in format rights, having worked on notable cases for 'I'm A Celebrity...' and 'The Great British Bake Off'. He explains how those formats were defended, and what practical steps devisors can take to protect themselves. Later, he also gives us a...
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Prolific TV music composer Paul Farrer
We talk to Paul Farrer, whose extensive musical career as a TV composer spans more than 150 shows, including 'The Weakest Link', 'The Wheel', 'Dancing on Ice' and 'The Chase'. Paul's also the devisor of his own ITV game show format, '1000 Heartbeats', which has sold internationally. With Big Jet…
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Adjudicator Olivia van der Werff from Beyond Dispute
Olivia van der Werff from adjudication company Beyond Dispute tells us about how she keeps things fair, and how she kept Britain's love for cake going even during lockdown. Justin explains what happens at a TV formats market, while David's quiz is a cautionary tale in how even the easiest…
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Producer and ex-Comedy Central commissioner Chris Curley
Chris Curley chats about his interesting and colourful career in TV to date, from working with Peter Kay to founding his own production company, CurleyVision. He also talks about his time as the commissioner for Comedy Central UK, and gives his views on how the industry needs to change. Justin…
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TikTok star & "Blown Away" presenter Nick Uhas, with producer Donna Luke
YouTube and TikTok star Nick Uhas explains how he has built a modern entertainment career, from inline skater, to science communicator, to contestant on Big Brother and AGT, to presenter of the Netflix glass blowing competition "Blown Away". Donna Luke, who produces that show, joins us later to...
About this show
Podcast about TV shows from idea to screen, with Producer David J. Bodycombe (@davidjbodycombe), TV Consultant Justin Scroggie (@TheFormatDoctor) and guests. Follow us on Twitter @TVShowPodcast. Email us: contact{at}tvshowandtell.com.
Hosted by
David Bodycombe & Justin Scroggie