Documentary Training Scheme

Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes• Accused: Guilty or Innocent?• The Real Unforgotten• 999: Critical Condition• Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death• Married To A Paedophile• Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes• Accused: Guilty or Innocent?• The Real Unforgotten• 999: Critical Condition• Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death• Married To A Paedophile•

What We Make

Documentary that gets talked about.

We want you to help us make great documentaries. You'll be placed inside our business, working on productions like these.

Two detectives from the Cold Case Investigators team

01 — 06

Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes

Historical crimes revisited through the people who solve them. BBC.

A young woman looks past the camera in a sunlit park

02 — 06

Accused: Guilty or Innocent?

Follows people accused of serious crimes all the way to the verdict. A&E Networks, USA.

03 — 06

The Real Unforgotten

Filmed across six years, cold case detectives reopen the 1981 murder of Carol Morgan. ITV1.

An emergency medicine consultant in red scrubs and a mask on a hospital ward

04 — 06

999: Critical Condition

Award-winning fly-on-the-wall returning series inside emergency medicine, as it happens. Channel 5.

A surgeon in blue scrubs stands with arms folded in an operating theatre

05 — 06

Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death

Award-winning. The surgeon's craft, captured up close. Channel 5.

A woman looks out of a window beside a green curtain

06 — 06

Married To A Paedophile

An award-winning drama-documentary hybrid, built around an original lip-sync approach using real testimony. Channel 4.

“Technically outstanding.”

BROADCAST AWARDS — BEST ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY, 2019

“A phenomenal portrait.”

THE GUARDIAN

“A gripping account.”

THE INDEPENDENT

“Breathtaking.”

THE TIMES

“Simply stunning.”

RADIO TIMES

BAFTA-nominated · RTS Award-winning · Broadcast Awards winner — the trainees who join us learn from people making programmes that win these.

Before You Apply

Some things worth knowing.

Who Can Apply

18+, UK-based, right to work here
No prior TV experience needed
Genuine interest, shown in your statement
Open UK-wide, but you'll be based in Bristol for the six months
Standard safeguarding checks apply

What We Ask For

01Application form — basic details, right to work
02Personal statement, 250–500 words, your own words only
03Describe a documentary you love, and why
04Equal opportunities form — optional, kept separate

Once You're On The Scheme

Six months, shaped around you.

No two trainees start from the same place, so no two follow the same path. We build the six months around where you are now and where you want to get to, and we keep checking in to make sure you're developing from wherever you started.

Development

Story-finding, casting and pitching, alongside the team shaping our next commissions.

Production

Time on location with working crews, seeing how a documentary is actually made, day to day.

Post-production

In the edit, learning how a story is found, structured and finished.

Duty of care

Welfare, safeguarding and working ethically with contributors, from day one.

Your own project

A contribution that's yours, reviewed with the team, and a clear plan for what comes next.

A paid role

A real salary and a real seat inside a working production company. Not a course.

Questions People Actually Ask

No spin.

No CV, no media degree — can I still apply?+

Yes — that's the point. Your statement and your documentary answer are what we assess.

Can AI help write my personal statement?+

No. It has to be entirely your own words.

I don't live in Bristol — can I still apply?+

Yes. Applications are open to anyone in the UK. The scheme itself runs from our Bristol base, though, so you'll need to relocate there for the six months.

Only two people get in — is it worth applying?+

It's competitive, and we won't pretend otherwise. But it exists to reach people who wouldn't otherwise get a foot in the door. And there's another intake in six months, so if you miss out this time you can apply again.

Ready When You Are

Start your application.

Fill in the form below. We read every application in full. Applications close on 12 October 2026. We'll be in touch to confirm if you've made it through to interview, which will be held in Bristol.

Storyteller.