Course summary

Equip yourself with the skills to take your Factual Development ideas to the next level. It’s an exciting time to be working in factual television! Factual programmes are at the heart of the UK television schedules, whether it’s The Great British Bake-Off, The Repair Shop, Married at First Sight, 24hrs in A&E or Gogglebox. The market for factual programmes has never been more diverse - be it the multitude of available platforms for factual content, the range of form and content, or the new opportunities and initiatives for talent of all kinds. The Factual Development and Production Diploma is a year-long, part-time blended learning diploma, which seeks to capture the dynamism of mainstream factual television in 2023 and provide you with the skills you need to make your own professional contribution to it. Learning from industry professionals, including channel commissioners and top producers in production and development, this course plots the evolution of factual programmes from the initial idea to transmission and beyond. The Factual Development and Production Diploma is supported by Discovery. Each year, the course culminates with the students pitching an idea for a series to a Discovery commissioner. The winning pitch is optioned by the channel, securing £5,000 for further development and the support of a Discovery executive producer. On leaving the course, you could join many of our former students who are now successfully working in the Industry in senior positions.