TV Format Consultant
Format consulting from a former BBC Head of Formats and Entertainment. Pre-mortem reports, format health checks and bible writing for developers and producers.
Work With Me
I've spent 40 years making television formats, including as Head of Formats and Entertainment at the BBC, with Broadcast and RTS Team Awards along the way. I've created, produced and sold formats in Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia.
Format Forward is where I publish the analysis. This page is how you get that analysis on your own format.
If you are a TV Format developer or Production Company wanting a sanity check on your latest pitch-ready idea. Or if you are a brand, platform, or broadcaster that wants another level of reassurance before committing funding to a project, I can help. All the information is set out below, or you can book a free call with me to discuss your needs.
Pre-Mortem Report — £350
Your format has failed. Now let's find out why, while it's still cheap to fix.
Send me your treatment, deck or bible. Within 5 working days, you get a written Projected Failure Report: the ranked failure modes in your format, mapped against structural data from my library of 750+ formats, and a prioritised fix list. No call, no meeting, just the analysis.
One producer's reaction to his report: "Brutal, but really insightful." Brutal is the point. Buyers will find these problems eventually. Better you find them first.
Format Health Check — £595
A 90-minute working session on one format, plus a written appraisal within 48 hours.
You send your materials in advance. We break down the engine, the stakes, the repeatability and the sellability together, the same way a commissioner or distributor will. You leave with a clear read on what's working, what's broken, and what to fix before you pitch. Includes one follow-up email exchange.
Already have a Pre-Mortem Report? Upgrade to a Health Check for the difference, £245.
Book a Health Check Schedule a Zoom
TV Format Bible Writing — from £3,500
The document that sells your format, written by someone who's read hundreds and written the ones that travelled.
Pitch bibles from £3,500. Full production bibles, with episode breakdowns, budget frameworks and rollout guidance, from £6,500. First draft in 3 weeks, two revision rounds included. Every bible starts with a scoping call.
Ongoing development support
For indies building a slate: two working sessions a month plus on-call feedback on treatments, decks and pitches. £1,800/month, three-month minimum.
Funding a Format for Your Brand?
If you're a brand or agency being pitched a format to fund, the pitch will come with claims: audience reach, engagement, brand fit, longevity. Some of those claims are tested. Many are not.
Format Fit & Claims Check
An independent review of a format pitch before you commit budget, using the same diagnostic method behind my Pre-Mortem work on over 750 format titles. I check whether the format's world genuinely overlaps with your customers, whether the title delivers on its promise, what happens to engagement once the novelty wears off, who the real target audience is, and what the downside looks like if it underperforms with your name attached.
Deliverable: a written report, plus a 60-minute call with your marketing or commissioning team. Independent of the creator or agency pitching you.
From £3,500, depending on scope (single format vs a slate, one territory vs multi-market).
Free Tool: 10 Questions to ask before you fund a format.
FAQ
What's included in an ongoing format development retainer?
An ongoing retainer means working month to month rather than on a single deliverable. It covers regular sounding-board calls on ideas in development, notes on scripts and paper documents, pre-mortems on anything close to pitch, and general access between calls. Scope is built around your slate rather than a fixed package, get in touch and we can figure out what shape it should take.
How much does format development cost?
A Pre-Mortem Report is £350. A Format Health Check is £595. Format Bible Writing starts from £3,500 depending on scope. Ongoing development support is available as a retainer, priced around your slate, get in touch for a quote.
Who has experience placing formats with global streamers and international broadcasters?
I've developed and sold formats across Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia over a 40-year career, including as BBC Head of Light Entertainment and International Formats. Credits include Asia's Got Talent, The Big Spark in Singapore, I Can See Your Voice Singapore, and a Moscow-shot pilot for a Mafia-based format that predates The Traitors.
What does a Format Fit & Claims Check cover?
A full review of a format pitch against the claims made about it: audience reach and overlap with your customer base, whether the format's premise will sustain interest past episode one, brand fit, and the risk to your brand if the show underperforms publicly. You get a written report and a call to talk it through with your team.
How much does it cost to have a format pitch reviewed before we fund it?
Format Fit & Claims Check starts from £3,500, scoped to the size of the commitment it's protecting. Pricing depends on whether it's a single format or a slate of options, and one territory or multiple markets.
Do you work directly with brands, or only through agencies?
Both. I work directly with brand marketing teams considering a brand-funded format, and with agencies running the process on a brand's behalf. The review is independent of whoever brought you the pitch.
Can you check a format before we've fully committed, at an earlier stage?
Yes. The earlier you bring a pitch in, the more useful the review, since findings can still shape the deal terms or the format itself before money moves. A confidential 20-minute call is the best starting point.
follow the link for Format Development FAQs
Not sure which fits?
Book a free 20-minute call and I'll tell you honestly, including if you don't need me.
Directing, executive producing, production training and speaking are at
This page, like everything on Format Forward, comes with a disclosure: I'm dyslexic, so AI helps me make my writing readable. The thoughts and opinions are my own. There are no auto-generated articles, I read and research with rigour.