I'm a writer, a director, an executive producer and co-founder of thriving Scottish indie Hopscotch Films.

I started my professional life as a BBC trainee, then directed documentaries for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.   My early directing work includes a four part history of the Tory Party presented by Alan Clark, closely followed by a Cutting Edge  Last Years Tories about how it felt for the Conservative MPs who lost their jobs in 1997.  I directed a fair number of history documentaries including the feature length I Met Adolf Eichmann, a profile of Albert Schweitzer, The Drowned Village, A History of Scotland, The Stuarts and my personal favourite The Hidden Jews of Berlin, where I got to hang out with some amazing individuals who'd survived WW2 in hiding in that city. I directed on the Late Show,  other arts credits include Talking Rembrandt and James Barrie and Peter Pan for BBC2.  I've also directed drama: men with guns blowing up helicopters in the desert in Iran Hostage Crisis, lawyers arguing in and out of the courtroom in New Street Law and nurses shagging pretty well anywhere in No Angels. I also directed 4 award winning short films.

I set up Hopscotch Films when I moved to Scotland 25 years ago.  We make television programmes and feature films, specialising in feature documentaries.  Last year we were in the BFI's top 20 most productive UK film companies, and were the top Scottish company on that list.  My work at Hopscotch includes co-directing Accidental Anarchist for Storyville and directing Scottish Soldier for BBC4.  I'm a regular exec at Hopscotch, projects include the epic and wonderful 14 hour Women Make Film, director Mark Cousins.

I started writing when I had my children, and now write more often than I direct. Which is fun, but no one brings you coffee.  My writing work includes a play Safe Place, and opera libretto Hagar, three unmade screenplays and nineteen hours of drama for Radio 4 including a returning series Behind Closed Doors, and a drama about a teenage Glasgow girl who joins ISIS, A World Elsewhere and its sequel The Return.

 I live in the country with my brilliant creative partner John Archer, two kids, a horse, a cat and a fluctuating number of chickens.