THE TEAM
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
CATHERINE OLDFIELD
Catherine co-founded Tall Story Pictures in 2016 and leads as its Creative Director.
As an Executive Producer she has overseen the hit ITV returning series, The Bay, written by Daragh Carville, which is currently in production on its sixth series. As Tall Story expand their slate, filming has just completed on Caroline Carver’s new returning thriller Complicit for Channel 4/Virgin Media Ireland.
She worked with Mike Bartlett on developing and producing the critically acclaimed dramas, Sticks & Stones and Trauma for ITV, which she executive produced, Catherine also served as Executive Producer on Sean Cook’s Redemption and series two of Kate Brooke’s Bancroft.
Catherine joined ITV Studios Drama in 2011 as a Development Producer; she would go on to Executive Producer two series of Simon Block’s Home Fires and Guy Burt’s lavish serial Tutankhamun.
Prior to this, Catherine held posts at Monkey Kingdom where she was Head of Drama and Scripted Comedy producing a number of short form projects for BBC Comedy and a comedy pilot for HBO. She was Development Producer at Greenlit working on four series of Anthony Horowitz’s Foyle’s War, Collision written by Anthony and Michael A Walker, James Graham’s Caught in A Trap, Vexed by Howard Overman and Honest written by Jack and Harry Williams.
A previous role as Head of Development at Sally Head Productions saw Catherine working on Peter Ransley’s The Cry and the Bafta-nominated adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith for BBC One.
Catherine is inspired by writers and the imaginative powers of the people Tall Story works with. She’s passionate about creating a place where people can come together to tell exceptional stories for mainstream audiences, as well as ensuring Tall Story is an inclusive place to work - pushing for, and supporting, diversity in front of, and behind, the camera.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
PHIL HUNTER
Phil joined Tall Story Pictures in September 2023 as Executive Producer on Grace series 5. The seventh series is in production in Brighton.
Originally from Northumberland, Phil’s first paid job in TV was on the other side of the Pennines on Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. Since then, his career has seen him take up both production and editorially-focused roles working for a number of leading independent production companies including Rollem Productions and Mammoth Screen.
As a Script Editor he worked on Hollyoaks, EastEnders, Holby City and Hustle working with a wide range of writers. After producing in-house for the BBC, Phil produced Midsomer Murders and was Executive Producer on five series of Vera. Before joining Tall Story, Phil co-produced the first series of Paul Rutman’s Apple TV+ show Criminal Record.
Phil is passionate about collaborating with creatives who really care about story and about providing a supportive, safe and creative environment where people can deliver their best work.
DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER
AMY THURGOOD
Amy joined Tall Story as Development Producer in March 2022. Alongside Catherine and Daragh, Amy will serve as Executive Producer on the sixth series of The Bay, as well as developing projects for the Tall Story slate. She oversaw the inaugural Disabled Writers in Development program, in conjunction with ITV DEI, which saw three new writers gain representation at top literary agencies, and go on to write episodes of prime time shows, including The Bay.
Prior to joining the team, Amy worked as a development executive at Two Cities Television, developing both original and IP projects with writers including Ashley Pharoah, Ruth Fowler and Neil McKay.
Previous to this, she produced the debut series of Robert Murphy's McDonald & Dodds, assistant produced and script edited two series of Endeavour with Russell Lewis, and worked across shows like Pete Bowker's World on Fire in a development capacity. She also script edited Call The Midwife, working with Heidi Thomas and Harriet Warner, and was script and story editor at BBC's River City. She began her career in development at Impossible Pictures, also working as assistant script editor on the final two series of Primeval.
Amy loves to explore projects that put ordinary people at the heart of extraordinary situations, with a personal soft spot for crime stories. Having worked with a range of hugely talented writers, Amy has three rules for bringing brilliant projects to life - always bring your passion to the stories, work with people who really care and, most importantly, have a great time doing it.
DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER
JENNA ROBBINS
Jenna joined Tall Story Pictures in April 2022 as a Development Producer. After Story Producing The Bay Series 5, Jenna is now Executive Producer, with Catherine, on Caroline Carver’s Complicit for Channel 4 and Virgin Media Ireland, as well developing projects for the Tall Story slate.
Jenna started her career on continuing dramas Holby City and Casualty, before going on to script edit a slate of high end dramas in development and production, including Baker Boys written by Helen Raynor and Gary Owen, Upstairs Downstairs by Heidi Thomas, and War and Peace adapted by Andrew Davies, as well as producing a series of short films for BBC Wales/iPlayer.
Jenna produced reputational single drama Aberfan: The Green Hollow, written by Owen Sheers which was BAFTA nominated for Best Single Drama and went on to head up a slate of developments for BBC Studios as well as Script Producing season 2 of crime drama We Hunt Together created and written by Gaby Hull for Alibi/UKTV and Showtime.
Jenna loves connecting with people and collaborating on new ideas. She enjoys telling characterful, entertaining stories which offer fresh perspectives that get people thinking.
STORY PRODUCER
MAYA SHICKELL
Maya joined Tall Story Pictures in 2020 as Script Editor on the first series of Grace, working with Russell Lewis. Promoted to Story Producer from Series 3, Maya is currently working on Series 7 of the show.
Having started in the industry as a script reader, she joined Corona Content initially as an intern before being promoted to Development Assistant and then Development Executive, managing the TV & Film slates across scripted drama and comedy.
Maya then moved to Awesome Media, working across TV, books and graphic novels for executive producer and showrunner Jeff Norton, as well as assisting across the co-production of Susan Hill’s Ghost Story for Channel 5.
Maya loves working closely with writers and as a champion of new voices has mentored for 4Screenwriting. She is an alumna of the Women in Film & TV Four Nations Mentoring scheme and the Edinburgh TV Festival’s Ones to Watch scheme, and is passionate about creating lasting, positive change in the TV industry.
Executive ASSISTANT TO
CATHERINE OLDFIELD & PHIL HUNTER
SAMANTHA BERRY
Samantha joined Tall Story in April 2022 as Executive Assistant to Catherine and Phil. She brings with her a wealth of PA experience and organises and co-ordinates the day to day operations of Tall Story. She is lead on the Script Callouts Tall Story undertakes several times a year, and is the sustainability lead for the company.
Samantha started her career in the motor industry before moving into the education sector where she worked for a number of years.
SCRIPT EDITOR
ELLE VAN LIL
Elle joined Tall Story Pictures in 2023. Initially employed as a Trainee Script Editor, Elle was soon promoted to the role of Script Editor on Caroline Carver’s Complicit and, as well as co-developing a number of projects with Catherine, also has her own slate of projects.
After a few years freelancing in theatre and journalism, she took her first steps in television at BBC's Doctors, where she worked as an assistant and researcher in the script department.
Elle is a passionate champion for new and upcoming voices in television drama. She believes the key ingredients for success are genuine passion, resilience, and an insatiable curiosity for the world around us.