Debbie Stammers has worked on some of the biggest entertainment shows on our screens over the past few years as a script supervisor. But what exactly does that role entail?
“It’s one of those jobs that’s different in terms of the genre.”, Debbie said.
“I’m very entertainment-based, so it’s being the middle ground to get the vision of the producer on paper, help them run that vision in the gallery, helping the director with shots, and liaise with the producer about the presenters.
“It’s also very much about timings. You have to start on time, you have to finish on time.”
Debbie has worked on a variety of shows in recent years including Gladiators, The Wheel, The Masked Singer and the BAFTA award-winning Saturday Night Takeaway.
Takeaway, aired its final ever programme last year after 20 years, which Debbie was proud to be a part of.
“It was one of the shows that I enjoyed the most and felt the most proud being part of.
“I was incredibly nervous,” she added, “it’s probably the most stressed I’ve ever been on a show.”
Debbie is self-employed and can often go months without guaranteed work, as is the case with most workers in TV.
“It’s a very unstable, unsettling world in a sense but I quite like the freedom that being freelance brings.
“I’m thinking of going on holiday soon, but I don’t quite know if this might happen, or that might happen.”
It’s well known that the TV industry isn’t an easy one to enter. When asked about tips for those trying to get in, Debbie simply said: “Just don’t be rubbish!”
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