Alex Harknett

Producer, VT Producer and Archive Producer specialising in premium documentaries, factual entertainment, music, arts and entertainment programming for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and Netflix, as well as many of the UK's leading independent production companies.

Trusted by producers to source, clear and deliver complex archive for award-winning documentaries and high-profile entertainment programmes, I combine editorial judgement with meticulous rights management to help productions tell outstanding stories on time and within budget.

Recent work includes Darcus Beese: In His Own Words, winner of the Broadcast Digital Award 2026 for Best Documentary, where I worked as Archive Producer, responsible for archive footage and stills research, sourcing, budget management, rights clearance, licensing and final archive delivery.

Alongside more than two decades working across The Jonathan Ross Show and numerous other Jonathan Ross productions, my credits include The Elon Musk Show, A Life in Ten Pictures, Black Hollywood: They've Gotta Have Us, Britain's Greatest Adverts, Greatest Toys, Go Get Arty and many other prime-time documentary and entertainment series.

I specialise in archive research, rights clearance, clip licensing and negotiating complex archive agreements, with extensive knowledge of UK and international archive collections. I have built a reputation for sourcing hard-to-find material, securing cost-effective archive solutions and delivering to demanding editorial and transmission deadlines without compromising quality. Producers and colleagues know me as organised, resourceful and calm under pressure, with a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

I enjoy building strong working relationships with producers, directors, editors, archive houses and rights holders, helping productions secure the right material efficiently, within budget and to the highest editorial and legal standards.

Below are a few testimonials:

"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Alex on two projects, a few years apart, and his quality of work hasn’t wavered at all. He’s efficient and reliable, meets tight deadlines and budgets, and truly understands the assignment, consistently delivering fantastic results. He’s lovely to work with and would be a fantastic asset to any team!" Storm Stewart, Line Producer, Darcus Beese: In His Own Words - Fan Studios for BET UK / Channel 5. *Winner of Best Documentary at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2026*

"Alex worked for me as an Archive Producer on a new CBBC art show which involved a high volume of tricky clearances dealing with famous artists' estates, agencies, third party representatives and galleries through to self-represented painters and UGC. Alex is highly resourceful and diligent with excellent attention to detail and his affable and can-do manner instantly puts him at ease with both contributors and the production. Also great at problem solving and lateral thinking, he's a real asset and I would recommend him for any production and hope to work with him again." Nick Hutchings, Series Producer, CBBC "Go Get Arty"

"Alex quite simply, has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things archive. He single handily sourced archive across 5 hours of content for the Greatest toys series offering wonderful, inspired choices. Alex records every step of his process and brings organisation, calmness and crucially a creative editorial know-how. Archive can be such a complicated world but Alex cuts through all that and gets it ALL done with clarity and precision. From briefing, original sourcing, thorough costings - putting incredible deals in place - to onscreen credits and final paperwork. Alex is an Archive powerhouse." Keith Cotton, Executive Producer - The Greatest Toys series, Ch5.

"I have worked with Alex on several occasions on the 'When [TV] Goes Horribly Wrong' brand of archive programming for Channel 5. He is a highly seasoned Archive Producer, who is able to work quickly and methodically, often single-handedly taking ownership of footage and stills clearance. Like most productions, we were on a fast turnaround and Alex remained cool under pressure. He is budget-conscious, negotiating copyright within challenging parameters and has a contact book covering many libraries and broadcasters from all over the world. I would highly recommend Alex. He is a friendly team player with a solid work ethic. He would be a valuable asset to any production." Simon Withington, Executive Producer, Crackit Productions.

"Alex has worked on The Jonathan Ross Show for many years now and we could not imagine doing the series without him. He is brilliantly organised, highly motivated, has loads of enthusiasm, an excellent team player, great at negotiating and always manages to track down some amazing footage to use on the show." Peter Hackett, Head of Production, Hotsauce TV.