Sky Highlights

Sky Highlights is the weekly e-newsletter that goes out to all 3 million Sky TV customers in the UK and Republic of Ireland. It's their most-seen piece of communication - and since November 2010, I've been responsible for the words.

In keeping with the Sky brand, it's conversational and content-focussed. Recently, the main thrust has been to push Sky Atlantic, a new channel bringing the best US drama to a UK audience. But my copy's covered everything from Louie Spence's dance studio to Melvyn Bragg's arts show. It's a broad church alright.

The newsletter is produced by integrated agency Digital and Direct. I'll post an example as soon as I'm able, but chances are there's one lurking in an inbox near you...

Sky - interactive 'A Fairytale Deal' digital assets

I worked with an art director at Digital and Direct to create various digital assets for Sky's 'A Fairytale Deal' campaign. These included interactive banners, Facebook ASUs - which had huge click-through rates - and email shots.

The campaign was based on the ATL thinking, which repurposed classic fairytales to ship Sky's products in an entertaining, chatty way. We used the Frog Prince to get across the idea that one kiss (or click) would turn your rubbish broadband package into a properly blue-blooded internet and TV bundle.

I'd love to post an examples of the interactive banners - but no can do right now (agency rules...). The important thing is that the digital campaign as a whole drove people to sign up to Sky's products in greater numbers.

Feature: review of Spooks, episode 5

Written for TV blog Watch With Mothers on 19/10/2010. It's the third review of a series that's been commissioned to run for the rest of season nine. Read the previous entry here.

Israel. Palestine.

Spooks.

It’s a dramatic intifada waiting to happen…

Feature: review of Spooks, episode 4

Written for TV blog Watch With Mothers on 15/10/2010. It's the second review of a series that's been commissioned to run for the rest of season nine. Read the previous entry here.


After last week’s light-hearted romp through cold-blooded killings, the real politik necessity of mutually assured destruction and a wealth of double-crossings, things in Spooks just took a turn for the worse.

Feature: review of The Edible Garden

Written for TV blog Watch With Mothers on 12/4/2010. 

This show... irked me. Beyond belief. From the visual style to the chintzy script and right-on folky soundtrack, The Edible Garden was everything that makes me go 'nyergh' at lifestyle shows on the TV. 

Before I go crazy with rage again, check out the review on WWM or read it below the fold.

Feature: review of Spooks, episode 3

Written for TV blog Watch With Mothers on 6/10/2010. It's the first review of a series that's been commissioned to run for the rest of season nine.

I love Spooks' blend of slick production, fast-paced action and brilliantly lunatic plotting. It's one of the few programmes I'll actively tune in to on the telly.

Check the review out in situ at WWM or read it in full below the fold.