THE GLAMOUR of the studio, the chance to rub shoulders with celebrities or be at the forefront of a breaking news story. Riches beyond your wildest dreams. OK, let’s not get carried away. Nobody ever got rich by being a TV producer. But the job does have an allure that is hard to beat.

“If you want to be involved in news as it happens then a news producer is the best job in the world,” says Simon Bucks, associate editor of Sky News. “On the days of the really big stories like 9/11 or Beslan, when everybody turns on the TV, then the adrenalin is something you just wouldn’t get in any other job.”

Although Sky does run a postgraduate training scheme for aspiring TV producers, most of those on the news team have a journalistic background. “We look for people who are very clued up about news and who have a broad range of knowledge,” Bucks says. “They also need to have speed, accuracy and the ability to innovate.”

For those seeking to break into news production, Bucks has two main tips: “First, watch the output. It’s amazing how many people turn up for an interview without ever really watching the programme. When that happens I just show them the door. Secondly, watch the output of the rivals. You can then give a critical appraisal.”

Simon Harries has been a TV producer on entertainment and factual programmes for the past ten years. Recent credits include Access Hollywood, Fat Academy and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. His career began with a course in media production at Bournemouth University, although he admits that he learned little more than “where to stand to avoid getting hit on the head by the boom”. Next came the frustration of seeking his first break.

Perseverance and a little luck got him a job as a production runner. From there it was a steady progression from researcher to assistant producer and his first job as a producer on This Morning with Richard and Judy. “You’ve got to be prepared to start from scratch,” Harries says. “You can’t leave college thinking you’re going to be a director and start lording it up. Some of the best people in the game started out making the tea.”

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