CLEARSTORY

A window on the world. A space to think.

ABOUT CLEARSTORY

ClearStory is an independent TV production company founded by award-winning executive producers Molly Milton and Russell Barnes. ClearStory is known for glossy landmark series filmed around the world. The company has produced the Grierson Award-winning documentary Gypsy Blood, the provocative and sceptical Richard Dawkins: Sex, Death & the Meaning of Life and the noisy studio format Sex Box for Channel 4. Other recent credits include Damien Hirst by Harry Hill, a humorous Passions documentary for Sky Arts, Battlefield Recovery, an archaeology series for Channel 5; Long Shadow, exploring the messy aftermath of World War One for BBC2; two series of DanceWorks, made in collaboration with Sadler’s Wells and winner of the Grand Prix at the 2019 Golden Prague Awards; and African Renaissance, a cultural travelogue presented by Afua Hirsch, nominated for RTS and Broadcast awards in 2021. In 2022, ClearStory’s landmark eight-part series Art That Made Us was broadcast on BBC Two and the company produced the provocative cancel culture satire Jimmy Carr Destroys Art for Channel 4. Africa Rising, ClearStory’s new travelogue with Afua Hirsch, through Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa, will be broadcast on BBC2 in 2023.

In 2024 ClearStory added podcast production to its television business. Creating Churchill, a ten-part alternative biography of Winston Churchill, is the company’s first podcast within the Creating History brand.

MEET THE TEAM

RUSSELL BARNES

Director

Russell Barnes has been producing factual television for 30 years, working with presenters including Richard Dawkins, David Reynolds, Harry Hill and Afua Hirsch. His directing credits include the Broadcast Award-winning Genius of Charles Darwin and Grierson-nominated history films Armistice and 1941 and the Man of Steel and he produced the Digital BAFTA and Emmy award-winning series The Virtual Revolution for BBC2.
CLARE BURNS

Head of Production

Clare Burns has been working in television production for 20 years, working for indies including Science Pictures, Uden Associates, Grain Media, Proudfoot TV and Twenty Twenty. She joined ClearStory in 2017 as Production Manager, and since then has overseen all the in-house content including major overseas productions filmed in Africa, Australia and the Pacific.