Hot Shots 2026: Maisy Jacobs

If you want evidence of Maisy Jacobs’ commitment to her craft, look no further than the time she spontaneously jumped into the sea with a Go-Pro to film the wild pigs swimming with Rob Rinder and Rylan.

Maisy’s proud of her contributions to the pair’s upcoming BBC Greek Odyssey series, where she scripted episode one, adapted the editorial structure in response to commissioners’ notes, cast the people Rob and Rylan meet on their journey, and negotiated access to exclusive locations.

“Maisy has an instinctive ability to connect with contributors and gain trust quickly,” says Rex TV creative director Lana Salah. “No challenge is ever too big, and she consistently goes above and beyond to make every project the best it can be.”

Salah also recalls Maisy’s ability to “keep tabs single-handedly on every police force and every crime happening across the country” on four series of Special Ops: To Catch a Criminal.

The UKTV Dave series has proved the making of Maisy. As the sole producer in a two-person team with the director, she negotiated access with police forces, found and developed stories, wrote scripts, draw up interview questions, interview and film all contributors and film all actuality sequencies.

Still in her mid-20s, Maisy has clocked up production coordinator credits on shows including BBC1’s Tom Daley: Illegal to be Me and 5’s Scandals, before teaching herself to shoot so she could take on the role of shooting researcher on the likes of BBC Storyville doc Deborah James: Bowelbabe In Her Own Words and Discovery’s Olympics series Chasing Glory: Road to Paris.

“Maisy’s one of the most naturally capable young people I’ve worked with and I’m sure one day soon she will be giving us all a job,” says Salah.

“She has already proven herself across every stage of production — filming, directing, interviewing, producing, production management, research and development — approaching each role with a confidence and professionalism far beyond her years.”