The Face Doctors

Exec Producer: Anoushka Roberts

Ben Burgess – 2 Episodes

Dermot O’Brien – Episodes 3 & 8

Dragonfly Film & Television for Really and Discovery+

The Face Doctors: Dragonfly Film & Television

Ben Burgess and Dermot O’Brien were two of the editors on the team for this new medical documentary series that follows the incredible work of a group of world-leading NHS doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Each week this new series will follow the journeys of patients whose lives have been changed as a result of flesh-eating infections, challenging genetic conditions, and life-changing traumas. The procedures aren’t just about fixing broken bodies, but restoring identities, mending confidence, and helping patients and families rebuild their lives. The series covers touching moments as patients see their new reflections, and as families share their joy.

We caught up with Ben Burgess who worked on two episodes. He said “I really enjoyed working on Face Doctors. It was a fascinating (and somewhat disturbing) subject. It was amazing to see how brilliant the facial surgeons and prosthetists of Addenbrookes Hospital at Cambridge University are, and how much they can transform people’s lives for the better. It’s tricky trying to make an entertaining watch out of something gruesome and harrowing. But we got there in the end”.

Dermot O’Brien also shared his experience working on the show. “This was a challenging but rewarding project to work on. In the edit we had to get the right balance between the patients’ backstories and emotional journeys, and the technical aspects of complex surgical procedures – as told by the doctors – which often required crunching down up to 10 hours of surgery into 7 or 8 minutes of screen time. As this is a new series the edit teams and producers worked hard to get the style, tone and pace right for the channel. Ultimately the rewarding side was in getting to showcase the amazing life-changing work that the surgeons and prosthetics team at Addenbrookes Hospital do”.

The Face Doctors starts this Wednesday 15th May 9pm on Really and streaming on Discovery+