Experienced figures doing entry-level roles amid prolonged work drought since Covid and rise of online content

• ‘I’ve very felt lost and insecure’: TV producers despair as work dries up

Senior television producers with decades of experience are working as high street shelf-stackers, car park attendants and in pubs, as a prolonged crisis continues to sweep through the TV world.

The Guardian has spoken to dozens of experienced figures in the UK who are working entry-level jobs as a result of a drawn-out work drought. Some said they had been forced to sell their houses or spend their life savings. Senior industry figures estimated thousands were affected.