SceneSpan
Where historical accuracy meets production reality
We help film and TV teams get the history right.
What We Do
Historical consulting for film and television.
We work with writers, directors, producers and designers to ensure historical elements are handled with accuracy and relevance. Whether you need support at development stage or deep into production, we bring expert insight to:
- Script and scene reviews
- Cultural and contextual research
- Costume and visual references
- On-call consulting throughout production
How We Work
We respect the creative direction, ask the right questions, and translate complex history into insight that’s easy to act on.
About SceneSpan
SceneSpan was founded by historian and consultant Peter Wagstaff to bring historical relevance and rigour to storytelling on screen.
With backgrounds that span history, theology, philosophy and material culture, and years of experience working closely with production teams, our consultants know how to apply historical knowledge in a way that supports creative decisions.
We’ve been credited on major productions including Wolf Hall, Becoming Elizabeth, Firebrand, King and Conqueror and Shardlake. What connects them all is a commitment to weave history into the fabric of the production.
Peter Wagstaff
Peter’s academic background is in music, history, philosophy, politics, theology, and ancient and modern languages. He holds degrees from Cardiff University and the University of Bristol, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has worked, or continues to work, variously as a teacher, as a classical conductor and singer, a copy-editor, a journalist and critic, a researcher, an archivist, a costumier, and a consultant. As an entrepreneur, he has set up and run four businesses, including SceneSpan.
Peter has three roles as Managing Director:
- Consultant. Peter’s area of historical specialism is mediaeval English politics, culture and religion up to the 16th century.
- Fixing Agent. If a client approaches SceneSpan for a production requiring knowledge outside Peter’s sphere, he will locate and manage the perfect consultant for that project. In recent months, he has hired SceneSpan consultants expert in 18th-century Scotland, 19th-century England, and 1970’s Northern Ireland.
- Client manager. As Director, Peter sees to the needs of the client from top to bottom. Whatever is required, he will find a way to get it done.