A WORTHAM woman is gaining a growing reputation in the world of high-quality feature documentaries.The English Surgeon, co-produced by Rachel Wexler, can be seen as part of BBC2's Storyville series this Sunday at 10.

A WORTHAM woman is gaining a growing reputation in the world of high-quality feature documentaries.

The English Surgeon, co-produced by Rachel Wexler, can be seen as part of BBC2's Storyville series this Sunday at 10.55pm.

It follows her company's production of Mark Isaacs's All White in Barking, shown earlier this month in the channel's controversial White Season, charting the views of white working class people in modern Britain.

Rachel, 39, and her partner Jez Lewis launched Bungalow Town Productions in 2005 and their first offering, Philip and his Seven Wives, about the unusual domestic life of a rabbi and furniture dealer from Hove, earned critical acclaim when it was screened by the BBC.

The English Surgeon, directed by Geoffrey Smith, follows London brain surgeon Henry Marsh during a trip to the Ukraine where he has been treating patients free for the past 15 years in a country where health services are cash starved.

Rachel remembers knocking on London doors for two days before eventually landing her first job as a receptionist with a TV production company.

From there she joined the BBC as a production assistant and researcher, rising to become a production manager, making music videos with artists including Ant and Dec.

She and Jez live in Wortham, with their two children, aged eight and six. Rachel is currently working with seven filmmakers.

Among her latest productions are Daisy Asquith's film Some Kind of Clown, about children's entertainers, due for release next month, and Oliver Hodge's Garbage Warrior, telling the tale of a maverick American architect who builds sustainable homes out of waste.

Both are due for TV screenings this year.