After university Claudia Milne initially worked in Selfridges but in 1968 whilst making the fire for her mother she noticed an advert for Researchers at Granada Television. Quickly rescuing the page from the flames she then applied and was subjected to two days of interviewing.

She began her Granada career on Nice Time with Kenny Everett and Germaine Greer and worked on local programmes before joining World In Action in 1970. In 1978 she returned to locals producing a variety of programmes including Granada Reports and Reports Extra.

She left Granada in 1979 to go freelance, producing a Disappearing World in 1981 before setting up her own company Twenty Twenty in 1982 with her husband Mike Whittaker, a former Granada cameraman.