During 30 months in 2010-2013, 56 instructional TV programmes for an English Language Learning course were scripted in the UK and produced in Turkey. Each TV programme has three drama clips, each one followed by a review of key phrases, then by a section inviting viewers to practice speaking those phrases. The rationale for this structure and for individual techniques within it accords with a comprehensive set of design principles for educational video. These principles are recommended for teaching institutions that produce video for use in their English Language teaching. In addition, the principles would serve as useful criteria for teachers of English who choose off the shelf videos to use in their English Language lessons -- indeed most of the principles apply to any lesson plan, whether or not it includes the use of video.