mr bates vs the post office: the real story
Little Gem for ITV1
rob and rylan's grand tour
Rex TV for BBC1
gods of tennis
Mindhouse for BBC2
interior design masters
Darlow Smithson for BBC1
grand designs
Naked for Channel 4
miriam margolyes: almost australian
Southern Pictures for ABC and BBC
TX 3x60min ABC Australia and BBC2
Her ability to ask whatever she wants to, no matter how unsparing, makes her explorations unique in a way that few travel presenters can muster. the essence of her travel documentaries is simple.
...the old saying that there’s nowt so queer as folk, and her keenness to learn and understand those folk makes her programmes very much her own.
The Guardian ****
horizon: what's the matter with tony slattery
Sundog Pictures for BBC1
TX 1x60min BBC1
Claire Richards’s heart-rending but bleakly mesmerising documentary (part of the Horizon strand) benefited from the astonishing openness of Slattery, who appeared to be almost permanently drunk (although that might also have been medication), gurning and slurring, at one point falling flat on his face after clowning about with a scissor mop, still performing for laughs.
The Times
Shuffling and slurred, 60-year-old Slattery was unrecognisable from the debonaire performer of 30 years ago. Scarred by sexual abuse in childhood, burned out by mood swings and cocaine addiction, he was alive thanks only to the saintly dedication of his partner, Mark Hutchinson. Whatever the matter had once been, it was obvious from the outset that Slattery was racked with alcoholism. Watching his evasions as he struggled to disguise the extent of his drinking was agony. He and Mark were brave to make the film. May it help others who see it.
The Daily Mail
when i grow up
Optomen for Channel 4
TX 3x60min Channel 4
It’s like a direct punch in the heart from a fist made of candy but, weirdly, not as saccharine as you’d expect.
The Guardian
What did come to the fore was what a difference upbringing can make to confidence. Thus Ryley from Blackpool never displayed anything like the dictatorial inclinations exhibited by Charlie from Berkshire, whose ideal Hello! photo spread was one with him in every shot.
The Telegraph
the secret life of the zoo Series 8
Blast! for Channel 4
TX 7x60min Channel 4
With undercover cameras showing the animals in close detail, what fascinating insight we were given. The programme-makers made us care about the missions to boost the animals’ dwindling numbers, also by imbuing the audience with a sense of the Chester residents’ characters.
- The i
Miriam's big american adventure
Wild Pictures for BBC1
TX 3x60min BBC1
The refreshing thing about this series has been that Margolyes hasn’t always kept her head in the name of “balance”; but these are emotional times and this has been an emotional journey…
- The Guardian
It’s as if everyone’s favourite grandmother has swallowed Louis Theroux
- Sunday Times
Miriam Margolyes makes a fearless TV reporter driven by a compassion and a curiosity that puts many so called professional reporters to shame…
- The Observer
Three wives one husband
Keo Films for Channel 4/NETFLIX
TX 4x60min Channel 4/NETFLIX
The film is a mixture of hand-held filming with some fixed-rig, observational with some gentle interviewing. Objective and non-judgmental. I imagine an awful lot of time and effort went into developing a relationship with and gaining the trust of the community. And it pays off, they clearly do trust the crew, and open up, their homes and their lives.
- The Guardian
Professor Green:the truth about weed
The Garden for BBC3
TX 4x60min Channel 4
Insightful, honest and thought-provoking.
- The Sun
ambulance
Series 3
Dragonfly for BBC1
TX 1x60min BBC1
An immersive insight into the stories behind the sirens, lent further drama with snippets of 999 calls and cityscape graphics of ambulance racing between emergencies.
- The Telegrapgh
...an absolutely excellent observational documentary series that follows the paramedics and control-room personnel of the West Midlands Ambulance Service.
- Radio Times
BAFTA winner Best Factual Series 2018
Millionaires' Holiday club
Plum Pictures for BBC2
TX 2x60min BBC2
Money is no object for the millionaires in this slightly nauseating documentary that will leave you green with envy – or at least open-mouthed in astonishment.
-The Mirror
superhospital
The Garden for ITV1
TX 4x60min ITV1
...it was stylishly filmed and sensitively scored, and the abiding mood of optimism was infectious.
- The Telegraph
****
- The Times
Child genius s1&2
Wall to Wall for Channel 4
TX 4x60min Channel 4
Child Genius [Series 1] is nicely non-judgmental and sympathetic. And of course it’s really more about the parents than it is about the kids.
- The Guardian
the great british skinny dip
ZKK for Channel 4
TX 1x60 Channel 4
The subject of naturism here leads naturally into a discussion about our bodies and the strangely unfriendly relationships we have with them. And what could have been a tongue-in-cheek, mocking documentary goes very easy on the raised eyebrows and portrays instead the individual joy these people experience.
-The Guardian
By the end, you might not want to get your kit off and head to Blackpool Tower, but you might just ponder a skinny dip when no one's watching...
-The Mirror
births deaths & marriages
Wall to Wall for ITV1
TX 2x60min for ITV1
Births, Deaths and Marriages was some of the most affecting television I have seen – a joyous celebration of all forms of human love that wasn't afraid to remind us that life can’t all be confetti and cheap champagne.
-The Telegraph
Nominated for a Grierson - Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme
Its half extreme admin, half party central over at Westminster register office, as we follow the registrars who deal with the paperwork involved in life's milestones. Over this two-part series, the staff register births (including Prince George's) and deaths, while also trying to keep the increasingly brief marriage ceremonies special.
- The Guardian