Award season is here, the BAFTA nominations have been announced and it’s been a bumper crop for the Faction editors!
The ‘Current Affairs’ category includes ‘The Crossing: Exposure’ documentary which was edited by Ella Newton. This documentary has already won the RTS Television Journalist Award 2023 for Current Affairs-Home – bit showy offy Ella!
In comedy Rosie Jones is nominated in the ‘Best Entertainment Performance’ category for Rosie Jones: Trip Hazard. Connor Snedecor and Dan Knight both edited episodes from the series.
Tim Fielding worked on two series which are in the running; The Masked Singer and also The Traitors which was a new commission for the BBC last year and was a real ratings hit!
Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams has been nominated under ‘Reality and Constructed Factual’, Southshore bought in Charlie Webbto help finish Episode 2 and he thoroughly enjoyed working on this heart-warming series.
Graham Taylor is trying to compete with Ella for the most awards, Graham edited episode one of ‘Aids: The Unheard Tapes’ which is in the ‘Specialist Factual’ category, it has already been nominated for an RTS Award!
Lastly David Abramsky had great fun editing Taskmasters which is up for Comedy Entertainment and Lem Lawrenceworked on the FX for Somewhere Boy which is up for Best Drama series.
Congratulations and good luck to all of the nominees!
The BAFTA Television Craft Awards will take place on Sunday 23 April and will be hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathanand. It will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday 14 May at 7pm.
Series 3 of Race Across the World sees five teams race 16,000 kilometres across the breadth of Canada. Their skill, ingenuity and determination are put to the test as they embark on their journey without access to smartphones, the internet or credit cards. Armed with only the cash equivalent of the airfare to fly their route, the teams travel at ground level through some of the most remote regions in the world.
Simon Holmes edited Episode 2, he was keen to get involved with this one as he loves an adventure series and confirmed that this was ‘a real adventure in storytelling. Race is a massive challenge but a great show to work on, a proper exercise in character and competition.’
In Episode 2, the race to St John’s continues as the five teams leave Haida Gwaii and head into the heart of the Yukon towards the second checkpoint, the former gold rush boom town Dawson City.
Race Across the World season 3 starts Wednesday 22nd March at 9pm on BBC1.
If you are missing your Strictly fix then check out this brand new series!
Strictly Come Dancing stars Anton du Beke and Giovanni Pernice are leaving the ballroom behind and packing their bags to head to the sunny island of Sicily in this brand new series from BBC Studios Entertainment, Anton and Giovanni: Adventures in Sicily. Tom Deverell edited the first episode of the series where Giovanni acts as Anton’s guide as the pair discover what the amazing island has to offer. They explore Mount Etna, authentic old towns and Sicilian cuisine and of course they can’t resit a little dance along the way.
Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures In will air on BBC1 from Tuesday March 21 at 9pm, running at the same time on subsequent Tuesdays.
The Nominations have been announced for the RTS Programme Awards and we are extremely excited that so many Faction editors are in the mix!
In a press release, RTS Chair Kenton Allen said: “It is incredibly important to champion the outstanding content being made in our industry from both established and up-and-coming talent. 2023 was another year of attention-grabbing, thought-provoking, world-class television”.
Sam Thompsettjoined us in 2021 as a junior editor and we are dead impressed that the documentary series – The Evolution of Black British Music he worked on has been nominated in the Arts Category. It looks at the evolution of the black British music and rave scene from the early 1990s to the present day, from jungle, garage, grime, funky house and afro swing to road rap and drill.
Graham Taylor is really showing off as two documentaries he edited have been nominated. Firstly AIDS- The Unheard Tapes, he cutEpisode 1 which looks at the Aids crisis as never told before, by those who survived – and those who did not. The documentary uses the audio from archived interviews with each narrator’s voice lip-synched for television by an actor, it was made by Wall to Wall for BBC2 and is nominated in the ‘History’ category. And as if that’s not enough Gazza has also been nominated in the ‘Documentary series’ category.Graham edited both episodes about the iconic footballer Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne. A deeply personal portrait of the troubled footballing legend presented as a revealing exposé on the lengths the tabloid press of the 90’s went to secure their stories. Western Edge Pictures for the BBC.
Picture: Royal Television Society
My Dead Body:Matt Lowe edited this moving documentary. It follows Toni Crews, a young mother of two, who was diagnosed with a rare terminal cancer. She made the decision to donate her body to science and the film follows Prof. Claire Smith, as she continues Toni’s story by dissecting her body in a series of educational workshops whilst covering the effects on Toni’s family. It was made by Maverick for Channel 4. Nominated in the ‘Science and The Natural World’ category.
Abraham Teweldebrhan and Steven Struthersboth worked on Workerbee’s Idris Elba Fight Schoolwhere the former kickboxer himself provides seven disadvantaged young people from across the UK with lessons in discipline, focus and determination by putting them through an experimental boxing school, in an attempt to give them the tools to change their fortunes. Nominated in the ‘Formatted Popular Factual category.
Tim Fielding and Janet Shawworked on The Traitors. This new series made by Studio Lambert where contestants in the game move into a majestic castle and work as a team to complete a series of dramatic and challenging missions to earn money for the prize pot. Three of the contestants are secretly traitors, who will attempt to deceive and manipulate their way to the prize by eliminating ‘loyal’ contestants. Nominated in the ‘Entertainment’ Category.
And finally Ella Newtonedited part 1 of Big Oil Versus the World. The series which investigates what the fossil fuel industry knew about climate change more then four decades ago. Drawing on thousands of newly discovered documents and testimony from scientists working on climate change research in the 1980s, the film goes on to chart how the oil industry mounted a campaign to sow doubt about the science of climate change. Made by Mongoose Pictures for BBC Two and PBS Frontline. Nominated in the ‘Documentary Series’ category.
A big congratulations to all the nominees and best of luck!
Outed: George Michael and the Fight for Freedom, edited by Charlie Hawryliw. There is quite the buzz around this two part documentary, it’s made the front cover of the Radio Times and it’s Critics choice in the Sunday Time’s!
George Michael Outed: Blast Films Charlie’s Pooch Cally!Charlie’s Pooch Cally!
In 1998, George Michael was arrested for a lewd act in a Los Angeles public toilet. This two part documentary tells the story of how his response to a potentially career-crushing event changed history and how he refused to be ashamed, speaking honestly and risking his career and reputation. Reflecting on a time when the outing of gay men in the media was commonplace, the series tells explains the culture war between those who wanted to turn the clock back on gay rights and those who just wanted to live their lives, proud and free to be themselves. In a first for British television, the documentary will use the first-person testimony from public figures who were outed by the press, as well as journalists of the era, to unpack the history of outing and the fight for LGBT people to be out, proud and free to be themselves.
Outed is part of Channel 4’s special season of landmark programmes and specials marking 50 years of Pride in the UK .This bumper season of high profile content will reflect on the incredible achievements and challenges of advancing LGBTQ+ rights and visibility over the last half century, while also platforming the diversity of identity and sexuality in the 2020s.
Charlie edited both parts of this documentary, he really enjoyed working with the team at Blast films and particularly with the series director Mike Ogden. The subject matter is something that resonates with Charlie and it felt important to him to be able to contribute to telling the story.
George Michael: Outed airs at 9pm on Channel 4 on 6th and 7th March
Discovery are calling this three part archive-heavy mini crime series “time for the victims to tell their stories” of the shocking, previously untold investigation that exposed the monster lurking behind the face of the Subway franchise’s “Jared from Subway” aka Jared Fogle.
Charlie Webb and Jayesh Lathia edited an episode each of this new original series. Despite their experience cutting true crime documentaries, they couldn’t help but be affected as they cut together testimonies from the victims of this friendly-faced pop culture persona who took advantage of his influence and sudden celebrity to manipulate the public opinion and his victims.
In 2015, the American public were shocked when authorities brought multiple charges of child endangerment against “Jared from Subway” and his business partner, Russell Taylor. Fogle was brought to justice largely down to the evidence from a female journalist Rochelle Herman who recorded their phone conversations before handing over to the FBI, eventually leading to Fogle pleading guilty to child pornography charges and traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. The documentary also includes tough, emotional interviews with Taylor’s stepdaughters, Hannah and Christian, who were victimised by Fogle and their stepfather.
Charlie Webb said that It was a “challenging edit at times due to the sensitive content and the fact there was so much to try and fit into just 3 episodes. But this series goes much deeper into the story then before with great archive, access from key witnesses and the victims speaking for the first time”.
Jayesh Lathia explains that “I edited Episode 3, where the main challenges were weaving the story of how Jared’s criminal acts were exposed together with testimonies from his victims. At its heart, this episode dealt with how public trust was misused and the devastating fallout this can have”.
Jared from Subway: Catching a Monsterpremieres Monday 6th March at 9pm on ID and will be available to stream the same day on discovery+.
Three part drama-doc series that explores the unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 after it mysteriously went off the grid mid-flight.
On March 8, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 began its routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board. Forty minutes after take off, the plane disappeared from radar screens, and no one in charge could explain why. The search for the missing flight became the most extensive in aviation history.
This gripping three-part series MH370: The Plane That Disappeared uses powerful archive footage to reconstruct the night of the disappearance, it also includes interviews with the global community of aeronautical engineers, scientist, investigators, but ultimately, family members who have different ideas about the fate of MH370 and who are still looking for answers.
Duncan Hill spent 6 months editing episode one of this very complex story which takes a close look into the hours and days following the plane’s disappearance, including what happened when conspiracy theories and false accusations started to emerge.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared is available to stream March 8 2023, which marks nine years since the aircraft went missing.
It’s almost time! Netflix have announced that the new season of Formula 1: Drive To Survive will land on their streaming service 24th February.
Chris Duveen worked his little socks off on this series, he edited Episode 1 and was the series lead editor. Go behind the scenes to find out how drivers and teams prepare for the 2022 Formula 1 season and get all the answers from Max Verstappen, the double-defending World Drivers’ Championship winner, back to the interview chair.
Once again, Netflix have embedded their cameras and microphones in the stands to pick up all conversations. F1 fans will be pleased to see that pedal and helmet cams all feature in the series as well to cover all the top stories of the season, so sit back, strap up and get ready!
Drive to Survive Series 5 streams from 24th February on Netflix
New two part series presented by Xand van Tulleken.
Tonight’s episode The Great Stink of 1858: Saving London edited by Simon Warnercontinues the story of the 19th-century smell which dominated London. The Thames river became putrid after thousands of litres of raw sewage were discharged into it every day in the 19th century and after a summer heatwave in 1858 the stink became so bad that it spread disease and panic over London.
Presenter Xand van Tulleken reveals how Queen Victoria suffered from the stench during a trip to see Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s gigantic ship, the Great Eastern. Archaeologist and TV presenter, Raksha Dave recreates the Great Stink with the help of a special-effects expert.
Simon explained the set up of the edit with this project. “With The Great Stink, I came on board to edit Episode 2, working with PD Sam Bailey and then Series Producer Jamie Simpson. It was a complete work from home edit, with media sent to me on drives rather than ‘remoting in’. This meant it was much quicker and smoother to edit with. Once I started working with Jamie, he liked to feel he was ‘in the room’ so we set up a FaceTime call at the start of the day with the phone pointing at the screen so he could see what I was doing, and we left the call open so we could comment on things as we needed to. Although I have worked from home almost entirely over the past three years, it was my first experience of working exactly like that with someone in the room with me. Despite my initial reservations, it was a rewarding and collaborative experience, and reminded me of the positive aspects of working in an edit suite with someone who understands editing workflow”.
The Great Stink of 1858 Part Two: Saving London is on Friday 17th Feb 9pm Channel 5
This new three part documentary series looks at the lives of tech revolutionaries, Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg and Jeff Bezoz. With exclusive access to friends, former colleagues and insiders it examines company culture, charitable endeavours to challenges with governments. The documentaries explores the truth behind the men linked to three of the world’s biggest and most iconic companies. It delves into their psychology and key events from their lives. It fuses beautifully-shot master interview, filmic elements, archive, and has minimal commentary.
Nick Watson edited Episode one which looks at Bill Gates who revolutionised the world of tech. Since stepping away from the world of business, the Microsoft founder has forged a reputation as the “good” billionaire, whose foundation’s aim to help the world. The documentary digs into Gates’s business practices and questions if Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the healthcare sphere really is such a good thing.
Nick Follows edited the Mark Zuckerberg episode which delves into the empire that Zuckerberg has built, examining the impact he’s had on the world. Available on the 1st March.
Nick Watson’s Episode 1 on Bill Gates will air on Wednesday 15th Feb at 10pm on Channel 4.
