Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook

TwoFour for Apple TV

Editor: Matt Lowe – Episode 4: San Francisco

This was Matt Lowe’s first collaboration with TwoFour and his first project for Apple which he was very excited about. The original 8-part series sees Nora, better known by her stage name Awkwafina, embark on a deeply personal journey cross country as she explores contemporary Asian American cooking, starting with Lum’s. The iconic Cantonese restaurant in Flushing, New York, is her family’s legacy and the very first of its kind in Chinatown. One problem, she can’t cook to save her life..!

With help from acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs and her characterful family, she attempts to master Asian food in the kitchen, building the skills that she needs to confidently inherit her family’s restaurant.

Matt was already familiar with travelogues however this project gave it a new dimension with the added cooking aspect which was a first for him. He worked on episodes 2 (Texas BBQ) and 3 (Michelin-Starred Peking Duck).

Watch Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook on AppleTV+ from November 6th.

Rise of the Rock Star Chefs

Studio Ramsay for BBC One and Fox

Editors: Mark Pickles and Matt Scragg

Mark Pickles and Matt Scragg edited the latest release from Studio Ramsay, a three-part landmark series charting the rise of three of Britain’s most influential culinary figures: Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. Featuring candid testimony from the trio themselves with the series culminating in an on-screen reunion that brings the three chefs together for the first time in decades.

Mark first worked with Studio Ramsay when he was brought in as editor on Being Gordon Ramsay, a documentary giving a more personal behind the scenes look at the life of the Kitchen Nightmares’ chef. Mark did such a great job that the production team thought he’d be a good addition for this other more biographical project.

For Matt, this was his first project with Studio Ramsay, and he’s really pleased with the outcome! Matt told us the series had been beautifully shot and thoughtfully directed by Zoe Dobson but his episode especially was a little challenging (in a good way). Whilst the other episodes focused on the chefs separately, incorporating interviews with various contributors as well as retrospective material from each of their careers; episode 3 staged a reunion meal between the three chefs, giving it a different rhythm. This meant a lot of tough decisions had to be made by the team about how to cut around the meal element without losing the sense and intensity of the reunion, and still keeping in tune with the tone of the series as a whole.

Find out what it made the greatest chefs, premiering on BBC Two on Thursday 5th November at 9pm.

The Times *Pick of the Week*

Golden State Killer

Renowned Films for Fox

Editor: Mitch Bannon

Mitch has worked on his fair share of true crime but the documentary he recently finished editing for Renowned (made for Fox) is a truly jaw-dropping story. For four decades, Joseph DeAngelo—the Visalia Ransacker, East Area Rapist, and Golden State Killer—hid in plain sight. This investigative series uses exclusive testimony and unseen evidence to re-examine historic cases. It explores whether his reign of terror began earlier than believed, analysing the duality of his life and asking: how many crimes did he really commit, and did he ever stop hunting?

Mitch was given creative freedom to craft the story as he was discovering it through the footage and was very happy to team up once more with edit producer Tom Goble and Director Matt Kennedy – with whom he has worked many times over the years. The end result is a high end, shocking and final account of the crimes of America’s most prolific violent offender.

Golden State Killer premiered in the US on FOX on 23rd September. Keep your eyes peeled for the UK release on Sky docs, coming soon!

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake S4

BBC Studios for UKTV

Editors: Harry Anstey, Sean Siegfried, Simon Bennett

Harry, Sean and Si return to BBC Studios for the new series of our favourite dogumentary series – Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake. Each of them worked on the 3rd series and were delighted to come back for more as Pete, aka the Dogfather, helps more pooches at the Basildon’s Dogs Trust Rehoming, Rescue and Adoption Centre find their forever homes.

Sean cut one ep, whilst Harry and Simon cut 2 episodes each of the new series. All three of them truly enjoy working on the programme. Simon loves dogs and told us: ‘it’s a pleasure to work on such a real and moving series, and seeing all these dogs journeys’.

Sean agreed 100% ‘It’s been an absolute joy to work on the new series of ‘Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake’ over these last few months. It’s a show with a lot of heart – funny, warm and profoundly moving in all the right places. At the centre of it, there is a genuine subject, with real meaning. I’ve found it very rewarding to be able to immerse myself in the stories, in the pursuit of finding the most effective way to tell them. And I’ve met some lovely people along the way!’

Feel all warm and fuzzy by watching Pete Wicks: For Dog’s Sake series 4, premiering on Monday 28th September at 9pm on U&W Channel.

Knife’s Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars – Series 2

Studio Ramsay for Apple TV+

Editors: Badger Cooper, Chris Duveen, Dominic Lester and Jonnie Case

Satusfaction had the pleasure to work with Studio Ramsay again on their high end Michelin star-studded docuseries, which returns for its second season. Chefs around the world thrive to earn, defend or regain their standing with the pretigious Micheling guide. This series brings the audience behind the scenes in top-tier kitchens, focusing on the chefs’ passion for their craft which is epitomised by achieving the elusive star.

We had two returning editors and two newbies to the show.  Badger Cooper, who was also on the first series, told us that he was very proud of the episodes he worked on (Florida Pt2 and a half of pt1): ‘It’s particularly gratifying to see that the show built up a following since it’s first series came out and how excited the fans are for the new series!’ Just like them, Badger is really looking forward to watching it all.

Jonnie expressed a similar feeling, mentioning that it was lovely to work with the same team. ‘The series looks great too so it’s always nice to see the fruits of your hard work pay off.’

Our newcomers to the show joined the series a little later in production. Chris Duveen couldn’t have asked for a better edit to sink his teeth in, or a nicer team to welcome him back to the freelance life; whilst Dom, already a fan of the series, was really chuffed to be able to come in and help finish some of the episodes. (More comments to follow).

Stream all the episodes on Apple TV+ from 25th September.

The Real Rooneys

Blast Films for Hulu/Disney+

Editors: Abraham Teweldebrhan + Chris Scurfield

10-part Hulu original docu-series sharing a year in the life of Coleen and Wayne Rooney. Given unprecedented access, cameras are flies on the walls observing the highs and lows of daily life in the Rooney household, from lavish holidays and grand celebrations to personal struggles and career-defining moments. The audience sees it all!

Chris Scurfield, a Blast! favourite, took a bit of a step back from true crime this year by cutting not 2 but 3 series on famous families, with The White House and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home before jumping on to The Real Rooneys. Each series took a completely different approach, showcasing Chris’ versatility as he adapts not only to the style of doc but also delivering to three completely different broadcasters. He had a lot of fun on this edit, coming in for 12 weeks to help tweak episodes across the series.

This was Abraham’s first booking with Blast! and he got on with the team famously. Coming in as a finishing editor can put quite a lot of pressure on but Abs was cool as a cucumber and did an amazing job finessing the series.

Find out what it’s like to be a Rooney, streaming on Disney+ and Hulu from 24th September.

The Wargame

The Garden Productions for Sky One

Editors: Jennifer Hampson and Badger Cooper

The Garden Productions

A four-part landmark series combining constructed documentary and scripted drama, based on the award-winning Sky News podcast of the same name.

The Wargame takes viewers “beyond the news cycle and behind closed doors” into a sealed crisis room where real-world senior politicians, military leaders and intelligence chiefs from the around the world are challenged to confront a high-stakes scenario simulating a national emergency. Rolling news bulletins, social media footage, military and intelligence reports and unexpected interventions throw up a series of minute-by-minute dilemmas, forcing the ‘Cabinet’ to grapple with decisions that could affect the world at large.

Jennifer Hampson cut episode 1 alongside brilliant editor Neil Clarkson and producer director Alex Nott. She let us know that ‘this series was put together by a brilliant, gigantic production team, with multiple editors working across each episode, an extremely tight schedule and all hands to the pump’. Whilst Badger Cooper came in later in the production to cut and finesse UGC across the series.

Tune in to Sky One at 9pm from Monday 21st to Thursday 24th September to catch the whole series.

APOCALYPSE

The Garden for Channel 4

Editor: Jennifer Hampson

Jen Hampson’s last foray into the survival genre was in 2023 for Alone. She returns to The Garden for Apocalypse, a new, ambitious 7-part series, taking the form of a radical social experiment. Channel 4 is sending 14 ordinary people representing a cross-section of society – including a mechanic, a paramedic, a farmer, a chef, a psychologist and a social media influencer – to a jaw dropping location – an abandoned town that bears all the hallmarks of being ravaged by an apocalyptic event. Split into two rival camps, the Eastside and Westside, with no knowledge of the other group’s presence, they’ll need to scavenge for food and supplies, using their wits and repurposing everyday items to survive for 28 days without running water, heating, or electricity.

Jenny let us know that she ‘had lots of fun working on this project with a great team’. She is a very versatile editor and likes to switch the genres up, lending her skills to fact ent, historical docs or true crime with equal brilliance.

If you ever wondered if you could survive the end of the world as we know it, watch Apocalypse, premiering on Channel 4 Sunday 13th September at 9pm, and find out!

Emergency 24/7

Expectation TV for BBC 2

Editor: Badger Cooper

Following the success of Murder 24/7, Expectation TV have produced a medical spin off, 6-part series. With camera crews embedded inside the busy Emergency Department at Southmead Hospital, a Major Trauma Centre in Bristol, the doc follows staff as they look after patients from diagnosis, through to treatment, revealing the everyday pressures as well as the complex teamwork required to keep the A&E department running and achieve the best possible outcomes for all their patients.

Expectation were familiar with Badger’s skills, having worked with him previously in a different genre, and his experience cutting medical documentaries for BBC2 (The Big Hospital Experiment, Hospital, An Hour to Save a Life, etc…) made him an obvious choice for this series.

Badger worked on RX3 & RX5 and commented that “it’s always a tricky privilege working on something like this. You’re being allowed into people’s lives at really difficult moments, and at the same time you’re watching professionals having to do an incredibly demanding job. As an editor, you’re trying to balance all of that — to stay true to what’s happened and respect the people involved, but also make something that’s compelling to watch. That’s a challenge I really enjoy.”

For fans of ER and The Pit, watch the real deal on BBC2 at 9pm, every Tuesday.

20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations

Candle True Stories for ABC & Disney+

Editor: Jayesh Lathia

In his first collaboration with Candle True Stories, Jayesh Lathia returns to true crime, applying his skills to bring ABC News’ prestigious “20/20” brand to an international audience by revisiting six of the UK’s most high-profile criminal cases.

Each character-driven episode of this new docuseries includes exclusive interviews and new revelations to immerse the audience in the heart of the story.

Jayesh cut episode 3 which attempts to uncover whether charming young churchwarden, Ben Field, is responsible for the suspicious deaths of two elderly neighbours that he was grooming into signing over their estates.

Find out the answers on Disney+. Streaming now.

Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook

TwoFour for Apple TV Editor: Matt Lowe – Episode 4: San Francisco This was Matt Lowe’s first collaboration with TwoFour and his first project for Apple which he was very excited about. The original 8-part series sees Nora, better known by her stage name Awkwafina,… Read More

Rise of the Rock Star Chefs

Studio Ramsay for BBC One and Fox Editors: Mark Pickles and Matt Scragg Mark Pickles and Matt Scragg edited the latest release from Studio Ramsay, a three-part landmark series charting the rise of three of Britain’s most influential culinary figures: Marco Pierre White,… Read More

Golden State Killer

Renowned Films for Fox Editor: Mitch Bannon Mitch has worked on his fair share of true crime but the documentary he recently finished editing for Renowned (made for Fox) is a truly jaw-dropping story. For four decades, Joseph DeAngelo—the Visalia Ransacker, East Area Rapist,… Read More

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake S4

BBC Studios for UKTV Editors: Harry Anstey, Sean Siegfried, Simon Bennett Harry, Sean and Si return to BBC Studios for the new series of our favourite dogumentary series – Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake. Each of them worked on… Read More

Knife’s Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars – Series 2

Studio Ramsay for Apple TV+ Editors: Badger Cooper, Chris Duveen, Dominic Lester and Jonnie Case Satusfaction had the pleasure to work with Studio Ramsay again on their high end Michelin star-studded docuseries, which returns for its second season. Chefs around the world thrive… Read More

The Real Rooneys

Blast Films for Hulu/Disney+ Editors: Abraham Teweldebrhan + Chris Scurfield 10-part Hulu original docu-series sharing a year in the life of Coleen and Wayne Rooney. Given unprecedented access, cameras are flies on the walls observing the highs and lows of daily life in the Rooney… Read More

The Wargame

The Garden Productions for Sky One Editors: Jennifer Hampson and Badger Cooper The Garden Productions A four-part landmark series combining constructed documentary and scripted drama, based on the award-winning Sky News podcast of the same name. The Wargame takes viewers “beyond the news cycle… Read More

APOCALYPSE

The Garden for Channel 4 Editor: Jennifer Hampson Jen Hampson’s last foray into the survival genre was in 2023 for Alone. She returns to The Garden for Apocalypse, a new, ambitious 7-part series, taking the form of a radical social experiment. Channel 4 is… Read More

Emergency 24/7

Expectation TV for BBC 2 Editor: Badger Cooper Following the success of Murder 24/7, Expectation TV have produced a medical spin off, 6-part series. With camera crews embedded inside the busy Emergency Department at Southmead Hospital, a Major Trauma Centre in Bristol, the doc follows staff… Read More

20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations

Candle True Stories for ABC & Disney+ Editor: Jayesh Lathia In his first collaboration with Candle True Stories, Jayesh Lathia returns to true crime, applying his skills to bring ABC News’ prestigious “20/20” brand to an international audience by revisiting six of the… Read More