She’s one of the most celebrated writers in the English language, yet the real Jane Austen remains surprisingly elusive. A captivating new three-part series for BBC Arts, Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius, brings her extraordinary story to life.
Marking the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, this drama-documentary series does more than revisit the classics, it uncovers the fiercely intelligent woman behind them. Despite having written thousands of letters to her sister Cassandra, most were tragically destroyed after her death in 1817. What remains offers precious glimpses into Austen’s private thoughts, which this series uses as a vital thread throughout the episodes.
Blending cinematic drama with archival material and deeply insightful interviews, Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius features a remarkable line-up of contributors. These include celebrated authors like Helen Fielding, Candice Carty-Williams, Kate Atkinson, Colm Tóibín and Bee Rowlatt, alongside actors Charity Wakefield, Greta Scacchi, Samuel West, Tamsin Greig, Tom Bennett and Greg Wise—many of whom have brought Austen’s characters to life on stage and screen. The series also draws on expertise from historians and scholars including Dr Paula Byrne, Admiral Lord West, Dr Priya Atwal, Dr Louise Curran, and Dr Paddy Bullard, with filmmaker Ken Loach lending his unique perspective.
We’re especially proud to spotlight editor Jennifer Hampson, who cut Episode 2 of this landmark series.
Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius is a fitting tribute to a woman who transformed the literary landscape—and whose genius still speaks to us today.
Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, Katie’s particularly looking forward to this series!
Premieres on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two from 9pm on Monday 26th May.
Executive Producers: Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea, Sarah Lazenby
Premieres 28th May
Hello Sunshine F1: Academy
Move over Men, it’s the Women’s turn!! F1: The Academy is set to make a powerful entrance onto the global streaming stage, the all-women racing series has teamed up with Hello Sunshine, to bring fans a brand-new docuseries.
This multi-part series promises an adrenaline-charged, behind-the-scenes look at the F1 Academy offering viewers unprecedented access to the drivers, teams, sponsors, and families who are pushing boundaries in one of the world’s most challenging sports. Beyond the drama on the track, the show will delve into the personal journeys and high stakes that come with competing in this pioneering motorsport category.
Franco came in towards the end of this edit to cut new sequences and help finishing across the series. He said “Everyone on the team was really nice, and the format of the show was great fun to work with. It’s similar to Drive to Survive but following females working their way up F1 standard. It’s got the excitement of Drive but it’s a refreshing take that genuinely feels different. The bravado without the testosterone, and just generally more fun and light-hearted”.
This series isn’t just about high-speed thrills; it’s a celebration of women breaking barriers in motorsport. F1: The Academy puts women in the driver’s seat literally and figuratively! We are looking forward to watching their journeys unfold.
F1: The Academy premieres on Netflix on the 28th May.
Jonnie Case: Additional Editor: Episodes “Lombardy” and “Trentino-Alto Adige”.
BBC and National Geographic
Across five beautifully crafted episodes, Stanley Tucci journeys through Italy, uncovering hidden gems and timeless traditions alongside chefs, artisans, and locals. With National Geographic’s signature storytelling and Tucci’s trademark charm, the series offers a fresh perspective on both beloved regions and undiscovered corners of the country.
Jonnie Casecontributed as additional editor on two episodes. In the “Lombardy”episode, Stanley shows the pioneering spirit of Italy’s industrial heartland, where the cuisine and ingredients are defiantly forward-thinking. In the “Trentino-Alto Adige” episode, Stanley delves into the complex identity of Italy’s northernmost region a delicious hay soup, he skis down a mountain to experience Dirndl Day, eats slope-side polenta, and fly-fishes in a glacial river!
Jonnie shared “Heart of Italy was a pleasure to work on mainly due to a great team. Stanley was very hands on during the edit, always trying to get the best out of each episodes. A series that again looks simple on screen but the making of was at times an interesting challenge.”
It makes us want to book a trip, grab a fork, and explore every corner of the country and we can’t wait to watch!
Tucci in Italy premieres the 21st May at 8pm on National Geographic and all episode’s stream from 19th May on Disney+.
Exec Producers: Russ Malkin, David Alexanian, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
Editor: Dave Berezai: Ep 10
Long Way Up for Apple TV+
Today is the premiere of Long Way Home on Apple TV+, the latest chapter in Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s iconic travel series. Following Long Way Roun and Long Way Down, this new 10-part series sees the duo journey from McGregor’s native Scotland to Boorman’s home in England, covering 17 European countries on vintage motorcycles. Unlike their tech-heavy adventures of the past, Long Way Home opts for simplicity. With minimal support and a slower pace, this travelogue delivers stunning scenery and intimate moments of reflection, while McGregor and Boorman focus on reconnecting with the land and each other.
Dave Berezai worked on Episode 4 and 6 and was the finishing editor on Ep 1. He said “It was fantastic to work on the 4th Long Way series. This is not a typical travelogue. By it’s very nature it’s much rawer. Ewan and Charlie were the embodiment of the shows tagline: “Life is adventure” allowing situations and experiences to unfold in front of them as they travelled from place to place. Such on the fly experiences lead to some real and heart-warming moments made possible by Ewan’s and Charlie’s engaging personalities. Not only was the footage rich in content, the scenery traversed was absolutely breathtaking. Needless to say I had all the tools in my arsenal to make a great show. The spirit of exploration wasn’t limited to the out in the field production however. Exec Producers David Alexanian and Russ Malkin gave me the freedom to create and add my own stamp to the episodes I cut.”
Early reviews highlight the show’s slower, more meditative tone sharing that the series is less action but more heart, with a clear focus on friendship, family, and the joys of the open road.
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA is back on our screens !
Gordon Ramsay returns to tackle chaos in the kitchens and drama on the dining floor as he helps struggling restaurants turn their fortunes around. Expect explosive moments, high stakes, and – of course – Ramsay at his uncompromising best.
Alex said “Kitchen Nightmares was a great fun show to work on. I did some editing on the 2 hour season opener (one set in French Quarter, New Orleans) and also another episode at a vegan restaurant. Studio Ramsay are a great team to work with, I had worked with them on Future food Stars. The episodes had great characters, they were perfectly cast – properly disgusting kitchen shots, restaurants in crisis, fun times editing them and Gordon Ramsay”.
Ben also shared that one of the things that stands out to him on Kitchen Nightmares is that because of the collaborative nature of the edit you do get a sense of team spirit and camaraderie which is nice.
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA starts Thursday 1st May 10pm on Channel 4
Award-winning director John Dower was granted exclusive access to Freddie Flintoff over the last year to film his recovery after his Top Gear car crash and document his cricketing career.
Featuring interviews and candid moments with Flintoff, his wife Rachael and close friends, the film documents his compelling life story from winning two Ashes series for England, to becoming a British TV icon, and finally, returning to the game following his life-altering car crash in 2022.
Charlie worked with John on the Lockerbie Documentary for Sky and was excited to team up with him and SouthShore again to work on this Freddie Flintoff feature doc.
Led by disability campaigner Jono Lancaster, Love My Face follows people with a range of visible facial differences as they seek support, advice and explore transformative treatments to help accept or address their differences. At a one-of-a-kind clinic in Yorkshire, people are given a life-changing opportunity to explore transformative treatments from some of the UK’s most sought-after medical experts.
Adam Mitchell cut episodes 2 & 3 of the new series and remarked that ‘it was a huge challenge working on this project and balancing the various story points of each contributor who were going through various physical as well as psychological issues. But it’s a series I am immensely proud of being involved with.’
Don’t miss the first couple of episodes at 10pm on Channel 4 tonight.
Dust off your mood boards and fluff those cushions, Interior Design Masters is back on our screens this Thursday for its 6th series! We love watching this popular competition series that sees ten talented new designers all looking for their big break in the fast-paced world of interior design, hosted by Alan Carr.
This time around, we’ve got two of our talented editors behind the scenes:
🎬 Steve Flatt, making his IDM debut — bringing fresh eyes and flair to the series. He worked on the final and said it was a very well organised and great team to work with.
🎬 Tom Savage, a returning pro who also worked on the previous series and clearly couldn’t stay away! He said “I worked on the semi final which was redesigning venues at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. It was a lovely team to work with and great fun mixing in Alan Carr’s humour with the competitive side of the show. Unfortunately as it was remote I came away thinking the home office may need a bit of a makeover too!”.
Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny: Nutopia/ History US
Back in the glorious 1990’s, FBI agents Mulder and Scully revealed to us that “the truth is out there” with the cultural phenomenon that was The X-Files TV series.
Now, decades later, Mulder himself – David Duchovny – brings us real life secrets from governments, shady national agencies and brutal dictators – some only recently declassified. Using drama recon and archive footage, this new 10-part series offers a closer look at government projects and operations that have been shrouded in secrecy with the added intrigue of uncovering facts rather than fiction. Each episode of Secrets Declassified focuses on a different subject, with Duchovny speaking to experts, investigators, and insiders who shed light on previously unknown or misunderstood events.
Andreas Torner worked on Episode 10 called ‘Strange Weapons’. He talked about the edit saying “It was a remote edit and great fun to work on – excellent stories and some fantastic material to work with. It uses archive as well as extensive drama reconstruction. Some of the archive they dug up is really quite extraordinary. Well worth a watch!”.
Felix thought editing with Nutopia was an absolute blast, with a top-tier team being assembled to meticulously build authentic stories with amazing archive and dramatic reconstructions. He told us it was both a privilege and weighty responsibility to craft these stories in the edit with a reverence for the past and the people who really did suffer terribly or lost their lives in these real life events. The bar that Felix set was to always keep the story alive with the archive itself, selecting the material that will place the audience in the narrative so dramatically that it feels like the story is unravelling right before them. Melding sound design with music and dramatic reconstructions to deliver a horrifically unmissable film.
He cut Episode 8 – Unholy Alliances – helping the team to deliver intoxicating tales that do really mean that “the truth is out there”…
Catch Secrets Declassified on the History Channel from the 4th April.
A gripping new documentary series, The Undercover Police Scandal, pulls back the curtain on one of the most disturbing betrayals of trust in modern policing. This powerful series sheds light on the harrowing experiences of five women who were deceived into intimate relationships with undercover officers.
Charlie Webb was the main editor across this 3-part series and was tasked to help set the style. We spoke to him about working on it; “I really enjoyed the edit and working with a great team. It was a great challenge to structure and interweave this huge story in a way which would be easy to follow and constantly exciting. I think it’s a great series which only gets bigger as it goes on and I hope one which will help draw attention to a very important issue”.
At the heart of the series are Alison, Lisa, and Helen, three campaigners who, in their twenties, thought they had found love with like-minded activists. Their interviews make up the heart of the series which is interweaved with drama recon, with compelling storytelling and powerful firsthand accounts, this documentary is not just a story of personal betrayal, it’s a call for accountability.
The Undercover Police Scandal airs 6th March 9pm on ITV and is The Times’ Pick of the day . It will also be available on ITVX.
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