The Grierson Trust has announced the shortlist for the 2024 British Documentary Awards in association with All3Media. The shortlist spans 15 programme and presenter categories, reflecting the best documentary singles and series launched across broadcasters, streamers and online, as well as theatrical releases. The awards ceremony takes place on 6th November at a new home – Roundhouse – the iconic music and arts venue in Camden, London.
The BBC tops the awards shortlist with 28 entries across its channels and on iPlayer, followed by Channel 4 with 23, Netflix with 17, Sky Documentaries with eight, National Geographic with four, Disney+ and ITV with three, and Prime Video, Paramount+, Netflix’s Still Watching YouTube channel and the Guardian with two each. Production companies with the highest number of entries include Mindhouse and BBC Studios with five each and Story Films and 72 Films with four each.
This year’s awards include a new category, Best Popular Culture Documentary, open to single documentaries or an episode from a strand or series that depicts people, events, movements or trends that have had a major impact on popular culture in recent years. Shortlisted entries in this category cover the power of the internet to create a hoax paedophile scare, the life of one of the UK’s most prominent performance poets, an investigation into allegations of abuse against one of the world’s most famous actors, and the rise and fall of one of the most famous pop acts of the 1980s.
The Arts category features several films about fashion industry icons such as Coco Chanel and John Galliano, plus the first black supermodel, alongside the life of photographer Dan Winters and the genius of Shakespeare. Music is represented through films and series covering Disco, K-Pop, composing a contemporary American Symphony and the life of one of this century’s most controversial and talked about indie-rock artists.
The History and Science categories cover contemporary subjects from the UK and internationally including the Space Shuttle disaster, the rise of the far right, the miner’s strike and Boris Johnson’s rise and fall, alongside powerful films exploring mental health, assisted dying and the evolution of our planet.
Sports documentaries include biographies of global stars Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ricky Hatton and Mark Cavendish as well as histories of women’s football, a Paralympian’s pursuit of the gold medal, and a portrait of an amateur football team comprising players with Down’s Syndrome.
Films in the running for the Best Cinema Documentary award include acclaimed documentaries about the siege of Mariupol, and Ugandan activist and musician Bobi Wine, which are both also shortlisted in the current affairs category, a feature exploring the lengths and depths record-breaking freedivers are prepared to go to, along with films exploring anti-fatness, and the impact of Alzheimer’s disease.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust described in depth the composition of the shortlist: “This year’s shortlist highlights the power of documentaries to tell new stories that cut through in a sea of content that’s constantly fighting for our attention. These films really connect with audiences, uncovering characters and perspectives that have previously been unseen. We have been so impressed by the breadth and range of entries which demonstrate that – despite the very difficult current climate – our industry remains committed to identifying new talent and exploring pressing issues such as mental health, sexuality, gender, and disability, all through best-in-class filmmaking," explained.
Fifteen standout documentaries and series have been recognized with shortlisting in two categories, with one, "Me and the Voice in My Head", shortlisted in three. They are: "20 Days in Mariupol" (Best Current Affairs Documentary, Best Cinema Documentary), "Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax" (Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Popular Culture Documentary), "American Symphony" (Best Cinema Documentary, Best Music Documentary), "Bobi Wine: The People's President" (Best Current Affairs Documentary, Best Cinema Documentary), "Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family" (Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Documentary Presenter), "Evacuation" (Best Documentary Series, Best Current Affairs Documentary), "Hatton" (Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Sports Documentary), Milli Vanilli (Best Popular Culture Documentary, Best Music Documentary), "Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything" (Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Sports Documentary), "The Deepest Breath" (Best Cinema Documentary, Best Sports Documentary), "The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson" (Best Popular Culture Documentary, Best History Documentary), "The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth" (Best Science Documentary, Best History Documentary), "Wham!" (Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Music Documentary), "Big Zuu Goes to Mecca" (Best Popular Culture Documentary, Best Documentary Presenter), and "Me and the Voice in My Head" (Best Science Documentary, Best Single Documentary - Domestic, Best Documentary Presenter).
The diverse shortlist for Best Documentary Presenter recognizes a diverse range of names who are generally newer to the genre and covers powerful personal journeys and revelations, travel, and investigations. It comprises Ellie Simmonds for "Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family", Joe Tracini for "Me and the Voice in My Head", Nadifa Mohamed for "Britain's Human Zoos", Oobah Butler for "The Great Amazon Heist", Rhod Gilbert for "Rhod Gilbert: A Pain in the Neck", Rose Ayling-Ellis for "Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change", Stacey Dooley for "DNA Family Secrets", and Zuhair 'Big Zuu' Hassan for "Big Zuu Goes to Mecca".
Finally, the Student Documentary category includes six entries from the National Film and Television School, alongside one entry each from the University of Manchester and Goldsmiths University.The shortlisted films will now go on to be judged by category juries who will decide the four nominations and winner in each.
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