The Grierson Trust has revealed the nominations for the 2025 British Documentary Awards, presented in association with All3Media. This year’s longlist spans 14 programme categories, celebrating the best documentary singles and series across broadcasters, streamers, online platforms, and theatrical releases, alongside the Best Documentary Presenter award.
The BBC leads this year’s nominations with 19 entries across its channels and iPlayer, followed by Channel 4 with eight, Sky Documentaries with five, Netflix with three, and Prime Video, ITV, National Geographic, and Mubi with two each. Disney+, TNT Sports, and RTE each received one nomination.
The Grierson Trust maintains a strong commitment to improving inclusivity within documentary and factual television. Entrants are asked to provide information on the diversity of directors, the broader production team, and on-screen themes. This year’s nominations include works by 35 female directors—covering all films nominated for the Envy Best Single Documentary – Domestic category—and 42 male directors, with some productions co-directed.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of the Grierson Trust, highlighted the quality of this year’s documentary production: ‘This year’s Grierson Award nominations showcase the incredible talent of documentary filmmakers from a wide range of backgrounds. I’m especially pleased to see the growing number of female directors recognised, given how long this has been a challenge for our industry. The rise in documentaries directed by women reflects the efforts of commissioners, production companies, and others who are working to redress the balance and support female creative talent. These nominations also highlight the continuing strength and appeal of observational documentaries, at a time when many in the industry have been questioning their role and relevance within an evolving television landscape," noted.
London and Glasgow-based Rogan Productions received three nominations: one for "The Search for Nicola Bulley" in the Envy Best Single Documentary – Domestic category, and two for "Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks" (BBC), which is nominated in the Channel 4 Best Popular Culture Documentary category, with Rose Ayling-Ellis also up for Best Documentary Presenter.
Several production companies earned two nominations each. Acme was recognized for "The Trouble With Mr Doodle" (theatrical release) and "Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire" (BBC), Curious Films for "Boyzone: No Matter What" (Sky Documentaries) and "Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube" (Channel 4), Fee Fi Foe for "Apollo 13: Survival" (Netflix) and "This Is Endometriosis" in the Best Documentary Short category, Firecrest Films for "Murder Trial: Girl in the River" and "Poppy Jay in the Best Documentary" category for "Young, British and Anti-Abortion" (BBC), and Lightbox for "The Trouble With Mr Doodle" (theatrical release) and "What They Found" (BBC).
Four documentaries were nominated in multiple categories. "Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park" received nods for Best Crime and Justice Documentary and Netflix Best Documentary Series; "No Other Land" was recognized in the Broadcast International Best Single Documentary – International and Sky Documentaries Best Cinema Documentary categories; "Small Town, Big Riot – Episode 2" earned nominations for Televisual Best Current Affairs Documentary and Best Documentary Presenter; and "Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks" was nominated for Channel 4 Best Popular Culture Documentary as well as Best Documentary Presenter.
The nominations for Best Presenter highlight the rise of diverse talent within UK broadcasting. This year’s shortlist includes Blindboy Boatclub for "Blindboy: The Land of Slaves & Scholars," Mobeen Azhar for "Small Town, Big Riot," Poppy Jay for "Young, British and Anti-Abortion," and Rose Ayling-Ellis for "Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks."
The two new categories introduced this year reflect the fastest-growing documentary genres and celebrate successful returning series. Nominations for Best Crime and Justice Documentary cover both UK and international subjects, including the 7/7 attacks, the story of an innocent man who spent 17 years in jail in one of Britain’s worst miscarriages of justice, institutional racism and police misconduct following the murder of two sisters, and the crackdown on reproductive rights in the US.
The Best Returning Documentary Series award emphasizes the significance of returning documentary formats in today’s competitive television landscape. Nominated series cover subjects including cutting-edge surgery, police investigations, and the ethics of capital punishment. Finally, The All3Media Best Student Documentary category features three nominations from the National Film and Television School and one from the University of Manchester.
Related News
