‘Sister’s slate traverses mainstream hits and quirky pieces, with shows that manage to capture the zeitgeist and make viewers laugh and cry’
It was a bumper year for Sister, which cemented its position as one of the world’s leading drama producers. The indie’s slate traverses mainstream hits and quirky pieces, with shows that manage to capture the zeitgeist and to make viewers laugh and cry. Its breadth is breath-taking.
BBC1’s The Split (pictured) signed off after a three-series run with an average of more than 6.5 million viewers; Sky Atlantic’s gently experimental Landscapers, from the minds of Ed Sinclair and Will Sharpe, delivered critical acclaim and plaudits for leads Olivia Colman and David Thewlis; and HBO/Sky series The Baby pushed the indie into new territory with its comedy horror setting.
But Sister’s premier title of the year was This Is Going To Hurt, based on Adam Kay’s awardwinning memoir and starring Ben Whishaw. Hilarious and heartbreaking, it did as much as any documentary to illustrate the groaning pressure the NHS is subjected to and has rightly been recognised as this year’s Best Drama Series or Serial.
And then there’s the corporate growth of the business, which is bursting into new areas of storytelling via deals with publishing venture Zando, podcast studio Campside Media, comic book company AWA Studios and documentary producer Dorothy Street Pictures. Sister is on top form – and is only getting bigger.
SHORTLISTED
Delivering the top-rating original shows for E4 and Discovery+ is no mean feat, and Married At First Sight UK and 90 Day Fiancé UK are great examples of how CPL has become one of the biggest players in the reality genre. The indie delivered a whopping 137 hours of content last year and its overseas sales doubled.
Disney+’s Wedding Season and BBC One’s Crossfire were major titles for Dancing Ledge in 2022, but its standout series was BBC One’s The Responder. Written by former police officer Tony Schumacher and with a sensational central performance from Martin Freeman, it cut through with huge ratings and massive critical acclaim.
See-Saw had a cracking year thanks to delivering two of the UK’s hottest SVoD dramas. Apple TV+’s Slow Horses was a smart, witty spy caper with Gary Oldman and a distinctive British sensibility, while Netflix’s LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story Heartstopper was a clever, creative comic-book adaptation.
Established in 2019, South Shore has wasted no time in establishing itself as a factual powerhouse, with property and cooking shows, and a standout hit in the shape of Freddie’s Field Of Dreams. It delivered 4 million viewers for BBC One and was quickly recommissioned for two more series.
Gabby Logan captured the mood of the nation when she signed off from England’s landmark victory in the Women’s Euros 2022 with a rallying cry for women’s sport. “You think it’s all over? It’s only just begun.” The same is true for Whisper, which has gone from strength to strength thanks to a Ben Stokes doc for Amazon, Formula 1 and Paralympics coverage for C4, and NFL End Zone for Channel 5.
Award sponsored by Barclays
No comments yet