BlackLight Television for Channel 4
“This drama moved me more than anything else on the list. Truly accomplished for first time director and writer,” declared one judge in selecting this winner.
Each anthology drama from the latest On The Edge strand, which champions new film-making talent, focuses on the role of care and caring. Written by Beru Tessema, Letting Go explores the power of attachment and the difficulty of separation. It follows foster father Gabriel as he struggles to let go of Faith, the teenage girl who has been in his care for years and who is returned to the charge of her birth mother.
Gabriel finds it difficult to process this massive change and comes to believe the girl is in danger, all the while failing to understand how his complex feelings about his own father are clouding his judgement. Anthony Welsh (Pure) and Clare-Hope Ashitey (Seven Seconds) star.
The direction comes from Mitch Kalisa (Play It Safe) who orchestrates an accomplished and powerful film, spearheading the new talent on the production, part of the 4Stories initiative.
Another judge described it as “a moving, beautifully told story written and directed with confidence and accomplishment by talent new to TV drama”.
They added: “Powerful, understated direction elicited fantastic performances. This single drama is a triumph, made by a writing, direction, acting and production team who refused to be shackled by budgetary constraints.”
SHORTLISTED
Men Up
Quay Street Productions & Boom for BBC
Inspired by the true story of one of the world’s first trials for the drug that became Viagra, feature-length Men Up revolves around the stories of five ordinary Welsh men who become part of medical history as they go on a journey of trials and tribulations. Iwan Rheon, Aneurin Barnard, Alex Roach, Joanna Page, Phaldut Sharma, Paul Rhys, Steffan Rhodri and Mark Lewis Jones lead a stellar cast.
On The Edge: The Final Countdown
BlackLight Television for Channel 4
The second of the three On The Edge dramas shortlisted in this category, The Final Countdown weaves humour into the tough depiction of dementia in a married couple, to create a poignant drama. Based on the writer’s experience of dementia in her own family, The Final Countdown, is authentic and brutally honest about the impact of the condition on the families of those who are dealing with similar situation.
On The Edge: Wet Look
BlackLight Television for Channel 4
A unique and beautiful romantic comedy drama, Wet Look – the third On The Edge – follows Gwynn, a mermaid who is stuck on land unable to grow back her tail, and her human partner, Rob who feels lost not knowing how to help. Written and directed by first-time disabled talent, Wet Look explores themes of love, loss and alienation.
Partygate
Halcyons Heart Films for Channel 4
Working on a tight budget, turnaround and in the middle of the post-Covid streamer boom, this eye-catching satire draws from Sue Gray’s official report into the political scandal to provide a road map for the events of each of the 14 parties. Gaps in Gray’s accounts were filled by the journalists who broke the big stories – meaning the scenes in this drama were backed by hundreds of pages of supporting evidence for the Channel 4 lawyer. The result: a scripted egg on the face of Boris Johnson’s beleaguered government.
Scoop
Lighthouse Film & Television Production in association with Voltage TV for Netflix
Another story taking inspiration from real events, Netflix’s high-profile single tells the inside account of the tenacious journalism that landed one of the most infamous television interviews of all time. The interview did not go well for Prince Andrew but provided gripping television, both as a spectacle in its own right and in the form of two scripted projects, including Scoop.
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