‘This film made me laugh, but equally it’s a shocking story about a dangerous world. Loved this’
In what one judge described as “enthralling, high energy storytelling,” High: Surviving a Dubai Drugs Bust is a five-episode mini-series that tells the story of Karl Williams, a man who was found with spice in the boot of his hire car and sentenced to four years in prison.
Judges were impressed this year by the series’ production quality, with one judge commenting that the series “felt very premium”, with “interesting dramatization” that was “very realistic”.
Another praised the “great, filmic storytelling bringing the energy of a drama to a story that really hits home for its target audience”.
With a £215K budget per episode, the first four episodes averaged 200K viewers in its first week.
The series shines a light on UAE laws and the obscurity around the ethics of imprisonment in the country – Williams claims the Dubai police beat him, used an electric cattle prod and threatened him with a firing squad. When he was released from prison a year later, his PTSD left him worried his newborn daughter wouldn’t recognise him.
One judge commented: “The central character is a fascinating protagonist – an unreliable narrator who you go on a journey with. This film made me laugh, but equally it’s a shocking story about a dangerous world. Loved this.”
SHORTLISTED
Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie?
Rogan Scotland for BBC Scotland
Within the first month of its release on BBC iPlayer, Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? averaged 1.7m views per episode. With a £424K budget across 4 episodes, the series tells the story of Annie Borgesson, a Swedish woman who was found drowned on Prestwick beach in Scotland in 2005.
The series makes use of non-linear timelines and storytelling to place the viewer in the centre of the drama.
Liar: The Fake Grooming Scandal
Firecrest Films for BBC
Pulling in 1m views within its first month on iPlayer and over doubling its slot average on BBC3, this film has a completion rate of almost 90%.
Drawing on more than 50 hours of footage, and interviews with specialist detectives, the film tells the story of Ellie Williams, a 19-year-old who in May 2020 made a Facebook post detailing made-up violent and sexual assaults, and explores the devastating impact of her lies.
Murder Trial: The Disappearance of Renee and Andrew Macrae
Firecrest Films for BBC Scotland
Averaging 39K viewers and peaking at 43K, the popularity of Murder Trial saw two new series commissioned. BBC iPlayer requests were around 1m and the series averaged 1m overnight on BBC2.
Across its two episodes this series documents the investigation and prosecution of Scotland’s most notorious cold case: the disappearance of a mother and toddler in the Highlands in the 1970s.
Tell Them You Love Me
Mindhouse Productions for Sky Documentaries / NOW TV
Tell Them You Love Me follows the complex relationship between Anna Stubblefield, a university professor at Rutgers, and Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy. Stubblefield, who features in the documentary, would later be charged with sexual assault in a case that divided America.
Central to the production and story was Johnson’s experience, navigated by consultant producer Leroy F. Moore Jr., who has cerebral palsy, and disabled anthropologist and professor Devva Kasnitz.
The Footballer Fraudster
Collective Media Group for ITVX
When Medi Abalimba fell short of his dream of becoming a footballer, he became a con artist. Using a fake identity, he would go on to scam celebrities including former Love Island star Georgia Steel and Claire Henry, ex-wife of footballer Thierry Henry, out of thousands of pounds.
The Footballer Fraudster had a budget of £450K per episode and outperformed its slot average on ITVX.
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