BBC One Editor: Nick Follows Exec Producers: Mike Rudin and Adam Grimley
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It’s tomatotastic this week! Tomatoes are a staple in many of our kitchens, but how much do we really know about what we’re eating? Nick Follows worked on this this Panorama investigation which see’s Runako Celina uncover the truth behind the tomato purees we use in pizzas, pasta sauces, and more. Tracing the journey of tomatoes from China to Italy and finally to the UK, she investigates whether products linked to forced Uyghur labour in Xinjiang, China, could be making their way onto the shelves of some of the UK’s largest supermarkets.
Panorama: What’s on Your Supermarket Shelves? The Dark Side of the Tomato Trade airs Monday at 8pm on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.
Nick also edited a Blood on the Shelves: The Secrets of Xinjiang’s Tomato Industry, part of the BBC World Service Documentaries. This 60-minute documentary also looks at the year-long BBC Eye investigation that uncovered that tomato paste produced using forced labour in Xinjiang, western China and how is likely being sold in major UK and German supermarkets. It’s available to watch here:
Rage Against the Regime: Iran is a gripping two-part documentary that delves into the extraordinary stories of resistance in Iran over decades of authoritarian rule. Directed by James Newton, it highlights the bravery of individuals who risked everything to challenge the regime. From striking steelworkers and political prisoners to women defying mandatory hijab laws and sneaking into football stadiums, these harrowing and inspiring testimonies paint a vivid picture of resilience.
Part one: We Are Like Raindrops aired last night and is receiving brilliant reviews. Ella has worked with the director before and was looking forward to working with him again on episode 2 which is showing next Wednesday. It focuses on the stories of the women who took on the Iranian regime, with the protest spreading across the country until the resulting crackdown led to arrests, injuries and deaths. Ella said “I found the contributor testimonies very powerful and wanted to be sure to show the continuing cost of their bravery in protesting and speaking out against injustice”.
Part two will air on Wednesday 4th Dec on BBC Two Part one and two are available on iPlayer
The shortlist for the 2025 Broadcast Awards has been announced and we’re so pleased and proud that some of the programmes our editors worked on were selected in various categories.
Best Documentary Series
Lockerbie, produced by Mindhouse Productions for Sky Documentaries – Charlie Hawryliw and Paul Holland worked on this documentary recounting the events of the events of the terrorist attack on Pam Am flight 103 in 1988.
Miriam: Death of a Reality Star, produced by Expectation TV for Channel 4 – This 3-part documentary about the life of Miriam Rivera, the world’s first trans reality TV star was cut single-handedly by Charlie Hawryliw.
Best Drama Series or Serial
Baby Reindeer, produced byClerkenwell Films for Netflix – Lem Lawrence contributed to the VFX for the popular dark comedy thriller.
Best Entertainment Programme
Squid Game: The Challenge, produced by Studio Lambert & The Garden for Netflix – Tim Fielding and Gruff Lovgreen both edited parts of this reality series based on the popular Korean thriller.
Best Multichannel Programme
High: Surviving a Dubai Drugs Bust, produced by Blast Films for BBC – Chris Scurfield cut 5 episodes of this historical drama doc for BBC Three.
Best Music Programme
Big Night of Musicals by The National Lottery, produced by TBI Media for BBC – Harry Anstey edited VTs for this special celebration of musical theatre.
Best Original Programme
Banged Up: Stars Behind Bars, produced by Shine TV for Channel 4 – Sean Schmolz worked across this new 4-part constructed documentary following a social experiment in which 8 celebrities are locked up with reformed criminals to experience what life is truly like in prison.
Best Popular Factual Programme
Married at First Sight UK, produced by CPL Productions for E4 – This E4 favourite returns once with editor Mike Kerr, bringing strangers together on their wedding day to find true love.
The Piano, produced by Love Productions for Channel 4 – This heart-warming competition series in which amateur pianist compete to play at the Royal Festival Hall returns for a second series. Editors Paul Bussey and Sean Schmolz cut the last two episodes of the series while Matthew Henley put together the audition tapes for the contributors.
Congratulations to all the programmes who made it to the shortlist, we’re excited to find out the winners on 5th February 2025 during the award ceremony.
In this new series by Plum Pictures, The Grand Tour’s James May dives into a unique phenomenon with the help of the Dull Men’s Club, a popular online community celebrating the ordinary and sometimes overlooked details of life. Together, they’ll tackle quirky yet thought-provoking questions like, “Why can’t a washing machine double as a cooker, so you can make a casserole while cleaning your whites?”
Cutting three episodes, Roy Williams, who has also previously worked on other James May projects, including James May: Our Man in India and James May: Oh Cook was thrilled to rejoin the Plum Pictures team again. He said, “It’s always a great team on the Plum/James May projects”.
The series promises to dive into the delightfully dull with a mix of humour, curiosity, and classic James May charm!
In Poland, archaeologists have uncovered a skeleton with a sickle across her neck and a padlock on her toe – a sign that people once believed this woman might be a real-life vampire. But there’s much more to this chilling discovery. She’s part of what’s now called the Field of Vampires, a site filled with up to 30 other “deviant burials,” all believed to be part of ancient attempts to keep the dead from returning.
With exclusive access to unprecedent archaeological discoveries, this two-part documentary series follows an international team of experts led by historical specialist Dan Jones, as they journey throughout Europe and the US to uncover the reasons behind these ritualistic burials and understand how the myth of vampires began. An intense forensic investigation of ancient skeletons in mysterious graveyards, ground-breaking DNA analysis, and pioneering facial reconstruction techniques piece together the stories of these characters that built a much larger myth.
Dave Richards cut both episodes and comments: ‘I particularly enjoyed the challenge of weaving the narrative threads of the the wider history of how vampire panics spread across 18th century Europe with the story of what happened to the the macabre, excavated remains of a woman believed to be a vampire. One of the major challenges of the film was creating an eerie and unnerving atmosphere out of an unassuming, agricultural field in rural Poland. The moving reveal of the forensically reconstructed model of the female victim, as she would have looked at the time, is a highlight.‘
The series starts 29th October on Sky History 9pm, just in time for the spooky season!
Will Mellor and Ralf Little are back together, now in their forties, these two best friends are on a mission to explore what it means to “do life better” as middle-aged men. Hitting the road in an electric car, they travel the length and breadth of the UK, sharing laughs, shedding tears, and learning more about themselves—and each other—than they have in the past two decades. Throughout their journey, Will and Ralf encounter fascinating characters and venture into unexpected worlds, stepping well outside their comfort zones. Each stop brings new challenges, opportunities for personal growth, and unforgettable memories.
In the first episode, edited by Roy Williams, Will and Ralf dive into the concept of strength—both physical and mental. They kick things off in Wrexham with Rebecca Roberts, a two-time World’s Strongest Woman, where they tackle Strongman events with mixed success. The duo then returns to Runcorn, home of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, where they find the Old Archer pub transformed into a Buddhist temple. Seeking inner peace, they face their physical limitations (and a few laughs) under the guidance of a Thai masseur known as ‘Ninja Nun.’ Roy Williams said he particularly enjoyed cutting the part based in the Buddhist temple.
Will & Ralf Should Know Better launches Monday 7th October at 10pm on U&Dave.
Channel 5 Castaway returns this time starring ‘This Morning’ presenter Phillip Schofield as Robinson Crusoe. Marooned on an uninhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for ten days, the TV personality documents the experience with various cameras, whilst confronting the challenges of isolation, as well as the elements, and reflecting on the media storm he was at the centre of.
Steve Flatt edited episodes 1 and 3 of the 3-part fast turnaround series.
Get ready for an intense dive into one of the most chilling true crime cases in recent history. “Black Widow” is a gripping documentary series that uncovers the decade-long police investigation into Dena Thompson, a woman whose name became synonymous with fraud, manipulation, and murder. Over the course of 20 years, Thompson led a life filled with deception, using Lonely Hearts ads to lure multiple husbands and lovers into her web of lies, bigamy, and even death.
This compelling series brings you exclusive first-hand accounts from those impacted by her actions, including a shocking interview with her first husband, who was left homeless and paranoid, believing he was being pursued by the mafia.
Matt Lowe worked on Episode 3. Chris Scurfield edited across all three episodes.
Black Widow is available on Sky Documentaries. The series will also be available to watch as a box set on Sky and NOW.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Series 6. World of Wonder BBC Three
Start your engines…Mama Ru is back!
The highly acclaimed reality competition series is back for its 6th UK series featuring 12 new drag queens from across the UK. Judges Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr will be returning to help Ru to find the contestant that possesses the most Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent to be crowned the UK’s ‘Next Drag Superstar’.
Chris Naggs edited Episode 3. He said “there’s some great characters this season. The edit was pretty hard work, but great fun, and a lovely edit team who adopted the token straight man as one of their own!”
RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.” season 6 premieres on Thursday 26th September at 8 pm on BBC iPlayer.
The second series of Parole starts this Wednesday and it’s the Times ‘Pick of the Week’. Filmed over a year with parole boards from across England & Wales, and with unique access to their members, prisoners, and some of the victims/their families, this series tackles the fundamental questions underlying the British justice system, around crime, punishment, reform, rehabilitation, repentance and morality.
Every year in England and Wales, around 16,000 of the potentially most dangerous criminals are considered for parole before the end of their sentence. 4,000 of them are released onto our streets and into our communities. Charged with deciding who gets released from prison and who stays locked up are the 346 members of the Parole Board . Simon ‘Badger’ Cooper worked on this series which is full of horribly hard dilemmas. We as an audience sit in meetings where prisoners face tough questions and decisions are weighed.
