The BBC picked up the most awards with six in total and Netflix won two with Channel 4, Disney+, and Sky Documentaries/HBO Documentary Films, and Apple TV+ winning one each. Awards were spread across seven broadcasters and streamers alongside theatrically released features and online platforms. Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland from KEO Films and Walk on Air Films won two awards for Best Documentary Series and Best History Documentary. The feature documentary All that Breathes from Rise Films, Kiterabbit Films, Tangled Bank Studios’ also won two awards for Best Single Documentary – International and Best Cinema Documentary.

The wide range of subjects featured amongst the award-winning documentaries include the history and legacy of conflict in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, the detrimental effects of climate change and big oil on our environment, and the life of one of the 20th century’s greatest musicians. Powerful personal stories include the incredible life of one of Britain’s best loved sports stars, living with cancer, making a career as a wrestler in the US, and one man taking on a big corporation to claim what he thought was rightfully his.

In addition to the programme awards, this year’s BBC Grierson Trustees Award was presented to Anna Hall, and the Sky Documentaries Grierson Hero of the Year Award to Deaf & Disabled People in TV.

Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of The Grierson Trust says: “The winners of this year’s Grierson Awards stand out for the ambition of their storytelling, the craft of their filmmaking and a drive to create documentaries that have a real impact on viewers around the world – whether that’s through extraordinary revelations or bringing new insights to a subject. At a time when the pressures on documentary filmmakers are higher than ever, The Grierson Trust believes it’s important to celebrate their achievements, and to recognise the commitment to documentaries from such a wide range of commissioners and funders.”

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