Huge shout out to Stern & Wild filmmaker Alex Thomas, Director of the extraordinary three-part series BIBAA & NICOLE: MURDER IN THE PARK (True Vision TV for Sky Documentaries) which was awarded the Best Documentary Series prize at last night’s Broadcast Awards. And a second shout out to Stern & Wild’s Stuart Bernard, Series Director on the rebooted series LIFE ON DEATH ROW (BBC Studios for BBC Three) which received the Highly Commended accolade in the same category.

The award judges were unanimous in their praise for BIBAA & NICOLE which revisits the harrowing story behind the killings of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in 2020, and the shocking police misconduct that followed. The organisers have described how moved the judges were by the way in which the series gave voice to the family, with one calling it an “incredibly sensitive, warm and human” account and another praising the way in which friends and family “drove and owned the narrative”.

“Visually, it challenges some of the conventions of true crime docs. Good direction and clever editing delivers huge emotional impact,” said another. “It is devastatingly powerful and proves TV really can make a difference.”

The judges were particularly impressed with the craft behind the reboot of LIFE ON DEATH ROW despite being made “on a shoestring budget” as well as the “remarkable” access secured by the filmmakers. Cutting between actuality and archive the series explores the stories of US inmates on death row from multiple perspectives and asks new questions of the justice system including state power, the influence of true crime podcasts and developments in neuroscience.

Well done to both and congratulations on a brilliant evening. And shout out too, to all our award nominees. We are incredibly proud of the depth of talent we represent.

Stern & Wild clients scoop top two Broadcast doc series prizes