BAFTA win for Stern & Wild clients’ doc on the Church of England’s biggest scandal

Huge congratulations to Stern & Wild filmmakers Kira Phillips and Benedict Sanderson and the entire team behind the harrowing two-part documentary SEE NO EVIL, winner of the BAFTA Television Award for best Factual Series.

Produced by Passion Pictures for Channel 4, the powerful production details the decades of abuse by former barrister and evangelical leader John Smyth and the subsequent cover-up by senior leaders within the Church of England and other institutions.

Described by Series Director Benedict as “part horror film, part investigative thriller, part family drama,” the film investigates how Smyth was able to evade responsibility for abusing over 100 boys and young men at his home and the Christian summer camps he ran for so long, the fight to bring him to justice, and how the scandal eventually led to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It includes searing testimony from some of Smyth’s victims including his own children and features the first ever interview with his wife of 50 years. Kira is Executive Producer.

We are absolutely thrilled for the whole team behind this project – shout out to the doc’s other Executive Producer, Hamish Fergusson – and to all the winners and nominees at last night’s Awards. It was a fantastic evening.

SEE NO EVIL was screened on Channel 4 over consecutive evenings at the beginning of December last year and is available to stream now on the Channel 4 platform.

(L to R) Benedict Sanderson, Tom Cross, Katie Greening, Otto Burnham, Kira Phillips and Hamish Fergusson. Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images

Time to celebrate!