Grierson Longlist 2026

We’re delighted to see five films featuring Blueberry talent on the 2026 Grierson Awards longlist – a brilliant mix of work spanning current affairs and arts to true crime, factual formats and landmark music documentaries.

The Grierson Awards celebrate the very best in documentary filmmaking, and this year feels particularly special as it marks 100 years since John Grierson first coined the term “documentary”. We’re really proud to see the work our editors have contributed to celebrated alongside the brilliant teams who brought each of these productions to life.

Best Current Affairs Documentary
– SURVIVING SYRIA’S PRISONS– Additional Editor: Nazim Kadri Zade

Best Arts and Music Documentary
– LIVE AID AT 40: WHEN ROCK ’N’ ROLL TOOK ON THE WORLD – Episode 1 – Editor: Matt Ashton

Best Single Documentary – Domestic
– L.S. LOWRY: THE UNHEARD TAPES – Film Editor: Will Roche

Best Documentary Series
– THE MOTHER OF ALL CONS – Additional Editor: Simon Abrahams

Best Constructed and Formatted Documentary Series
– KNIFE EDGE: CHASING MICHELIN STARS – Edit Assistant: Rye McBlain

See the full 2026 Grierson Awards longlist

Longlisted: Best Current Affairs Documentary

Surviving Syria’s Prisons

Produced by BBC for BBC Two

Additional Editor: Nazim Kadri Zade

A powerful investigation into the brutal prison system of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, told through the experiences of those who endured it and those who enforced it. The film follows brothers Shadi and Hadi Haroun as they revisit the detention sites where they were imprisoned, alongside testimony from former regime operatives about the machinery of repression, torture and disappearance.

Watch on BBC iPlayer

Longlisted: Best Arts and Music Documentary

Live Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World – Episode 1

Produced by Brook Lapping for BBC and CNN Originals

Editor: Matt Ashton

Marking 40 years since Live Aid, the series tells the story of how the 1985 concerts grew out of Band Aid’s response to the famine in Ethiopia and became a global phenomenon. Combining archive footage with interviews from musicians, political figures and those directly affected, it explores the extraordinary ambition behind Live Aid, the complexities and controversies of international aid, and how the movement went on to influence global charity, politics and campaigning through to Live 8 and beyond.

Watch on BBC iPlayer

Longlisted: Best Single Documentary – Domestic

L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes

Produced by Wall to Wall for BBC

Film Editor: Will Roche

Previously unheard recordings reveal a remarkably intimate portrait of one of Britain’s best-loved artists. Recorded by a young fan in 1972, the tapes shed new light on Lowry’s life, personality and the changing northern landscape he captured in his paintings, with Ian McKellen narrating Lowry’s own words.

Watch on BBC iPlayer

Longlisted: Best Documentary Series

The Mother of All Cons

Produced by BBC Studios for BBC

Additional Editor: Simon Abrahams

A three-part series exploring the extraordinary story behind a teenage girl’s charity for seriously ill children. After attracting celebrity support, including from One Direction, suspicions begin to grow about the claims behind the charity, leading a group of parents to start investigating for themselves.

Watch on BBC iPlayer

Longlisted: Best Constructed and Formatted Documentary Series

Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars

Produced by Studio Ramsay Global for Apple TV

Edit Assistant: Rye McBlain

The eight-part series enters the high-pressure world of Michelin-starred dining, following chefs across the globe as they pursue their first, second or third star while offering rare access to the famously secretive world of Michelin inspectors.

Watch on AppleTV+

The Grierson Awards shortlist will be announced on Monday 14 September, ahead of the Awards Ceremony at the Roundhouse in London on Tuesday 10 November 2026.