The Documentary Unit at BBC Studios is the home of high quality, thought-provoking and award-winning factual television.

Powerful storytelling is at the heart of what we do - and this helps us take
global audiences on gripping journeys underpinned by real journalism viewers can trust. Our distinctive, ambitious and informative output ranges from observational access documentaries, crime, formats and factual drama.

Spanning three bases across the UK in London, Cardiff and Salford, our programming is critically acclaimed, with titles like the BAFTA-winning Life and Death Row, and award nominated programmes such as Scam Interceptors, The Met and Rip Off Britain.

Working with some of the most highly regarded talent in the UK, on and off screen, the Documentary Unit entertains and educates audiences with distinctive authored content driven by bold storytelling, a strong sense of purpose and a breadth of specialist knowledge.
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KEY Titles

Grenfell: The Untold Story

CHANNEL 4

Grenfell: The Untold Story

In 2021's powerful insider film of the years leading up to the devastating fire, artist Constantine Gras created a powerful record of the residents' safety concerns as they struggled to be heard.

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Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles

CHANNEL 4

Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles

This three-part series goes undercover with police officers targeting people who pose a sexual threat to children. Each programme follows a covert officer tasked with engaging with paedophiles operating online.

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Scam Interceptors

BBC ONE

Scam Interceptors

Rav Wilding hunts down the scammers plaguing our lives. Working with ethical hackers to hack into the fraudsters’ illegal call centres, Rav uses cutting-edge technology to monitor the scammers’ phone calls in an effort to stop victims before they can be defrauded.

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Rip Off Britain

BBC ONE

Rip Off Britain

Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville present the country’s flagship consumer programme, highlighting any situation where a member of the public feels they’ve been taken advantage of or ripped off, and fighting on their behalf.

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The Met - Policing London

BBC ONE

The Met - Policing London

Documentary following the officers of Britain's biggest and busiest police service as they deal with life, death, crime and its victims all across the capital.

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Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice

BBC ONE

Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice

This documentary explores the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Police Officer. A watershed moment, it highlighted the issue of male predators in the police force and the extent of violence against women and girls. Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice looks at the Met’s investigation into Sarah’s murder, how this devastating crime unfolded and its impact.

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Murder Case: The Digital Detectives

Channel 4

Murder Case: The Digital Detectives

Murder Case: The Digital Detectives is a next generation true crime series, revealing the ground-breaking digital techniques helping police solve murders on Britain’s streets. Part of True Crime on Channel 4.

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Crimewatch Caught

BBC ONE

Crimewatch Caught

For 40 years Crimewatch has asked for viewers help to solve some of the biggest crimes in the country. Now with extraordinary access to police forces across the UK we’re bringing you the dramatic compelling heartbreaking stories of how detectives have solved some of their most complex cases. This brand new series reveals the investigations behind the headlines, told by those who cracked the cases and by the victims and their families as they are served justice. 

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Our War

BBC TWO

Our War

The groundbreaking, award winning BBC series ‘Our War’ told the story of the Afghanistan war through the eyes of the young British soldiers who fought in the conflict. Now, 10 years since British troops withdrew from Afghanistan, this new film revisits some of the soldiers who recall the key events from the original series and reveal how it has shaped their lives.

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Doctors: A celebration

BBC One

Doctors: A celebration

Doctors: A Celebration takes a behind the scenes look at the last week of filming on the popular daytime soap ‘Doctors’, while looking back at 24 years of the series through archive and interviews with some of its biggest stars.

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OUR TEAM

Martha Brass

Georgia Moseley

HEAD OF DOCUMENTARY UNIT

Georgia is Head of the Documentary Unit. In partnership with Senior Creative Director Katharine Patrick she sets the unit’s creative strategy. Georgia has overseen a large range of documentary and factual content across TV, digital and podcasts including Life and Death Row; Black British Hero; Secret Life of the Airport; and Chuck D’s Stay Free: The Story of The Clash. Prior to running the Documentary Unit Georgia led BBC Studios’ multi-award winning Factual Podcast Unit where she oversaw the development and production of a number of global hit podcasts for platforms such as BBC Sounds, Audible and Spotify including Believe in Magic; Vishal; Mother, Neighbour, Russian Spy; Obscene: The Dublin Scandal and I Am Not Nicholas. ...

Martha Brass

Katharine Patrick

SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Katharine is Senior Creative Director of the Documentary unit in partnership with Georgia Moseley, who is head of the unit. Katharine is tasked with setting and delivering the editorial and creative strategy for the unit, including overseeing development, content strategy and driving new business. Prior to joining BBC Studios, Katharine was Head of Factual at Wonderhood Studios and is a BAFTA and Grierson nominated Executive Producer. At Wonderhood, she Executive Produced the three-part premium documentary series, Evacuation, with top-to-bottom access to the British military, C4 documentary ‘The Kidnap of Angel Lynn’ , Sky Docs premium boxset series ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ as well as the BAFTA and Grierson nominated series ‘Baby Surgeons’. She also contributed to overseeing a slate of programming from development to delivery working with broadcasters in the UK and US and is a former Head of Development for numerous indies, including Minnow and Nutopia. ...

Martha Brass

Beth Ambrose

HEAD OF PRODUCTION

Beth is Head of Production at the Documentary Unit and responsible for the safe and timely delivery of our programmes and overseeing the financial and operational health of the unit. Beth started her career in the Indie sector and joined the BBC in 2002, working across an array of Factual programming from Louis Theroux to The One Show along with dramas and a stint in Comedy. After leaving the BBC she became Head of Production at Bohemia Films making documentaries such as Bent Coppers for BBC Two and The Festival That Changed the World for Sky. She returned to the BBC to manage the Factual development slate and went on to line produce projects for the Science Unit, including Our Universe for Netflix. Most recently, Beth has been a Production Executive in the Natural History Unit looking after Impact campaigns, podcasts and titles such as Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster. ...

Martha Brass

Kirsty Cunningham

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kirsty oversees the delivery of programming for Documentaries. Since joining she has also executive produced the Bafta and Grierson winner Grenfell: The Untold Story (Channel 4), Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride (BBC2), Michael X: Hustler, Revolutionary, Outlaw (Sky). Prior to this Kirsty led teams on some of the most acclaimed and popular factual series (Ambulance, 24 Hours in A&E, Our Cops in the North) as well complex access documentaries (Girls on the Edge, A Killing in My Family, Protecting Our Foster Kids). Her work has won Grierson, Royal Television Society, BAFTA and Mind awards. ...

Martha Brass

Joe Mather

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Joe leads the Documentary Unit’s crime pillar, specialising in exclusive access and big audiences. He’s overseen hundreds of hours of network programmes including the BAFTA and RTS nominated ‘Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles’ for Channel Four and BAFTA nominated ‘The Murder of Jill Dando’ for BBC One. Forthcoming productions include an unprecedented new series revealing a previously unseen area of high-adrenaline policing and a new retrospective format examining how cutting-edge forensics can help solve the most serious of cases. Prior to working in Factual Joe was an award-winning senior journalist for Newsnight and Panorama on the BBC and at Channel Four News. ...

Martha Brass

Emma Ong

HEAD OF COMMERCIAL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SCIENCE, DOCUMENTARIES AND CHINA

Emma has held a variety of commercial and business development roles at the BBC. Drawing on over 15 years’ experience in Unscripted and Scripted commercial roles, Emma is a global content expert having lived and worked in Beijing and working behind the scenes on successful shows such as Planet Earth, Doctor Who, The Planets, Surgeon’s Cut and Fight the Power. ...

Martha Brass

Andrew Downey

HEAD OF COMMERCIAL, RIGHTS & BUSINESS AFFAIRS, SCIENCE & DOCUMENTARY

Andrew has over 20 years’ experience of production and commissioning business affairs in the BBC and BBC Studios supporting, at various times, Science, Docs, Arts, the NHU, News and Currents Affairs and Learning. Since Studios inception he has led on Production’s contractual relationships with several major SVOD clients and managed the Factual business affairs team in London and, more recently, Glasgow ...