CRAFT WORK
The creatives and crew behind Shōgun, Billy & Molly and Slow Horses took home top honours at the BAFTA Craft Awards in May.
The 2025 BAFTA Craft Awards honoured the behind-the-scenes talent driving some of the year’s most acclaimed UK and international television. Held at The Brewery in London, the ceremony spotlighted outstanding work in cinematography, directing, editing, design and more—crafts that shape the distinctive style and substance of prestige TV.
Among the standout winners was cinematographer Christopher Ross BSC, who claimed the Photography and Lighting: Fiction award for his painterly and immersive visuals on FX and Disney+ hit Shōgun. The win marked a high point for the acclaimed samurai epic, praised for its naturalistic lighting and restrained visual elegance. The other nominees were Benedict Spence BSC for Eric (Netflix), Stephen Murphy BSC ISC for the “I Lay Waiting” episode of Say Nothing (Disney+) and Nick Morris for Sweetpea (Sky Atlantic).
“It’s a bit of a shock, really – we’re the underdog, after all,” Ross, the outgoing BSC president, joked. “Time for humble self-reflection, I guess. An incredible honour. Thank you very much to the membership of the Academy for this incredible recognition. I’d like to personally recognise my fellow nominees in what has been an incredible 12 months for television.” Ross added that “special recognition must go to the incredible three other cinematographers”: Aril Wretblad FSF, Marc Laliberté CSC and Sam McCurdy ASC BSC, and he also praised the incredible writing on the show.
SHOOTING STARS
Cinematographers were recognised across multiple categories, as Marcel Mettelsiefen won the award for Best Photography: Factual for State of Rage (Channel 4). Other nominees included Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt and Bertie Gregory for Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic); Miles Blayden-Ryall, Vianet Djenguet and Sam Dawe for Silverback (BBC Two); and the camera team behind Storyville: Life and Death in Gaza (BBC Two).
Elsewhere, the prize for Best Emerging Talent: Factual went to Jaber Badwan, director of photography on Kill Zone: Inside Gaza (Channel 4). The other nominees were Lucy Wells (shooting director) for 24 Hours in Police Custody: Murder on Prescription (Channel 4), and Anna Johnston (director) for her work on Parole (BBC Two).
Meanwhile, the Best Director: Multi-Camera award was won by Janet Fraser Cook for Glastonbury 2024 (BBC One). Chris Cook for BBC General Election 2024 (BBC One), the directing team behind D-Day 80: Tribute to the Fallen (BBC One), and Nikki Parsons for Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) completed the shortlist.
Although Hamilton James didn’t win for Best Photography: Factual, he did claim Best Director: Factual for Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story. “I can’t believe I actually won,” he said. “When the awards were read out, I thought, there’s no way I’m gonna win that and then I did – so I’m so happy. The film was about the connection between a man and a wild animal. I think, as humans, right now, in this moment in history, we’re really disconnected from nature. This was a film about reconnection with nature. And I think that’s probably why it resonated.”
Hamilton James described the production as “a deeply and incredibly collaborative show”, crediting National Geographic for giving him and his team the time they needed to work without feeling rushed. “That allowed us all to play – whether it was the sound, the camerawork, the editing – and the producer, Jeff Wilson, gave us the time to play and I guess that’s why it worked,” he added.
When it came to choosing his favourite moment in the production, Hamilton James pointed to one that took him by surprise – one that unfolded unexpectedly. “There’s a sequence right in the middle – a drone shot – that I captured one morning. I got Billy out of bed, Molly was there and the dawn light was just beautiful. To me, it was one of the most perfect, serendipitous, kooky moments. We all hope for those in our careers and this was one of those times where everything came together – and as I was shooting it, I was shaking.”
Robert Frost collected the award for Editing: Fiction, for episode one, season four of Apple TV+ series Slow Horses. “It’s kind of unbelievable, to be honest,” he said. “I was a huge fan of the show before I got the chance to work on it, so there was a little pressure coming on board. But I really love the characters and the team and this is a nice validation.”
Frost added that he thinks one of the reasons the series resonated with voters and audiences is because “Slow Horses is distinctly British”, which has “a great British streak of comedy throughout and it’s got everything you’d want” from a spy thriller. “The amazing writing and performances meant we had a lot of stories to tell,” he continued. “Episode one in season four is kind of unique in that we kill off a main character (or at least make you think that we have) – that was quite an interesting challenge – to work on those earlier scenes and keep the tension up throughout the episode before we give you a reveal at the end.”
