Gretna documentary secures sports TV nomination

THE company behind a TV documentary broadcast on BBC Scotland on Tuesday has been nominated for a sports TV prize in awards being run by the Royal Television Society.

Independent TV production company, Hand Pict Productions, has been nominated in the Nations and Regions Sports Programme category of the awards for a documentary about Gretna football club.

But it wasn’t its Gretna documentary transmitted on Tuesday that’s up for the award, but a previous one, broadcast a year ago.

The Edinburgh-based ‘indie’ is joined by Scottish sports presenter, Hazel Irvine, in the shortlist. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on the 29th of this month.

And as for its Gretna documentary on Tuesday – broadcast on BBC TWO Scotland, from 9pm to 10pm – it secured a 140,000-strong audience – in other words, a six per cent share of the available TV audience at the time; better than the network programme it displaced, Horizon.

The team behind it comprised camera/director George Cathro, exec producer Ewan Angus, sound recordists Richard Paterson and Dorothy Le Grove, offline editor Simon Blakeley, assistant producer Julie Carver, production assistant Eileen Aitchison, match cameras Mike Easton, Iain Forsyth and Phil Gurney, edit assistants Beth Hourston and Chris Archer, dubbing mixer Paul Wilson, online editor Ian Ballantyne and narrator Ricky Callan.

The awards shortlist reads:

Creative Sports Sequence of the Year

F1 Insight – Red Bull Sequence, North One Television for ITV
World Cup, closing montage, BBC Sport for BBC
World Cup Final 2006, closing montage, ITV Sport for ITV

Digital Channel Sports Programme Award

2006 FIFA World Cup coverage, North One Television for UKTV G2
Steven Gerrard ‘A Year In My Life’, Input Media Production for Pitch International and Sky One
World Rally Championship – Shakedown, North One Television for ITV2 and ITV4

Digital Content Award

Highbury – The Final Salute, Input Media Production for Arsenal Broadband
The Ashes, BBC Sport for BBC
World Cup 2006, BBC Sport for BBC

Live Outside Broadcast Coverage of the Year

Open Golf Championship, BBC Sport for BBC
The Big Fight Live: Calzaghe v Lacy, ITV Sport for ITV
The Boat Race 2006, ITV Sport for ITV

Nations and Regions Sports Actuality Programme

Ospreys v Australia, BBC Two Wales
Live UEFA Cup Special – Derry City v Paris St Germain, BBC Northern Ireland
Super League Show, Paul Doherty International for BBC English Regions

Nations and Regions Sports Presenter or Commentator

Colin Hazelden – East Midlands Today, BBC East Midlands
Roger Johnson – BBC South Today, BBC One South
Matt Teale – ITV Central Tonight, ITV Central

Nations and Regions Sports Programme

Gretna’s Field of Dreams, Hand Pict Productions for BBC Two Scotland
Rugby League, Raw Paul Doherty International/Beaumont Productions for BBC English Regions
Season Ticket, BBC Northern Ireland

Sports Commentator

James Allen – ITV F1 2006, North One Television for ITV
Simon Holt – Channel 4 Racing, Highflyer Digital for Channel 4
John Rawling – The Big Fight Live, ITV Sport

Sports Documentary

Panorama: Undercover – Football’s Dirty Secrets, BBC for BBC One
Planet Ping Pong (Time Shift), BBC Bristol for BBC Four
World Cup Stories: Argentina – From Darkness into the Light, BBC Bristol for BBC Two

Sports Feature

Darren Clarke – Sports Personality of the Year, BBC Sport for BBC
The Boat Race 2006 – Supersize Me, ITV Sport for ITV
West Ham Cup Final preview, BBC Sport for BBC

Sports Innovation Award

Plungecam, BBC Outside Broadcasts/DAGBS for Eurosport
Stromotion: Winter Olympics, BBC Sport for BBC
Trackman: Open Golf Championship, BBC Sport for BBC

Sports News Reporter

Ned Boulting – World Cup 2006/The Boat Race 2006/Champions League, ITV
Sport for ITV
Mike Hall ITV Granada
Phil Jones – Commonwealth Games/Wimbledon, BBC Sport for BBC

Sports Presenter

Hazel Irvine – Winter Olympics/Match Play Golf/World Snooker Final, BBC Sport for BBC
Mark Nicholas – Cricket on Five, Sunset + Vine for Five
Steve Rider – Champions League/World Cup 2006/F1 2006, ITV Sport for ITV

Sports Programme of the Year

Big Ron Manager, North One Television for Sky One
Channel 4 Racing – Cheltenham Gold Cup Day, Highflyer Digital for Channel 4
The Big Fight Live: Calzaghe v Lacy, ITV Sport for ITV

Sports Pundit

Martin Brundle – ITV F1 2006, North One Television for ITV
Simon Hughes – Cricket on Five, Sunset + Vine for Five
Michael Johnson – Commonwealth Games/Gothenburg Athletics, BBC Sport for BBC

Sports Show or Series

Big Ron Manager, North One Television for Sky One
Ski Sunday, BBC Sport for BBC
The Big Fight Live, ITV Sport for ITV