‘I laughed way more than I should have and learned much more than I thought I could have’
This unique genre mash-up of wildlife and comedy delivers a natural history show like you’ve never seen it before. Packed with previously unseen animal behaviour, and produced using quirky framing and delivered in Ryan Reynolds’ inimitable comedic voice, the series aimed to bring a new – younger – audience to the wonders of the natural world.
In what is believed to be the first-ever genuine collaboration between a wildlife TV company (Wildstar Films) and a talent-led company (Reynolds’ Maximum Effort), Underdogs was created with the star’s identity baked into story choices and shooting style, as well as script.
Judges praised this “fresh approach” to the genre, which offered “great fun with genuine takeaway”, while another added that the show “cleverly played with, and gently spoofed, the conventions of the natural history genre while remaining genuinely informative and engaging”.
More akin to drama than traditional natural history, each scene was fully story-boarded before filming, with world-leading cinematographers onboard to shoot and scoring by Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams. More than half the team and three of five directors were female.
“I laughed way more than I should have and learned much more than I thought I could have,” summed up one of our judges of this unique and captivating show.
Shortlisted
Great British Castle Rescue
FirstLook TV for Sky History
Ambitious and distinctly British, this doc celebrates not just the grandeur of castles but the people, crafts, and communities dedicated to preserving them. Rick Edwards brings energy, warmth and an every-person perspective to the series, providing audiences with access into a world they might otherwise never experience.
How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet
Electrify Video Partners for Veritasium YouTube
One of the most-watched original YouTube science documentaries of 2025, this expose tracks the spread of so-called forever chemicals – PFAS – from one West Virginia company to the entire planet and the blood of billions, including host Derek Muller. A science story of massive scope and relevance, it reveals how the scandal became public knowledge.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith
Nutopia for Disney+
This unprecedented cinematic experience offered access to some of the most extreme places on Earth, with episodes built around expeditions that uncovered 10 new species, including a new green anaconda species and a language spoken by only five people. It was also a smash hit, ranking top for Disney+ globally in its first week.
The Wild Ones
Offspring Films in association with Apple for Apple TV
Fronted by former Royal Marines Commando and expedition lead Aldo Kane, wildlife and camera trap expert Declan Burley, and Congolese-born wildlife cinematographer Vianet Djenguet, The Wild Ones follows a quest across six countries to find, film and help protect the most endangered animals on Earth, using next-generation camera technology.
Witches of Essex
Mindhouse Productions & Motion Entertainment, a WPP Media company, for Sky History
Rylan Clark and anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts team up on this eye-opening show to investigate the murder of hundreds of women accused of witchcraft during the 16th and 17th Centuries. Each episode centres on a specific trial, using scripted drama scenes and an innovative ‘investigation room’ to piece together the stories of the women, their accusers and their alleged crimes.
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