Editor’s work received win and nominations from the BAFTA, Emmy, RTS and Grierson Awards.

Ferg McGrath

Editor Ferg McGrath, founder of The Cutting Room Editing and it consultancy arm The Cutting Room Consulting, has passed away after a short illness.

McGrath was born in Ireland in 1969 before moving to London in 1994, where he worked as an editor across TV and film. He founded The Cutting Room in 2016, before adding its editing consultancy in 2023. McGrath was also an active member of the BFE, serving on its board between 2018 and 2023 - with three years as co-vice chair, which included its rebranding from GBFTE and saw substantial member growth as it became a more open organisation. 

McGrath’s credits include The Girl Who Talked to Dolphins for the BBC, Dian Fossey: Secrets In The Mist for Nat Geo, Captive and Drive to Survive for Netflix, and many more. His work earned wins and nominations from the likes of BAFTA, Emmy, RTS and Grierson Awards. 

BFE statement

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and friend Fergal McGrath on Friday night, the 20th June.

We would like to extend our deeply felt condolences to his family, friends and the many colleagues who, like us, had the fortune to have met him and worked with him. Aside from being a well-respected editor for many, Fergal a was friend to many in our community and very much loved by everyone.

‘I’ve known Fergal for about 30 years and he has been a constant source of friendship, guidance and joy.’

Fergal played a vital role in the relaunch of GBFTE into British Film Editors and served on the BFE Board of Governors from 2018 to 2023. While on the Board, he spearheaded many changes and contributed enormously to what BFE is today.

For our first ever BFE Cut Above Awards in 2020, Fergal was instrumental in establishing the Chris Crookall Award for outstanding newcomer, an award unique to our association and designed to celebrate junior editors.

Ferg proudly introduced us to TEMPO, uniting editors across the globe with his vision, warmth, and unwavering belief in the power of collaboration. He conducted numerous interviews for our Virtual Glass of Wine series, contributing his editing expertise to in-depth Q&As, which were much appreciated by his guests and our community.

Principally Ferg, as everyone knew him, was a great advocate for inclusion and equality and absolutely committed to facilitating the career progression of many graduates, junior assistants and editors.  

‘He wouldn’t miss a chance to go to every fun event, sing together and cheer every single achievement. He had no bad bone in his body and will be sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of spending time with him over the years.’

Remembering you with Much Love Ferg

Members of BFE Governing Board