‘An immediately enjoyable character in the classic British sitcom lead tradition’
Mighty Pebble Pictures & The Story Collective for BBC
The team behind Donkey set out to create a laugh-out loud working class British-Arab comedy, which showcased star Fatiha El-Ghorri as both a performer and a writer – and they succeeded with aplomb.
Our judges hailed El-Ghorri as an “excellent firecracker performer”, who presented who created “an immediately enjoyable character in the classic British sitcom lead tradition” set in a “vibrant, relatable world that I want to see more of”.
They also praised the film’s commitment to inclusivity and representation, which ensured that there was a strong team of working-class, Muslim, hijab-wearing, disabled, POC and Arab talent both on and off-screen.
Dialogue flowed between English and Arabic, with subtitles which were carefully designed to maximise comedic effect, capture the realities of living in a multi-lingual family and remind audiences that they don’t need to fully understand a language or culture to grasp the humour and emotion of a scene.
Directed over just two days and on a tight budget, Donkey was “joyous”, “hilarious”, “energised, chaotic” and full of “well observed family moments” which left our judges wanting more.
Shortlisted
I’m Glad I Know That Now Thank You
Blink Industries for YouTube
Animated short I’m Glad I Know That Now Thank You, voiced by beloved British comedian Joe Lycett, was “absolutely bonkers in the best possible way”, one of our judges said, adding: “It’s rare that something can distill satire, absurdism and the surreal into something so funny and weird – like David Lynch in animation form.”
The animation by the viral cartoonist known as Chris (Simpsons Artist) drew praise from many of our judges, as did the “unnerving and wonderful” tone of the show’s comedy.
Long Story Short, Triongl
Candle and Bell, The Fold, Joi Productions, Barry Crerar, Out of Orbit & Indefinite Films for BBC
Developed by BBC Writers with seven of their most promising new screenwriters, Long Story Short is a bold anthology of seven original short films, each of which delivers a complete, compelling story in under 15 minutes.
Judges found the stories intriguing and poignant, with one noting: “It’s great to see investment in this space – I hope to see more from the writers and actors alike.”
Rocket Fuel
Fully Focused Productions & Slick Films for BBC iPlayer
Set on the outskirts of Bradford Rocket Fuel follows the painfully bored Lenny and Mullet, who use an abandoned car and their imaginations to build a ride to the moon. The short was designed to be a multi-platform digital experience that worked across TV, iPlayer and social platforms, and its top-performing clip hit 19 million views, 2 million likes and thousands of comments and shares across Instagram and TikTok.
Tell Me When you’re Bored
Calling The Shots Films for Channel 4 YouTube
This sketch-based comedy format starred the Victoria Wood Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian Rob Copeland, who drew particular praise from the Broadcast judges, as well as a wider ensemble of emerging comedians, creating “memorable laugh out loud moments” according to our judges. They also picked up on the show’s ambition to lean into visual comedy and use the camera itself as an additional comic tool, noting the “very distinctive and fast-moving style and visuals”.
Yr Alwad
Mojo TV for S4C
Yr Alwad (Calls) was the first vertical drama ever commissioned by a PSB in the UK. The seven-episode TikTok series (which is also available to view as a single film) follows the phone calls between Dylan and his mother Emma as his fun night out in Cardiff ends in homophobic harassment as he is followed by a gang of youths. Judges described the project as “captivating and ambitious” and “incredibly impressive”.
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