# British Academy Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand

The British Academy Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official BAFTA website as "more than one factual programme linked through a unified approach, narrative or the thematic development of a subject matter."
Throughout the history of the awards there have been several categories with different names for factual television programming.
* From 1958 to 1969 was presented as an individual award named Best Factual while also from 1964 to 1966 other category was presented as Best Factual Personality.
* In 1971 and 1972 was awarded as Best Factual Production and then from 1973 to 1977 as Best Factual Programme.
* Finally since 1973 it has been awarded under the name of Best Factual Series or Best Factual Series or Strand.

## Winners and nominees
### 1950s

Best Factual'
| Year | Recipient(s) | Title |
| 1958 | Donald Baverstock and the production team | Tonight |
| 1958 | Production team | Tonight |

### 1960s

Best Factual
| Year | Recipient(s) | Title |
| 1960 | Denis Mitchell | Denis Mitchell |
| 1961 | Michael Redington | Michael Redington |
| 1962 | Tim Hewat | Tim Hewat |
| 1963 | Richard Cawston | Richard Cawston |
| 1964 | Peter Morley, Cyril Bennett | Peter Morley, Cyril Bennett |
| 1965 | Production team | World in Action |
| 1966 | Jeremy Isaacs and the production team | This Week |
| 1966 | Cyril Bennett | Division This Week Three After Six Paradise Street |
| 1966 | Paul Fox | General Election Coverage |
| 1966 | Tim Slessor | So You Think You Can Drive Jungle Green Glorious Sail |
| 1966 | Sports Unit | Presentation of Olympic Material |
| 1967 | Production team | 24 Hours |
| 1968 | Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton | Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton |
| 1969 | Phillip Whitehead and the production team | This Week |
Best Factual Personality
| Year | Recipient(s) |
| 1964 | Bernard Braden |
| 1965 | Alan Whicker |
| 1966 | Malcolm Muggeridge |

### 1970s

Best Factual Production
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
| 1971 | The Tribe That Hides from Man | Adrian Cowell |
| 1971 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild and the production team |
| 1971 | Man Alive | Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton and the production team |
| 1971 | Man Alive: Gale is Dead | Jenny Barraclough |
| 1971 | Wildlife Safari in Ethiopia | Jeffery Boswall |
| 1971 | World in Action | Production team |
| 1972 | Man Alive: Women in Prison | Jenny Barraclough |
| 1972 | World in Action | Jeremy Wallington and the production team |
| 1972 | Born To Be Small | Tony Snowdon, Derek Hart |
| 1972 | Hollywood – Dowager in Hot Pants | Jack Gold |
| 1972 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild |
| 1972 | Man Alive | Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton and the production team |
| 1972 | Surrender to Everest | Antony Thomas, Ned Kelly |
Best Factual Programme
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
| 1973 | Horizon: "The Making of a Natural History Film" | Mick Rhodes |
| 1973 | The Block | Paul Watson |
| 1973 | The Commanders: Rommel | Harry Hastings |
| 1974 | Last Night, Another Soldier… | Eric Davidson |
| 1974 | Horizon: "What Time Is Your Body?" | Dominic Flessati |
| 1974 | Metroland | Edward Mirzoeff |
| 1974 | The Year of the Torturer | Stephen Clark, Leslie Woodhead |
| 1975 | Beauty, Bonny, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton | Frank Cvitanovich |
| 1975 | The Bomb Disposal Men | Jenny Barraclough |
| 1975 | The Opium Warlords | Adrian Cowell |
| 1975 | The World at War: "Genocide" | Michael Darlow |
| 1976 | Johnny Go Home | John Willis |
| 1976 | Auschwitz, The Final Solution | Michael Darlow |
| 1976 | Everest The Hard Way | Ned Kelly, Christopher Ralling |
| 1976 | This Week: "Dying for a Fag" | David Elstein |
| 1977 | Sailor: "The Rescue" | John Purdie |
| 1977 | The Battle of the Somme | Malcolm Brown |
| 1977 | Spirit Of The Place – Laurence Durrell's Greece | Peter Adam |
| 1977 | The World About Us: "Lions of the Serengeti" | Hugo van Lawick |
| 1977 | The World About Us: "Night of the Fox" | Peter Bale |
Best Factual Series
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
| 1973 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild and the production team |
| 1973 | America | Michael Gill |
| 1973 | Man Alive | Desmond Wilcox and the production team |
| 1974 | World in Action | Gus Macdonald |
| 1974 | America: "Episodes 8–13" | Michael Gill |
| 1974 | Horizon | Bruce Norman |
| 1974 | The World at War: "Episodes 1–8" | Jeremy Isaacs |
| 1975 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild, Bruce Norman |
| 1975 | Disappearing World | Brian Moser |
| 1975 | The World About Us | Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons |
| 1975 | The World at War: "Episodes 9–26" | Jeremy Isaacs |
| 1976 | Disappearing World | Brian Moser |
| 1976 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild |
| 1976 | News at Ten | Nigel Ryan |
| 1976 | Survival | Colin Willock |
| 1976 | The World About Us | Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons |
| 1977 | Sailor | John Purdie, Roger Mills |
| 1977 | Disappearing World | Brian Moser |
| 1977 | Horizon | Peter Goodchild |
| 1977 | The World About Us | Michael Andrews, Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons |
| 1978 | The South African Experience | Antony Thomas |
| 1978 | Disappearing World | Brian Moser |
| 1978 | Horizon | Simon Campbell-Jones |
| 1978 | Royal Heritage | Michael Gill |
| 1978 | The World About Us | Michael Andrews, Anthony Isaacs |
| 1979 | The Voyage of Charles Darwin | Christopher Ralling |
| 1979 | The Body in Question: "Episodes 1–7" | Patrick Uden |
| 1979 | The Hong Kong Beat | John Purdie |
| 1979 | Horizon | Simon Campbell-Jones |

### 1980s

Best Factual Series
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
| 1980 | Circuit 11 Miami | Mark Anderson |
| 1980 | Life on Earth | John Sparks, Richard Brock |
| 1980 | The Magic of Dance | Patricia Foy |
| 1980 | The World About Us | Anthony Isaacs, Michael Andrews |
| 1981 | Strangeways | Rex Bloomstein |
| 1981 | Great Railway Journeys of the World | Roger Laughton |
| 1981 | Hollywood | Kevin Brownlow, David Gill |
| 1981 | Ireland: A Television History: "Episodes 1–5" | Jeremy Isaacs |
| 1981 | Public School | Richard Denton |
| 1982 | Ireland: A Television History: "Episodes 5–13" | Jeremy Isaacs |
| 1982 | Fighter Pilot | Colin Strong |
| 1982 | Forty Minutes | Roger Mills |
| 1982 | Wildlife on One | Peter Bale |
| 1982 | The World About Us | Peter Jones, Anthony Isaacs |
| 1983 | Police | Roger Graef, Charles Stewart |
| 1983 | The Flight of the Condor | Michael Andrews |
| 1983 | Forty Minutes | Roger Mills |
| 1983 | Horizon | Graham Massey |
| 1984 | Forty Minutes | Roger Mills |
| 1984 | Unknown Chaplin | David Gill, Kevin Brownlow |
| 1984 | Wildlife on One | Peter Bale |
| 1984 | The World About Us | Anthony Isaacs, Peter Jones |
| 1985 | River Journeys | Roger Laughton, David Wallace |
| 1985 | Crime Inc | John Edwards, Martin Short |
| 1985 | Forty Minutes | Roger Mills |
| 1985 | The Heart of the Dragon | Peter Montagnon |
| 1986 | Forty Minutes | Edward Mirzoeff, Roger Mills |
| 1986 | Comrades | Richard Denton |
| 1986 | Kingdom of the Ice Bear | Hugh Miles, Mike Salisbury |
| 1986 | Whicker's World: Living with Uncle Sam | Jonathan Stedall |
| 1987 | World in Action | Ray Fitzwalter |
| 1987 | British Cinema: Personal View | David Gill, Kevin Brownlow |
| 1987 | Crimewatch | Sam Organ, Peter Chafer |
| 1987 | First Tuesday | John Willis |
| 1987 | Forty Minutes | Edward Mirzoeff |
| 1987 | Horizon | Robin Brightwell |
| 1987 | The South Bank Show | Melvyn Bragg |
| 1988 | The Duty Men | Paul Hamann |
| 1988 | Arena | Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall |
| 1988 | The RKO Story: Tales from Hollywood | Charles Chabot, Rosemary Wilton |
| 1988 | Forty Minutes | Edward Mirzoeff |
| 1989 | Arena | Anthony Wall, Nigel Finch |
| 1989 | Forty Minutes | Edward Mirzoeff |
| 1989 | The South Bank Show | Melvyn Bragg |
| 1989 | Supersense | John Downer |

### 1990s

Best Factual Series
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
| 1990 | Forty Minutes | Edward Mirzoeff |
| 1990 | Arena | Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall |
| 1990 | Around the World in 80 Days | Clem Vallance, Roger Mills |
| 1990 | World in Action | Stuart Prebble |
| 1991 | The Trials of Life | Peter Jones |
| 1991 | Arena | Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall |
| 1991 | Disappearing World | David Wason |
| 1991 | First Tuesday | Grant McKee |
| 1991 | Forty Minutes | Caroline Pick |
| 1992 | Naked Hollywood | Nicolas Kent |
| 1992 | Arena | Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall |
| 1992 | Dispatches | David Lloyd |
| 1992 | First Tuesday | Grant McKee |
| 1992 | Forty Minutes | Caroline Pick |
| 1993 | Pandora's Box | Adam Curtis |
| 1993 | Doctors to Be | Edward Briffa |
| 1993 | Inside Story | Steve Hewlett, Paul Hamann |
| 1993 | Secret History | John Willis |
| 1994 | The Ark | Molly Dineen |
| 1994 | Cutting Edge | Peter Moore |
| 1994 | First Tuesday | Chris Bryer |
| 1994 | Life in the Freezer | Alastair Fothergill |
| 1995 | Beyond the Clouds | Phil Agland |
| 1995 | Cutting Edge | Peter Moore |
| 1995 | Equinox | Sara Ramsden |
| 1995 | Hollywood Kids | Jilly Hafenrichter |
| 1996 | The Death of Yugoslavia | Norma Percy |
| 1996 | Dispatches | David Lloyd |
| 1996 | Network First | Stuart Prebble, John Blake |
| 1996 | The Private Life of Plants | Mike Salisbury |
| 1997 | The House | Michael Waldman, Andrew Bethell |
| 1997 | Cutting Edge | Peter Moore |
| 1997 | People's Century | Peter Pagnamenta |
| 1997 | The System | Peter Dale |
| 1998 | The Nazis: A Warning from History | Laurence Rees |
| 1998 | Breaking Point | Peter Gordon, Amanda Richardson |
| 1998 | Hotel | Neil Grant, Belinda Cherrington |
| 1998 | Royals and Reptiles | Leonie Jameson, Denys Blakeway |
| 1999 | The Human Body | Richard Dale |
| 1999 | The Clintons: A Marriage of Power | Paul Mitchell |
| 1999 | Cold War | Martin Smith |
| 1999 | The Life of Birds | Mike Salisbury |

### 2000s

Best Factual Series or Strand
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2000 | The Mayfair Set | Adam Curtis | BBC Two |
| 2000 | Manhunt – The Search for the Yorkshire Ripper | Ray Fitzwalter, Michael Bilton, Gwyneth Hughes | ITV |
| 2000 | The Second World War in Colour | Martin Smith, Alastair Waddington, Stewart Binns | ITV |
| 2000 | Shanghai Vice | Phil Agland | Channel 4 |
| 2001 | Britain at War in Colour | Lucy Carter, Stewart Binns, Adrian Wood | ITV |
| 2001 | Horizon | Bettina Lerner, John Lynch | BBC Two |
| 2001 | Castaway 2000 | Jeremy Mills, Chris Kelly | BBC One |
| 2001 | Fifteen | Oliver Morse, Daisy Asquith, Nichola Koratjitis | Channel 4 |
| 2002 | Horizon | Bettina Lerner, Matthew Barrett, John Lynch | BBC Two |
| 2002 | The Blue Planet | The Blue Planet | BBC One |
| 2002 | Welcome To Britain | Edwina Vardey, Rachel Coughlan | BBC One |
| 2002 | Langan Behind the Lines | Bob Long, Rachel Foster, Ben Summers | BBC Two |
| 2003 | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category |
| 2004 | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category | Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category |
| 2005 | The Power of Nightmares | The Power of Nightmares | BBC Two |
| 2005 | Brat Camp | Jamie Isaacs, Tamara Abood, Sam Whittaker | Channel 4 |
| 2005 | Himalaya with Michael Palin | Himalaya with Michael Palin | BBC One |
| 2005 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Who Do You Think You Are? | BBC Two |
| 2006 | Jamie's School Dinners | Andrew Conrad, Robert Thirkell, Dominique Walker | Channel 4 |
| 2006 | Coast | Coast | BBC Two |
| 2006 | Cocaine | Guillermo Galdos, David Notman-Watt, Angus Macqueen | Channel 4 |
| 2006 | 49 Up | Bill Jones, Claire Lewis, Michael Apted | ITV |
| 2007 | Ross Kemp on Gangs | Clive Tulloh, Amelia Hann, Ross Kemp | Sky One |
| 2007 | Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive | Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive | BBC Two |
| 2007 | Tribe | James Smith, Steve Robinson, Bruce Parry, Sam Organ | BBC Two |
| 2007 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Alex Graham, Lucy Carter | BBC Two |
| 2008 | The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities | Simon Ford, Rachel Innes-Lumsden, Anthony Wonke, Ines Cavill | BBC One |
| 2008 | Meet the Natives | Gavin Searle, Will Anderson, Andrew Palmer, Chris King | Channel 4 |
| 2008 | Tribe | Steve Robinson, Bruce Parry, Sam Organ | BBC Two |
| 2008 | Paul Merton in China | Paul Sommers, Mark Chapman, Barbie MacLaurin, Paul Merton | Five |
| 2009 | Amazon with Bruce Parry | Amazon with Bruce Parry | BBC Two |
| 2009 | Blood, Sweat and T-shirts | Mark Rubens, Tim Quicke, Jo Bishop | BBC Three |
| 2009 | The Family | The Family | Channel 4 |
| 2009 | Ross Kemp in Afghanistan | Clive Tulloh, John Conroy, Matt Bennett, Ross Kemp | Sky One |

### 2010s

| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2010 | One Born Every Minute | One Born Every Minute | Channel 4 |
| 2010 | Blood, Sweat and Takeaways | Mark Rubens, Tim Quicke, James Christie-Miller, Jo Bishop | BBC Three |
| 2010 | The Family | David Clews, Beejal-Maya Patel, Jonathan Smith, Sanjay Singhal | Channel 4 |
| 2010 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Elizabeth Dobson, Colette Flight, Lucy Carter, Alex Graham | BBC Two |
| 2011 | Welcome to Lagos | Will Anderson, Gavin Searle, Chris King, Andrew Palmer | BBC Two |
| 2011 | Coppers | Simon Ford, Ben Rumney, Anthony Philipson, Tim Wardle | Channel 4 |
| 2011 | One Born Every Minute | Sanjay Singhal, Peter Moore, Lorraine Charker-Phillips, Lucy Bowden | Channel 4 |
| 2011 | The Young Ones | Leanne Klein, Tom McDonald, Michael Jochnowitz | BBC One |
| 2012 | Our War | Our War | BBC Three |
| 2012 | The Choir: Military Wives | Tim Carter, Stephen Finnigan, Lucy Hillman, Gareth Malone | BBC Two |
| 2012 | Protecting Our Children | Emma Burman, Petra Graf, Anna McGill, Sacha Mirzoeff | BBC Two |
| 2012 | Educating Essex | David Clews, Andrew Mackenzie-Betty, Beejal-Maya Patel, Grace Reynolds | Channel 4 |
| 2013 | Our War | Our War | BBC Three |
| 2013 | 24 Hours in A&E | Nick Curwin, Tom McDonald, Kirsty Cunningham, Rita Daniels | Channel 4 |
| 2013 | Make Bradford British | Richard McKerrow, Heenan Bhatti, Martin Fuller, Simon Evans | Channel 4 |
| 2013 | Great Ormond Street | Great Ormond Street | BBC Two |
| 2014 | Bedlam | Bedlam | Channel 4 |
| 2014 | The Route Masters: Running London's Roads | Edmund Coulthard, Alistair Pegg, Matt Pelly, Simon Gilchrist | BBC Two |
| 2014 | Keeping Britain Alive: The NHS in a Day | Keeping Britain Alive: The NHS in a Day | BBC Two |
| 2014 | Educating Yorkshire | David Brindley, Grace Reynolds, David Clews, Andrew Mackenzie-Betty | Channel 4 |
| 2015 | Life and Death Row | Life and Death Row | BBC Three |
| 2015 | 15,000 Kids and Counting | Chris Eley, Brian Woods, Gwyn Jones, Fiona Jones | Channel 4 |
| 2015 | Educating the East End | Andrew Mackenzie-Betty, David Clews, Jo Hughes, Liz Hazell | Channel 4 |
| 2015 | Protecting Our Parents | Julian Mercer, Rob Miller, Alice Perman, Jonathan Taylor | BBC Two |
| 2016 | The Murder Detectives | Ben Brown, Bart Corpe, Neil Grant, Dave Nath | Channel 4 |
| 2016 | The Detectives | Colin Barr, Ruth Kelly, James Newton, Rupert Houseman | BBC Two |
| 2016 | Great Ormond Street | Dollan Cannell, Catey Sexton, Lucy Hillman | BBC Two |
| 2016 | The Tribe | The Tribe | Channel 4 |
| 2017 | Exodus: Our Journey to Europe | Exodus: Our Journey to Europe | BBC Two |
| 2017 | 24 Hours in Police Custody | 24 Hours in Police Custody | Channel 4 |
| Channel 4 ||
| 2017 | The Prosecutors: Real Crime and Punishment | Blue Ryan, Sara Hardy, Sacha Baveystock, Gwyn Jones | BBC Four |
| 2018 | Ambulance | Jo Hughes, Bruce Fletcher, Kirsty Cunningham, Simon Ford | BBC One |
| 2018 | Catching a Killer | Catching a Killer | BBC Two |
| BBC Two ||
| 2018 | Drugsland | Sacha Mirzoeff, Xavier Alford, Bart Corpe, Simon Ford | BBC Three| |
| 2019 | Louis Theroux's Altered States | Louis Theroux's Altered States | BBC Two |
| 2019 | 24 Hours in A&E | 24 Hours in A&E | Channel 4 |
| 2019 | Prison | Richard Melman, Paddy Wivell, Kathy Myers, Jack Wood | Channel 4 |
| 2019 | Life and Death Row: The Mass Execution | Miles Blayden-Ryall, Alistair Martin, Becky Casey, Aysha Rafaele | BBC Three |

### 2020s

| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2020 | Leaving Neverland | Dan Reed | Channel 4 |
| 2020 | Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer | Mark Lewis, Felicity Morris, Michael Harte, Dimitri Doganis | Netflix |
| 2020 | Crime and Punishment | Emily Lawson, Bruce Fletcher, Jemma Chisnall, Mark Raphael | Channel 4 |
| 2020 | Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure | Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure | BBC One |
| 2021 | Once Upon a Time in Iraq | James Bluemel, Jo Abel, Miriam Walsh, Simon Sykes, Andrew Palmer, Will Anderson | BBC Two |
| 2021 | Crime and Punishment | Crime and Punishment | Channel 4 |
| Channel 4 ||
| 2021 | Hospital | Hospital | BBC Two |
| 2022 | Uprising | Uprising | BBC One |
| 2022 | 9/11: One Day in America | Caroline Marsden, Daniel Bogado, TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay, David Glover | National Geographic |
| 2022 | Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles | Joe Mather, Simon Ford, Jamie Pickup, Mark Casebow, Charlie MacDonald, Juliet Piper | Channel 4 |
| 2022 | The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime | The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime | BBC Two |
| 2023 | Libby, Are You Home Yet? | Anna Hall, Josephine Besbrode, Luke Rothery, Danielle Jones, Celia Jennison | Sky Crime |
| 2023 | Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime | Kira Phillips, Barry Ronan, Rosina Andreou, Graeme McAulay, Abi Walker, Charlie MacDonald | Channel 4 |
| 2023 | Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi | Mark Lewis, Dimitri Doganis, Tom Barry, Chiara Messineo, Simon Mills, Kaylin Simmons | Netflix |
| 2023 | Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing | Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing | ITV |
| 2024 | Lockerbie | Nancy Strang, John Dower, Claire McFall, Barnaby Fry, Dejan Cancar, Charlie Hawryliw | Sky Documentaries |
| 2024 | Dublin Narcos | Benedict Sanderson, Claire McFall, Sacha Baveystock, Edmund Coulthard, Megan Taylor, Laura Dunne | Sky Documentaries |
| 2024 | Evacuation | Evacuation | Channel 4 |
| 2024 | Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland | Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland | BBC Two |
* Note: The series that don't have recipients on the tables had Production team credited as recipients for the award or nomination.