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) Title1958 Donald Baverstock and the production team Tonight1958 Production team

1960s Best Factual Year Recipient(s) Title1960 Denis Mitchell 1961 Michael Redington 1962 Tim Hewat1963 Richard Cawston 1964 Peter Morley, Cyril Bennett1965 Production team World in Action1966 Jeremy Isaacs and the production team This Week Cyril Bennett DivisionThis WeekThree After SixParadise Street Paul Fox General Election Coverage Tim Slessor So You Think You Can DriveJungle GreenGlorious Sail Sports Unit Presentation of Olympic Material1967 Production team 24 Hours1968 Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton1969 Phillip Whitehead and the production team This Week

Best Factual Personality Year Recipient(s)1964 Bernard Braden1965 Alan Whicker1966 Malcolm Muggeridge

1970s Best Factual Production Year Title Recipient(s)1971 The Tribe That Hides from Man Adrian Cowell Horizon Peter Goodchild and the production team Man Alive Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton and the production team Man Alive: Gale is Dead Jenny Barraclough Wildlife Safari in Ethiopia Jeffery Boswall World in Action Production team1972 Man Alive: Women in Prison Jenny BarracloughWorld in Action Jeremy Wallington and the production team Born To Be Small Tony Snowdon, Derek Hart Hollywood – Dowager in Hot Pants Jack Gold Horizon Peter Goodchild Man Alive Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton and the production team Surrender to Everest Antony Thomas, Ned Kelly

Best Factual Programme Year Title Recipient(s)1973 Horizon: "The Making of a Natural History Film" || style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Mick Rhodes|- | The Block || Paul Watson |- | The Commanders: Rommel || Harry Hastings |- | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|1974 || style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Last Night, Another Soldier… Eric Davidson Horizon: "What Time Is Your Body?" Dominic Flessati Metroland Edward Mirzoeff The Year of the Torturer Stephen Clark, Leslie Woodhead1975 Beauty, Bonny, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton Frank Cvitanovich The Bomb Disposal Men Jenny Barraclough The Opium Warlords Adrian Cowell The World at War: "Genocide" Michael Darlow1976 Johnny Go Home John Willis Auschwitz, The Final Solution Michael Darlow Everest The Hard Way Ned Kelly, Christopher Ralling This Week: "Dying for a Fag" David Elstein1977 Sailor: "The Rescue" John Purdie The Battle of the Somme Malcolm Brown Spirit Of The Place – Laurence Durrell's Greece Peter Adam The World About Us: "Lions of the Serengeti" Hugo van Lawick 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 America Michael Gill Man Alive Desmond Wilcox and the production team1974 World in Action Gus Macdonald America: "Episodes 8–13" Michael Gill Horizon Bruce Norman The World at War: "Episodes 1–8" Jeremy Isaacs1975 Horizon Peter Goodchild, Bruce Norman Disappearing World Brian Moser The World About Us Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons The World at War: "Episodes 9–26" Jeremy Isaacs1976 Disappearing World Brian Moser Horizon Peter Goodchild News at Ten Nigel Ryan Survival Colin Willock The World About Us Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons1977 Sailor John Purdie, Roger Mills Disappearing World Brian Moser Horizon Peter Goodchild The World About Us Michael Andrews, Anthony Isaacs, Christopher Parsons1978 The South African Experience Antony Thomas Disappearing World Brian Moser Horizon Simon Campbell-Jones Royal Heritage Michael Gill The World About Us Michael Andrews, Anthony Isaacs1979 The Voyage of Charles Darwin Christopher Ralling The Body in Question: "Episodes 1–7" Patrick Uden The Hong Kong Beat John Purdie Horizon Simon Campbell-Jones

1980s Best Factual Series Year Title Recipient(s)1980 Circuit 11 Miami Mark Anderson Life on Earth John Sparks, Richard Brock The Magic of Dance Patricia Foy The World About Us Anthony Isaacs, Michael Andrews1981 Strangeways Rex Bloomstein Great Railway Journeys of the World Roger Laughton Hollywood Kevin Brownlow, David Gill Ireland: A Television History: "Episodes 1–5" Jeremy Isaacs Public School Richard Denton1982 Ireland: A Television History: "Episodes 5–13" || style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Jeremy Isaacs|- | Fighter Pilot || Colin Strong |- | Forty Minutes || Roger Mills |- | Wildlife on One || Peter Bale |- | The World About Us || Peter Jones, Anthony Isaacs |- | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|1983 || style="background:#B0C4DE;"|Police Roger Graef, Charles Stewart The Flight of the Condor Michael Andrews Forty Minutes Roger Mills Horizon Graham Massey1984 Forty Minutes Roger Mills Unknown Chaplin David Gill, Kevin Brownlow Wildlife on One Peter Bale The World About Us Anthony Isaacs, Peter Jones1985 River Journeys Roger Laughton, David Wallace Crime Inc John Edwards, Martin Short Forty Minutes Roger Mills The Heart of the Dragon Peter Montagnon1986 Forty Minutes Edward Mirzoeff, Roger Mills Comrades Richard Denton Kingdom of the Ice Bear Hugh Miles, Mike Salisbury Whicker's World: Living with Uncle Sam Jonathan Stedall1987 World in Action Ray Fitzwalter British Cinema: Personal View David Gill, Kevin Brownlow Crimewatch Sam Organ, Peter Chafer First Tuesday John Willis Forty Minutes Edward Mirzoeff Horizon Robin Brightwell The South Bank Show Melvyn Bragg1988 The Duty Men Paul Hamann Arena Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall The RKO Story: Tales from Hollywood Charles Chabot, Rosemary Wilton Forty Minutes Edward Mirzoeff1989 Arena Anthony Wall, Nigel Finch Forty Minutes Edward Mirzoeff The South Bank Show Melvyn Bragg Supersense John Downer

1990s Best Factual Series Year Title Recipient(s)1990 Forty Minutes Edward Mirzoeff Arena Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall Around the World in 80 Days Clem Vallance, Roger Mills World in Action Stuart Prebble1991 The Trials of Life Peter Jones Arena Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall Disappearing World David Wason First Tuesday Grant McKee Forty Minutes Caroline Pick1992 Naked Hollywood Nicolas Kent Arena Nigel Finch, Anthony Wall Dispatches David Lloyd First Tuesday Grant McKee Forty Minutes Caroline Pick1993 Pandora's Box Adam Curtis Doctors to Be Edward Briffa Inside Story Steve Hewlett, Paul Hamann Secret History John Willis1994 The Ark Molly Dineen Cutting Edge Peter Moore First Tuesday Chris Bryer Life in the Freezer Alastair Fothergill1995 Beyond the Clouds Phil Agland Cutting Edge Peter Moore Equinox Sara Ramsden Hollywood Kids Jilly Hafenrichter1996 The Death of Yugoslavia Norma Percy Dispatches David Lloyd Network First Stuart Prebble, John Blake The Private Life of Plants Mike Salisbury1997 The House Michael Waldman, Andrew Bethell Cutting Edge Peter Moore People's Century Peter Pagnamenta The System Peter Dale1998 The Nazis: A Warning from History Laurence Rees Breaking Point Peter Gordon, Amanda Richardson Hotel Neil Grant, Belinda Cherrington Royals and Reptiles Leonie Jameson, Denys Blakeway1999 The Human Body Richard Dale The Clintons: A Marriage of Power Paul Mitchell Cold War Martin Smith The Life of Birds Mike Salisbury

2000s Best Factual Series or Strand Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster2000 The Mayfair Set Adam Curtis BBC Two Manhunt – The Search for the Yorkshire Ripper Ray Fitzwalter, Michael Bilton, Gwyneth Hughes ITV The Second World War in Colour Martin Smith, Alastair Waddington, Stewart Binns Shanghai Vice Phil Agland Channel 42001 Britain at War in Colour Lucy Carter, Stewart Binns, Adrian Wood ITV Horizon Bettina Lerner, John Lynch BBC Two Castaway 2000 Jeremy Mills, Chris Kelly BBC One Fifteen Oliver Morse, Daisy Asquith, Nichola Koratjitis Channel 42002 Horizon Bettina Lerner, Matthew Barrett, John Lynch BBC Two The Blue Planet BBC One Welcome To Britain Edwina Vardey, Rachel Coughlan Langan Behind the Lines Bob Long, Rachel Foster, Ben Summers BBC Two2003 Awarded in the Specialised Programme or Series category2004 2005 The Power of Nightmares BBC Two Brat Camp Jamie Isaacs, Tamara Abood, Sam Whittaker Channel 4Himalaya with Michael Palin BBC OneWho Do You Think You Are? BBC Two2006 Jamie's School Dinners Andrew Conrad, Robert Thirkell, Dominique Walker Channel 4 Coast BBC Two Cocaine Guillermo Galdos, David Notman-Watt, Angus Macqueen Channel 4 49 Up Bill Jones, Claire Lewis, Michael Apted ITV2007 Ross Kemp on Gangs Clive Tulloh, Amelia Hann, Ross Kemp Sky One Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive BBC Two Tribe James Smith, Steve Robinson, Bruce Parry, Sam Organ Who Do You Think You Are? Alex Graham, Lucy Carter BBC Two2008 The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities Simon Ford, Rachel Innes-Lumsden, Anthony Wonke, Ines Cavill BBC One Meet the Natives Gavin Searle, Will Anderson, Andrew Palmer, Chris King Channel 4 Tribe Steve Robinson, Bruce Parry, Sam Organ BBC Two Paul Merton in China Paul Sommers, Mark Chapman, Barbie MacLaurin, Paul Merton Five2009 Amazon with Bruce Parry BBC Two Blood, Sweat and T-shirts Mark Rubens, Tim Quicke, Jo Bishop BBC ThreeThe Family Channel 4 Ross Kemp in Afghanistan Clive Tulloh, John Conroy, Matt Bennett, Ross Kemp Sky One

2010s