British Doc Veteran Nick Fraser to Receive BAFTA Special Award

Renowned documentary executive Nick Fraser is set to be honored with the special award at this Sunday’s Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards.

Best known as the former commissioning editor of the BBC’s doc strand Storyville — a position he held from its inception in 1997 until 2016 — Fraser helped the series win a total of five BAFTAs, four Oscars, 15 Griersons, three Peabodys and three International Emmys.

With a career spanning decades, Fraser is internationally renowned for documentaries such as BAFTA– and Academy Award-winning Man on Wire (2008); BAFTA-nominated Notes on Blindness (2016) and Project Nim (2011); India’s Daughter (2015); Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013); Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008); and Academy Award-winning Taxi to the Dark Side (2007).

Fraser has also worked as series editor for the global documentary project Why Democracy? (2007) and as executive producer on Why Poverty? (2012). He will be a series editor for the upcoming doc Why Slavery? as part of the ongoing project.

After leaving his position at Storyville in 2016, Fraser founded documentary streaming platform Yaddo, of which he is currently the editor.

“I am absolutely thrilled that the Special Award this year will be going to one of the world’s key players in the field of documentary, Nick Fraser,” said Krishnendu Majumdar, chair of BAFTA’s TV committee.

“Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to telling the stories which aren’t often heard and bringing these to new audiences — from his multi award winning thought-provoking commissions through Storyville to recently launching an innovative online platform for documentaries, Yaddo. It is no surprise that such ambition, creativity and originality will be recognized at the ceremony on Sunday.”

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