Celebrating the sound of Factual TV

For more than three decades BAFTA has been celebrating the craft that goes into delivering the crucial sound elements bringing factual programmes to life. Spotlighting the many technical achievements of sound recordists/ lead boom operators, production sound mixers, re-recording/dubbing mixers, supervising sound editors, sound designers, foley artists, ADR, music and dialogue editors it’s an award that is literally music to the ears.

As we gear up to the 2026 BAFTA TV Craft Awards with Samsung OLED, where we will be giving out the Sound: Factual Award for the 35th time, we look back at previous winners, as well as this year’s nominees…

Wildlife shows have featured prominently in the Sound: Factual category over the years with the likes of 1999’s The Life of Birds – an Attenborough led study of different bird species grabbing the attention of the public and BAFTA sound chapter voters alike. Plus, the Attenborough narrated Frozen Planet, Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough all won in 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2025 respectively showing the enduring appeal of nature’s chorus.

Similarly, the sound accompanying factual television about music legends has regularly led to the Sound: Factual Award win over the years. For example, 1996’s eight-part documentary The Beatles Anthology looking at the history of the iconic British group, 2005’s The Genius of Mozart – a mini-series about the renowned composer, and 2014’s David Bowie – Five Years documentary all saw their sound experts win the Sound: Factual award.

The capturing of sound at large scale events that are Royal celebrations like 2003’s The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and 2024’s The Coronation of TM the King and Queen Camilla have gained recognition for the way the teams have managed to share the sense of atmosphere with audiences. And the documentation, and recreation, of significant global events that shook the world like 2006 Sound: Factual winner Tsunami: 7 Hours on Boxing Day and the following year’s 9/11 The Twin Towers winner also showed the power of sound to create impact within programmes.

As always the 2026 BAFTA TV Craft Awards with Samsung OLED has a strong Sound: Factual category, and this year’s nominees are…

• The Celebrity Traitors
• Formula 1: Drive to Survive
• The Last Musician of Auschwitz
• The Lost Music of Auschwitz

The 2026 BAFTA TV Craft Awards with Samsung OLED take place on Sunday 26 April. The awards, which are voted for by our expert membership of experienced professionals and selected juries, celebrate the very best examples of TV Craft of the past year and the talent who made them.

Get ready ahead of time by exploring this year’s nominees and share which TV programmes you are most excited about with us on socials by tagging @BAFTA.