Are You Home Yet?

Docs that do justice to the facts

A writer friend of mine defines a gripping documentary as “great drama” telling “a compelling story with a character we can root for”. There’s no doubt that mass audiences are there for documentaries, but what are the storytelling techniques that keep them hooked?

We’re living in an age when documentaries are everywhere, shown across broadcasters and streamers. From science to survival, travel to true crime, the storytelling techniques are now more sophisticated than they have ever been.

When victims can trust documentary film-makers

From left: Sean Fletcher, Stacey Dooley, Mina Smallman, Jermaine Blake, Lisa Squire and Anna Hall are sat on a panel

In May this year, police chiefs declared violence against women and girls a national threat in recognition of some shocking statistics: in the year ending March 2022, 194,683 ­sexual offences were recorded against women and girls in England and Wales; 9% of women aged 16 and over were victims of domestic abuse; and 3% of women aged 16 and over were victims of sexual assault.