Joe Lycett and Jamie Macdonald shortlisted for a Grierson

Joe Lycett, blind comic Jamie MacDonald and Taskmaster’s Alice Levine have all been shortlisted for a prestigious award for being the best documentary presenter.

They are up against the likes of Today presenter Amol Rajan, journalist Sathnam Sanghera and Paralympian Ellie Simmonds in the Grierson Awards.

Lycett was shortlisted for Joe Lycett Vs the Oil Giant, his Channel 4 one-off which is also in the running for best natural history or environmental documentary.

Macdonald is shortlisted with TV director Jamie O'Leary for their. BBC Two show Blind Ambition. It showed  O’Leary, who is facing eye surgery that could lead to sight loss, learning how blind artists create their work.

All the names in the presenter category are

• Alice Levine for Sex Actually With Alice Levine
• Amol Rajan for The Princes And The Press
• Ashley Banjo for Ashley Banjo: Britain In Black & White
• Ellie Simmonds for Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism?
• Jamie Macdonald & Jamie O’Leary for Blind Ambition
• Jay Blades – Jay Blades: Learning To Read At 51
• Joe Lycett – Joe Lycett Vs The Oil Giant
• Sathnam Sanghera  for Empire State of Mind

And for Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary

• Becoming Cousteau
• Fathom
• Free Billy
• The Green Planet: Tropical Worlds
• Joe Lycett Vs the Oil Giant
• Life at 50°C
• My Garden of a Thousand Beesp
• Prehistoric Planet: Coasts

All the shortlists are available here. These are whittled down into nominations, announced on September 21, before the winners are announced at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s Southbank on November 10.

Established in 1972, the Griersons – named in honour of pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson –  are the biggest event in the UK documentary calendar. T

Published: 21 Jul 2022