The Open University has won the Broadcast Award at the prestigious Learning on Screen Awards for the OU/BBC co-production, AIDS: The Unheard Tapes.
The BBC2 documentary brought to life the voices of infected gay men and their friends, using actors who lip-sync to original voice recordings.
The judges praised the entry for its “inventive and seamless use of archive audio and described it as beautifully shot, sensitive and insightful.”
The OU also won a special commendation for Panorama: Will the NHS Care for Me? in the same broadcast category.
In this story ‘Line of Duty’ actor and campaigner Tommy Jessop investigates why people with learning disabilities are more than twice as likely to die from avoidable causes than the rest of the population.
Learning on Screen said: “The judges described this entry as current and original – truly giving a genuine voice to those currently without one.”
AIDS: The Unheard Tapes
The series was a frank, intimate and sometimes humorous account of life at the heart of the AIDS epidemic. These interviews, recorded by a small group of pioneering researchers, were archived in the British Library and had never been broadcast before.
The interviewees were talking 40 years ago when the mysterious disease first appeared in Britain’s gay community.
A deadly and complex virus with no known cure, the ‘gay plague’ as it became known, arrived at a time when homophobia and discrimination were commonplace. Few could talk openly about their experiences – or their illness.
Online supporting content: Watch exclusive videos about the reality of living with HIV through untold personal stories captured via research and video.
WELS Academic Consultants: Prof. Peter Keogh and Dr Rose McFarlane
Panorama: Will the NHS Care for Me?
In the programme, Tommy Jessop hears from relatives who have lost loved ones prematurely, and from a mother on whose behalf the BBC went to court so she could speak publicly about her fight to get lifesaving care for her son.
The judges praised its “sensitive handling of a very difficult subject made more powerful by being researched and presented by talent directly affected by its subject.”
Online supporting content: Our interactive ‘Sam’s Story’, explores how social factors can impact the health and wellbeing of people with a learning disability.
WELS Academic Consultant: Dr Elizabeth Tilley.
The Green Planet
Also shortlisted in the Broadcast category, was a landmark natural history series, The Green Planet with Sir David Attenborough, which used pioneering new filmmaking technology and the latest science.
The judges said it was “beautifully made and innovative storytelling of a largely unrepresented world. They further praised the educational support materials, international reach and brilliant insight into how the storytelling was put together.”
STEM Academic Consultants: Dr Julia Cooke, Prof. David Gowing and Dr Yoseph Araya
OU/BBC co-productions are commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast & Partnerships and the programmes are available to view on Videofinder. More information on each of the titles can be found on our TV and Radio pages on OU Connect.
