Cutting Edge (TV series)

Last updated

Cutting Edge
Cutting Edge logo.png
Cutting Edge logo
Genre Documentary
Narrated byVarious
ComposerMatthew Cracknell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerVarious
Running time49 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release19 February 1990 (1990-02-19) 
2017 (2017)

Cutting Edge was a British TV documentary series broadcast by Channel 4. It had been Channel 4's flagship documentary series between 1990 and 2017 that focused on political and social issues.

Contents

Episodes

There have been numerous episodes from 1990 to 2017 and some of the highlights include:

Shops and Robbers

Original airdate: 1994

Received some of Channel 4's highest ratings.

Graham Taylor: An Impossible Job

Original airdate: 24 January 1994

About England national football team's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Manager Graham Taylor was harshly criticised by the tabloid press during these two years (1992–93), and the fly-on-the-wall documentary revealed a stressed team camp. It also gave birth to Taylor's catchphrase, "Do I not like that" (a statement rather than a question) and Phil Neal's touchline comment "Can we not knock it, boss ?" [1]

Anti-Social Old Buggers

Original airdate: 22 June 2005

Run of episodes in 2005, about "Anti-Social Old Buggers" which included elderly recipients of Asbos, "The Black Widow", "Gridlock" and "The House Clearers".

The Black Widow

Original airdate: 29 June 2005

Documentary on Dena Thompson, a woman who murdered her second husband but who was also found to have had a 20-year career of fraud, deception and bigamy. She was acquitted of murdering her third husband. 4.5 million people watched the documentary, a 22% share of that evening's TV audience. [2]

Blind Young Things

Original airdate: 30 April 2007

A 2007 documentary following students at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford. The film won a Royal Television Society award for Channel Four and the Cutting Edge team in 2008. [3]

A Boy Called Alex

Original airdate: 24 January 2008

This documentary follows 16-year-old cystic fibrosis sufferer Alex Stobbs as he attempts to conduct Bach's Magnifcat at Eton College. [4] This was followed by a second documentary in October 2009 called "Alex: A Passion for Life", which examines Alex's life as a music student at King's College, Cambridge. [5]

The Human Spider

Original airdate: 15 April 2008

Cutting Edge covered Alain Robert, one of the most daring climbers in the world, on some amazing free climbs around the globe. [6]

Madeleine Was Here

Original airdate: 7 May 2009

Aired two years after the disappearance of missing child Madeleine McCann. [7]

Captive for 18 Years: The Jaycee Lee Story

Original airdate: 1 October 2009

About the kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard with interviews with people close to Jaycee when she was young, including family members, classmates and her headmistress. [8]

Katie: My Beautiful Face

Original airdate: 29 October 2009

Followed the recovery of former model Katie Piper from a brutal acid attack, [9] and which with 3.3 million viewers was the most-watched edition of the Cutting Edge strand in 2009; Piper's case has been subject to a large international response, and following the success of the original documentary Piper was invited to give Channel 4's Alternative Christmas Message for 2009.

The documentary was nominated for "Best Single Documentary" at the BAFTA Television Awards in June 2010, but did not win - the trophy was awarded to BBC One's Wounded. [10] The previous month, director Jessie Versluys had won the Breakthrough Talent prize at the 2010 Craft BAFTA ceremony, for her credits including Katie: My Beautiful Face and The Hospital. [11]

Octomom: Me and My 14 Kids

Original airdate: 12 November 2009

Follows single unemployed mother Nadya Suleman from California, who in January 2009 gave birth to eight children. [12]

The Men Who Jump Off Buildings

Original airdate: 28 July 2010

About Dan Witchalls and Ian Richardson, who participate in the adrenaline sport, base jumping. [13]

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

Original airdate: 18 February 2010

Follows four Gypsy and Traveller brides as they plan their wedding day. [14] Screened in February 2010, drew 4.5 million viewers [15] and was subsequently commissioned for a spinoff series called Big Fat Gypsy Weddings . [16] This proved to be successful, with the second episode getting 7.4m viewers at its peak. [17]

Production company(s): Firecracker Films

Raoul Moat: Inside the Mind of a Killer

Original airdate: 18 August 2010

Looks at the 2010 Northumbria Police manhunt and the following investigation. [18]

My New Brain

Original airdate: 25 August 2010

Follows 20-year-old Simon Hales as he recovers from a traumatic brain injury. [19]

Ian Brady: Endgames of a Psychopath

Original airdate: 20 August 2012

N/A

The Fried Chicken Shop: Life in a Day

Original airdate: 19 February 2013

N/A

Production company(s): Mentorn

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeley Hawes</span> English actress

Clare JuliaHawes, known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Tipping the Velvet (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portrayal of Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2004), followed by her co-lead performance as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). She is also known for her roles in Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty as DI Lindsay Denton (2014–2016) and in BBC One drama Bodyguard (2018) in which she played Home Secretary Julia Montague. Hawes is a three-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, having been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her roles as Lindsay Denton and Julia Montague, and a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Dorothy Wick in the drama Mrs Wilson.

Warp Films is an independent film and television production company based in Sheffield & London, UK.

<i>Blind Date</i> (British game show) UK game show

Blind Date is a British dating game show first produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series Surprise Surprise. Blind Date originally ran on Saturday nights from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003 on ITV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Capaldi</span> Scottish actor (born 1958)

Peter Dougan Capaldi is a Scottish actor and director. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It (2005–2012), for which he received four British Academy Television Award nominations, winning Best Male Comedy Performance in 2010. When he reprised the role of Tucker in the feature film In the Loop, Capaldi was honoured with several film critic award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

<i>Would I Lie to You?</i> (game show) British comedy panel game show

Would I Lie to You? is a British comedy game show aired on BBC One, made by Zeppotron for the BBC. It was first broadcast on 16 June 2007, starring David Mitchell and Lee Mack as team captains. The show was originally presented by Angus Deayton, and since 2009 has been hosted by Rob Brydon.

Paul Watson was a British television documentary filmmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Lambert (media executive)</span> British media executive

Stephen Lambert is an English television producer and executive who works in Britain and America. As the chief executive of Studio Lambert, one of All3Media's production companies, he launched the Channel 4 series Wife Swap, Faking It, The Secret Millionaire, Undercover Boss, Gogglebox, and Naked Attraction.

<i>Frozen Planet</i> Nature documentary series focusing on life and the environment in both the Arctic and Antarctic

Frozen Planet is a 2011 British nature documentary series, co-produced by the BBC ZDF and The Open University. It was filmed by the BBC Natural History Unit. The production team, which includes executive producer Alastair Fothergill and series producer Vanessa Berlowitz, were previously responsible for the award-winning series The Blue Planet (2001) and Planet Earth (2006), and Frozen Planet is billed as a sequel of sorts. David Attenborough returns as narrator. It is distributed under licence by the BBC in other countries, Discovery Channel for North America, ZDF for Germany, Antena 3 for Spain and Skai TV for Greece.

<i>The Inbetweeners</i> British TV teen sitcom (2008–2010)

The Inbetweeners is a British coming-of-age television teen sitcom, which originally aired on E4 from 2008 to 2010 and was created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The series follows the misadventures of suburban teenager William McKenzie and his friends Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland and Jay Cartwright at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The programme involves situations of school life, uncaring school staff, friendship, male bonding, lad culture and adolescent sexuality. Despite receiving an initially lukewarm reception, it has been described a classic amongst the most successful British sitcoms of the 21st century.

Alexander Brett Stobbs, is a British musician with cystic fibrosis who was the subject of the Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary A Boy Called Alex in 2008 and its sequel, Alex: A Passion for Life in 2009, also broadcast on Channel 4.

<i>How the Earth Was Made</i> American TV series or program

How the Earth Was Made is a documentary television series produced by Pioneer Productions for the History channel. It began as a two-hour special exploring the geological history of Earth, airing on December 16, 2007. Focusing on different geologic features of the Earth, the series premiered on February 10, 2009, and the 13-episode first season concluded on May 5, 2009. The second season premiered on November 24, 2009, and concluded on March 2, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Piper</span> English philanthropist, television presenter and former model

Kate Elizabeth Sutton is an English writer, activist, television presenter and model from Andover, Hampshire.

"Blind Young Things" is a 2007 British documentary about students at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford. The film was shown on Channel 4 as part of the Cutting Edge documentary strand, and aired on 30 April 2007. The film won a Royal Television Society award for Channel Four and the Cutting Edge team in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Jones (director)</span> English film director and screenwriter

Kirk Jones is an English film director and screenwriter.

<i>Big Fat Gypsy Weddings</i> British television documentary series

Big Fat Gypsy Weddings is a British documentary series broadcast on Channel 4, that explored the lives and traditions of several British Traveller families as they prepared to unite one of their members in marriage. The series also featured Romanichal in several episodes, and has been criticised by some Romani for not accurately representing England’s Romani and Travelling community. It was first broadcast in February 2010 as a one-off documentary called My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, filmed as part of the Cutting Edge series and voted Most Groundbreaking Show in the Cultural Diversity Awards 2010. A series of 5 episodes were later commissioned, and the series first aired in January 2011. A second series began airing in February 2012. A third series was not commissioned, rather the show ended with eleven stand-alone specials.

Patrick Doherty is an Irish Traveller who is a former bare-knuckle boxer. He is best known as one of the stars of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men. He won Celebrity Big Brother 8. He appeared in When Paddy Met Sally in January 2012 and on Celebrity Bainisteoir later that year.

We Need to Talk about Dad is a 2011 television documentary film concerning mental health and domestic violence. It was aired as part of Channel 4's Cutting Edge series. The documentary was shortlisted for the 2012 British Academy Television Awards and the 2012 Grierson Awards.

<i>My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding</i> Television series

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding is an American reality television series that debuted on the TLC in April 2012. It claims to revolve around the marriage customs of Romani-Americans ("Gypsies") – allegedly members of Romanichal clans, although some are actually of Irish Traveller descent. It is a spin-off of Britain's Channel 4 series Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

<i>My Mad Fat Diary</i> British television series

My Mad Fat Diary is a British teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl.

Sue Bourne is a Scottish television documentary producer and director. She founded and runs the independent production company Wellpark Productions, which has produced films including My Street, Fabulous Fashionistas, Mum and Me and Jig.

References

  1. Rostance, Tom. "BBC Sport - Do I not like that: 20 years since Graham Taylor's World Cup failure". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  2. "Black Widow traps 4.5m for Channel 4". The Guardian. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  3. "Hereford students' key role for Blind Young Things". Hereford Times. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  4. "A Boy Called Alex". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  5. "Alex: A Passion for Life". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  6. "Cutting Edge". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  7. "Madeleine Was Here". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  8. "Captive for 18 Years: Jaycee Lee". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  9. "Katie: My Beautiful Face". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  10. "Television Awards Winners in 2010 - TV Awards - Television - The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  11. "Television Craft Awards Winners in 2011 - Craft Awards - Television - The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  12. "Octomom: Me and My 14 Kids". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  13. "The Men Who Jump Off Buildings". Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  14. "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding". Channel4.com. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  15. Jason Deans (19 February 2010). "TV ratings: My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding presents Channel 4 with 4.5m viewers". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  16. "Orange Swapables | Mobile TV". Orange.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  17. "BBC News - My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding: Why is it a hit?". Bbc.co.uk. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  18. "The Raoul Moat Tapes:..." Channel 4. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  19. "My New Brain". Channel4.com. Retrieved 8 October 2013.