Fire in Babylon and Storyville's Afghan Cricket Club take gongs at annual awards for excellence in documentary making

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Two documentaries about cricket scooped prizes at the prestigious Grierson awards on the day the sport hit the headlines after three Pakistan players were found guilty of trying to rig a Test match.

The team behind BBC4's Storyville: Afghan Cricket Club – Out of the Ashes was judged best newcomer on Tuesday at the awards, which celebrate the best in documentary making.

Another winner, in the best historical documentary category, was Fire in Babylon, the theatrically released film about the rise to global dominance in the 1970s and 1980s of the West Indies cricket team.

The awards kicked off with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall winning the best documentary series prize for Channel 4 show Hugh's Fish Fight.

Jury chairman Emma Hindley said the judges agreed Hugh's Fish Fight was "a brilliant piece of campaigning journalism and, incredibly, managed to make fish interesting.

"With great passion, craft, values and genuine integrity, it achieved something few TV series do: real impact, both on politics – in the shape of an EU recommendation for a discard ban – and on the suppliers, with major supermarkets agreeing to change some of the fishing methods of their suppliers."

Between Life and Death, a BBC1 documentary about brain injuries that captured a moment when a paralysed man blinked to stop his life support machine being switch off, was given the award for best domestic documentary on a contemporary theme.

The best international documentary on a contemporary theme went to BBC2's Secret Iraq – Insurgency.

Almost 40 years after it was shot, Tony Palmer's film about Leonard Cohen's 1972 tour of Europe, Bird on a Wire won the best arts documentary.

The film only came to light last year and was screened on BBC4.

Other winners included The Joy of Stats, which took home the best science documentary gong and Caring for Calum, which won the first best student film prize.

Veteran film-maker John Pilger was given the Grierson trustees' award.

The chairman of the Grierson Trust, Dawn Airey, said: "John Pilger is one of the world's great

documentary producers. His work has uncovered atrocity, probed the underbelly of society, sparked controversy and challenged the heart of democracy."

Separately, Channel 4 announced it is increasing its contribution to the Britdoc Foundation by a third.

The independent not-for-profit organisation born out of Channel 4's documentary department that funds independent films will be given an extra £400,000 over three years by the broadcaster.

Channel 4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt said: "For nearly seven years, Britdoc has been the catalyst for an incredibly impressive body of work. Britdoc nurtures new and emerging talent, its films win major awards and are seen worldwide at festivals and screenings. They are making great, strides in harnessing social media and enable films with a true social purpose to be told to as wide an audience as possible."

The full list of winners

Deluxe 142 best documentary on a contemporary theme – domestic

Between Life and Death: Nick Holt for BBC Wales, first shown on BBC 2

Shell best documentary on a contemporary theme – international

Secret Iraq – Insurgency: Sam Collyns, James Jones for Quicksilver Media Limited, first shown on BBC 2

Bridgeman Art Library best arts documentary

Bird on a Wire: Tony Palmer for Isolde Films and The Machat Company, first shownon BBC 4

ITN Source best historical documentary

Fire in Babylon: Stevan Riley for E & G Productions, H & H Productions, Cowboy Films and Passion Pictures, first shown at the London film festival

Televisual best science documentary

The Joy of Stats: Dan Hillman for Wingspan Productions, first shownon BBC 4

Current most entertaining documentary

Bodysnatchers of New York: Toby Dye for Bearkatt Productions, first shown on More 4

ENVY best documentary series

Hugh's Fish Fight: Will Anderson for KEO Films, first shown on Channel 4

DocHouse and the Bertha Foundation best cinema documentary

The Arbor: Clio Barnard for Artangel, first shown at the London film festival

CTVC best newcomer documentary

Storyville: Afghan Cricket Club – Out of the Ashes, Timothy Albone, Lucy Martens for Shabash Productions and Bungalow Town Productions, first shown: BBC 4

Sky Arts best student documentary

Caring for Calum, Lou McLoughlan, Edinburgh College of Art, first shown at the Glasgow film festival

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