Sunderland students shine at TV awards

The University of Sunderland’s Natacha Richardson and Ellie King were student winners in the Comedy and Entertainment category, with their show The Family Food Fight.

Magali Pettier won the Non Broadcast Factual Award for her documentary Addicted to Sheep.

The university’s students and graduates have been recognised at the RTS awards in 10 of the last 12 years.

The Family Food Fight is a cooking show that pitches members of the same family against one another in a battle to find the best chef.

Ellie King, editor and co-creator, said: “When it came to editing we had so much footage, so cutting it down was very challenging. It was shown to a Channel 4 company called Orion and they were really interested in it.”

Natacha Richardson, director and producer, added: “The fact that it appeals to other people, and people that actually are in television, is absolutely amazing.”

Addicted to Sheep is a documentary by Sunderland graduate and French film-maker, Magali Pettier, who focused on the challenging work of sheep farming in the Pennines.

The film has gone on to receive international recognition and was featured on BBC One’s Countryfile.

Magali said: “I was brought up on a dairy farm in Brittany and wanted to raise the profile of farmers. I wanted to help them gain the respect I felt they deserved.

“The university course helped me to become very attentive to detail and to always look for the perfect image.”