https://tobytrackman.com Toby Trackman Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:38:30 +0000 https://tobytrackman.com en https://tobytrackman.com/Index Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:10:39 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Index A Grierson winning and BAFTA nominated director based in the UK. Known for beautifully crafted cinematic films that approach every project with sensitivity, strong story-telling and creativity. https://tobytrackman.com/Showreel Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:38:30 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Showreel https://tobytrackman.com/Elton-John-Touched-by-Gold Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:54:19 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Elton-John-Touched-by-Gold Elton John: Touched by Gold 1 x 25 min World Gold Council/Pioneer Productions/YoutubeDirector Elton John’s life has been touched by gold in fascinating ways, both on and off the stage. He shared his story and opened up his house, in this exclusive access documentary for the World Gold Council.Over 12m views in the first month online. https://tobytrackman.com/The-Last-Musician-of-Auschwitz Fri, 10 Jan 2025 18:01:00 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/The-Last-Musician-of-Auschwitz The Lost Musician of Auschwitz BBC2/Two Rivers/Access, 1 x 90’ feature with theatrical release Director Festivals: US Premiere, Hamptons International Film Festival 2025 Awards: Winner: Best Arts Royal Televsion Society Awards 2026“A Masterpiece”Winner: BANFF Rocky, Best Arts & Culture Documentary, 2026Winner: Best Original Soundtrack,  BAFTA Craft Awards 2026Winner: Best Production Design,  British Film Production Design Guild Awards 2026 Nominations: Best Arts, Rose D’or 2026Best Arts, Televisual Bulldog 2026 Feature doc to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, looking at the role of music in the camp. Combining documentary with stylised drama and musical performances shot around Auschwitz itself. The Guardian: ***** “An exceptionally moving film that will ring in your ears for years.”  “Any documentary about the Holocaust will force you to stare into the abyss. This one digs into cerebral ideas while unflinchingly documenting the atrocities carried out at the camps. It doesn’t let us forget about Auschwitz’s corpse mountains for a second, while it poses questions about art and humanity that should ring in your ears for years to come.”Listed in The Guardian’s Best TV of the Year, 2025The Times: ***** “Brutal, complex and utterly unforgettable”  “This is not a performance,” (Petra Gelbart) said. “This is a testimony.” And so, in many ways, was this stunning film.”The Sun: “It’s not a subject that has often before been talked about – making it all the more important to hear.”Daily Telegraph: ***** “This breathtaking documentary will stay with you forever”  “The Last Musician of Auschwitz found a way that was so stunning and so profound that once you have watched it, you will never forget it.” Executive Producers: Alan Clements, Danny Cohen and Emily Blavatnik. https://tobytrackman.com/Camden Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:10:40 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Camden >Camden Disney+/Lightbox, 4 x 60’                                 Lead Director Working alongside Oscar winner Asif Kapadia, I developed the series style and directed two episodes. I directed a cast of A-List talent including Dua Lipa, Chris Martin and Little Simz, to create a hybrid narrative led by archive and performances, combined with actuality and interviews with A-list talent. I also led work with the GFX team and DoP’s to create stylised sequences across the series. Executive Producers: Simon Chinn and Suzanne Lavery Nominated: RTS Awards 2025 Arts category  https://tobytrackman.com/Stabbed-1 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:10:41 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Stabbed-1 Stabbed: Britain’s Knife Crime Crisis 1 x 60 mins Rogan Productions/BBC A one off special for BBC1 with Duwayne Brooks, exploring the trauma inflicted by knife crime. This self-shot film balanced extremely sensitive unfolding access and narratives whilst working with a first-time presenter. “Heart-felt, unflinching, elegiac TV that sounds a clarion call for social change”. The Observer. Winner: Best Domestic Documentary, The Grierson Awards 2019 Winner: Best Presenter, The Grierson Awards 2019 Nominated: Televisual Bulldog Awards, Best Documentary 2020. Executive Producer: James Rogan https://tobytrackman.com/Saved-by-a-Stranger-2 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 14:32:48 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Saved-by-a-Stranger-2 Saved by a Stranger BBC2/Blink Films, 4 x 60’                                  Series Director                                                                                                               A self-shot investigative history series presented by Anita Rani which combined emotional, unfolding personal narratives with archive led historical story-telling. “Profoundly affecting… a smart and sensitive examination of trauma, and how that can change over time.” The Guardian   “A masterful blend of serious reportage and deep emotion” The Daily Mail. Nominated: Best Popular Factual Series, Edinburgh TV Awards 2021 Shortlisted: Best Constructed Factual Series, The Grierson Awards 2021 Executive Producer: Justine Kershaw https://tobytrackman.com/Game-of-Throws Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:10:40 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Game-of-Throws Game of Throws: Inside Darts Sky/Dorothy Street Pictures, 3 x 60’ Consulting Director Working with the showrunners to map out the series, set the style and lead the initial shoot before handing over to the series director. “Great entertainment with a thoughtful underbelly” 4 stars, The Times. Executive Producer: Jess Orr https://tobytrackman.com/Life-and-Death-in-Chicago-2 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 14:34:22 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/Life-and-Death-in-Chicago-2 Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago BBC1/Sundog Pictures 1 x 60’ Director A self-shot one-off exploring the impact of rising levels of gun crime and police brutality in Chicago. It involved sensitive access in dangerous and traumatic circumstances, whilst following unfolding narratives. Executive Producer: Sam Anthony Nominated: Best Documentary Digital Broadcast Awards 2017 https://tobytrackman.com/CV Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:42:38 +0000 Toby Trackman https://tobytrackman.com/CV Toby Trackman is a BAFTA‑nominated, Grierson and RTS‑winning director whose work blends cinematic craft, emotional depth, and sensitive access across feature documentaries and premium nonfiction series. Known for visually authored storytelling and an ability to navigate high‑stakes, high‑emotion environments, Toby’s films span trauma‑led narratives, cultural storytelling, political investigations, and talent‑driven music documentaries. His recent feature, The Lost Musician of Auschwitz, was hailed by critics as “a masterpiece” and “utterly unforgettable”, winning RTS Best Arts, BAFTA Craft, and premiering in the US at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Toby has directed films with Elton John, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, Little Simz, and collaborated with Oscar‑winner Asif Kapadia on the Disney+ series Camden. Equally comfortable self‑shooting or leading full‑scale international crews, Toby has filmed across the US, Europe, Pakistan, and South America, directing projects for Netflix, Disney+, PBS, NatGeo, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and major global brands. His work is defined by strong authored vision, trust‑based access, and a cinematic approach to real stories. Toby is currently directing a BBC special featuring Her Majesty Queen Camilla, and is developing new feature‑length nonfiction projects for the US market. The Lost Musician of Auschwitz BBC2/Two Rivers/Access, 1 x 90’ feature Director Feature doc for cinema release to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, looking at the role of music in the camp. Combining documentary with stylised drama and musical performances shot around Auschwitz itself. Executive Producers: Alan Clements, Danny Cohen and Emily Blavatnik. Game of Throws: Inside Darts Sky/Dorothy Street Pictures, 3 x 60’ Consulting Director Working with the showrunners to map out the series, set the style and lead the initial shoot before handing over to the series director. “Great entertainment with a thoughtful underbelly” 4 stars, The Times. Executive Producer: Jess Orr Camden Disney+/Lightbox, 4 x 60’                                 Lead Director Working alongside Oscar winner Asif Kapadia, I developed the series style and directed two episodes. I directed a cast of A-List talent including Dua Lipa, Chris Martin and Little Simz, to create a hybrid narrative led by archive and performances, combined with actuality and interviews with A-list talent. I also led work with the GFX team and DoP’s to create stylised sequences across the series. Executive Producers: Simon Chinn, Suzanne Lavery, Dua Lipa. Saved by a Stranger BBC2/Blink Films, 4 x 60’                                  Series Director A self shot investigative history series presented by Anita Rani which combined emotional, unfolding personal narratives with archive led historical story-telling. “Profoundly affecting… a smart and sensitive examination of trauma, and how that can change over time.” The Guardian   “A masterful blend of serious reportage and deep emotion” The Daily Mail. Shortlisted: Best Constructed Factual Series, The Grierson Awards 2021 Nominated: Best Popular Factual Series, Edinburgh TV Awards 2021 Executive Producer: Justine Kershaw Stabbed: Britain’s Knife Crime Crisis BBC1/Rogan Productions 1 x 60’  Director A one off special for BBC1 with Duwayne Brooks, exploring the trauma inflicted by knife crime. This self-shot film balanced extremely sensitive unfolding access and narratives whilst working with a first-time presenter. “Heart-felt, unflinching, elegiac TV that sounds a clarion call for social change”. The Observer. Winner: Best Domestic Documentary, The Grierson Awards 2019 Winner: Best Presenter, The Grierson Awards 2019 Nominated: Televisual Bulldog Awards, Best Documentary 2020. Executive Producer: James Rogan Partygate: Inside the Storm BBC2/October Films 1 x 60’                  Director Fast turnaround self-shot documentary featuring whistle-blowers revealing what happened inside No10 during COVID. This self-shot film required managing sensitive political access with complicated impartiality and legal considerations. Executive Producer: Neil Blackwell The Paris Project Lightbox/undisclosed                                             Director Pilot for high concept new reality doc/fantasy hybrid. In this visually inventive and ambitious project documentary characters fantasies were bought to life in homages to classic French cinema, weaving seamlessly in and out of documentary and fantasy sequences using inventive in-camera techniques. I developed the ideas for each sequence, working with a full multi-department crew including camera and art department to bring them to life on location in Paris Executive Producer: Simon Chinn Sarah Payne: The Untold Story ITV1/Optomen 1 x 60’              Director An intimate and emotional retelling of the tragedy of Sarah Payne, told through exclusive interviews with her mother, siblings, and the investigating team, archive, and impressionistic reconstruction. The film also features Suzanna Reid, with the additional challenge of weaving limited time with her into the film to create the sense of an embedded, authored investigation. Executive Producer: Nick Hornby Lost Boys BBC2/Swan Films 1 x 60’                                                    Director A one off special for the BBC Asian Summer season, exploring the challenges facing the current generation of young British Pakistani men. Presented by Mehreen Baig, it received 4 star reviews in both the Guardian and The Telegraph. This self-shot film involved sensitive access, working with a first time presenter and challenging location filming in remote areas of Pakistan in a small crew. Executive Producer: Joe Evans Creative Netflix/Blink Films 1 x 90’                                                         Director A feature length film exploring the neuroscience of creativity. Led by best-selling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman it features contributions from Nick Cave, Tim Robbins, Bjarke Ingles and Kelis among many more. This self-shot film saw me working with A-list talent and a presenter, whilst distilling complex neuroscience. Executive: Producer: Justine Kershaw Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago BBC1/Sundog Pictures 1 x 60’                  Director A self-shot single exploring the impact of rising levels of gun time and police brutality in Chicago. It involved sensitive access in dangerous and traumatic circumstances, whilst following unfolding narratives. Executive Producer: Sam Anthony Nominated: Best Documentary Digital Broadcast Awards 2017 The Brain with David Eagleman PBS/Blink Films 6 x 60’            Series Director Flagship documentary series exploring what neuroscience can reveal about what it is to be human, interweaving a presenter with compelling stories, complex science and mind-bending visuals. Working partially with a DoP, I shot significant parts of the series, and initially took two episodes into the edit before returning to shoot the rest of the series. Executive Producer: Justine Kershaw A Year on the Farm 4/Keo, 4 x 60 Series Director Following four farms over the course of a year, this observational self-shot series reveals the secret lives of both British farmers and their animals, discovering the challenges facing farmers today and how their place on the land, and in modern society, is changing. Executive Producer: Kari Lia. Inside the National Crime Agency 4/Blast Films 2 x 60’    Series Director Each film relives one of the National Crime Agency’s biggest cases. The self-shot films combine observational filming with historical retelling and stylised drama, creating a true crime noir drama documentary. Executive Producer: Alex Sutherland Woman Raised by Monkeys NatGeo/Blink Films 1 x 90’                Director Self-shot feature length drama doc investigating claims by a Colombian woman that she was raised by monkeys, following her quest to find her real family, marrying unfolding narrative shot on location in Colombia with specialist factual, drama and historical story elements. Executive Producer: Dan Chambers 999: What’s your emergency? (Series 1) 4/Blast Films 10 x 60’   Series Director Major prime-time C4 documentary series following the emergency services across multiple observational unfolding narratives. I was tasked with setting the series style and took 2 episodes into the edit, one of which was shown at Sheffield Doc Fest 2012. Executive Producers: Ed Coulthard & Simon Ford The Boy with the Incredible Brain Five/Focus Productions 1 x 60’      Producer/DoP BAFTA nominated scientific documentary which I developed, produced, and shot. It combined an observational unfolding narrative with complex science and inventive graphics. “visually inventive” The Independent “A terrific film” The Guardian. Nominated: BAFTA, Best Specialist Factual, 2006 Winner: RTS South West Award, Best documentary, 2006 Director: Steve Gooder