Sky Documentaries seeks sport, cultural icon docs to complete 2025 line-up

DOC/FEST: UK factual channel Sky Documentaries has a “couple of gaps to fill” in its 2025 line-up and is looking for docs about sport and cultural icons to fit the bill.

Hayley Reynolds

The Comcast-owned European pay TV broadcaster is here in Sheffield in a big way this week, hosting a brunch for producers on Thursday and panel session on Friday.

The factual channel is now being led by commissioning editor Hayley Reynolds, who stepped into Poppy Dixon’s shoes at the start of this week as the satcaster’s inaugural director of documentaries and factual started her maternity leave.

Reynolds said Sky Documentaries is wide open for 2026 with its usual need for six original single docs and six original series, narrative-driven, in the true crime, sport and cultural icons, and stranger-than-fiction spaces.

To that end, four commissions were unveiled earlier this week, including a feature doc on the grim social media phenomenon of Andrew Tate from Sandpaper Films.

But in an interview with C21, Reynolds said she has a more immediate pressing need for 2025 before turning to the year after. “We’re open for business, we’ve got a couple of gaps left for 2025. We’re well stocked for true crime next year but we’re still looking for sport and cultural icons,” she said.

“Big, broad populist names with a forensic storytelling approach, great access, great archive. We’ve got a couple of gaps there.

“What we do is quite specific compared with some other channels and platforms. We’re really focused on narrative-driven ideas – story-first, premium look and feel, ambition, excellence, beautifully crafted pieces of work from the best in the business.

“When we look at sport and cultural icons, they need to feel elevated beyond just the sport or music. We’re open to series and singles – whatever feels like the right shape for those stories.”