Holly Willoughby announced Our Girls: The Southport Families as the winner of Best Authored Documentary at the NTAs on Tuesday night, in a deeply emotional moment that saw the families of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe embrace on stage.
As cameras turned towards the three families, they joined the documentary’s production team to collect the award, with guests inside London’s O2 Arena rising to applaud them.
The BBC film centres on the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, who were killed at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport in 2024.
Southport families receive standing ovation at NTAs
Elsie’s mother, Jenni Stancombe, told the audience the families had never imagined they would receive the award.
She said: “We know you didn’t vote for us, you voted for our three girls. This is a documentary that should never have been made.”
The families used their acceptance speech to ask viewers to keep Alice, Bebe and Elsie in their hearts.
The emotional moment clearly stayed with Holly, who later shared her reaction to the documentary on Instagram. She wrote: “What an honour to present the award for Best Authored Documentary to Our Girls: The Southport Families… A documentary that should never have had to be made… Utterly heartbreaking.”
The documentary faced a strong list of nominees, including an entry involving Jesy Nelson and films about Caroline Flack and Ozzy Osbourne. But it was Our Girls: The Southport Families that took home the authored documentary prize.
How Our Girls honours Alice, Bebe and Elsie
Our Girls brings together personal interviews and family footage to show the lasting impact of the fatal attack on the families.
Alice, Bebe and Elsie were killed at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on July 29 2024. Alice was nine, Bebe was six and Elsie was seven. Several other children and two adults were injured.
Axel Rudakubana later pleaded guilty to their murders and received a minimum prison term of 52 years.
Our Girls: The Southport Families documentary on BBC
The documentary also looks at the girls’ names and the work their families have created in their memory. It features Alice’s Wonderdance, which supports aspiring young dancers, alongside Bebe’s Hive and Elsie’s Story, both of which support bereaved families.
Another part of the film follows Alice’s and Elsie’s fathers as they complete the London Marathon. Their fundraising helped pay for a new playground at the girls’ school.
The Prince and Princess of Wales later visited the finished playground. The documentary shows how the families’ grief has been channelled into practical projects inspired by their daughters.
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You can watch the National Television Awards on ITVX.
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