John Smithson (born in March 1952) is an Oscar Best Picture nominee and BAFTA, Emmy, Peabody, and Grierson award-winning producer and executive in non-scripted film and television based in London, England.
His most notable works include originating and producing the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film 127 Hours, the BAFTA-winning landmark documentary Touching the Void, as well as the BAFTA and London Film Festival-winning documentary Sherpa.
Career Smithson began his career as a reporter for Manchester's Piccadilly Radio before joining BBC Radio 4 as a current affairs producer. He then entered the television industry, spending five years as a researcher on Granada’s World in Action, followed by two years producing Rough Justice for BBC TV.
He co-founded Darlow Smithson Productions in 1988 and led its growth into one of the world’s foremost non-fiction producers and a trailblazer for UK expansion into the US factual market, producing over 100 hours of high-quality programmes every year for world-leading broadcasters, including Discovery, C4, BBC, and National Geographic.
Smithson acquired full control of Darlow Smithson Productions in June 2002, buying out co-founder David Darlow’s 50% stake. The company was acquired by sports and media giant IMG in 2006 and later by Endemol in 2009.
In 2011, Smithson co-founded Arrow Media, one of the UK’s fastest-growing production companies, which rapidly became a creative powerhouse delivering more than 100 hours of world-class TV to the UK, US and international markets each year. In 2023, Arrow Media was acquired by French media group Asacha, which has since become part of Fremantle (company).
Since his departure from Arrow Media, Smithson worked independently before founding his own production company, Smithson Media, in 2025 to focus on a slate of ambitious projects, while acting as a key creative and strategic advisor in content creation and management.
Awards & nominations +YearAwardCategoryProductionResult1999News & Documentary Emmy AwardAnalysis of a Single Current StoryDecoding the NazisWon2004BAFTA Alexander Korda AwardBest British FilmTouching the VoidWon2004British Independent Film AwardBest British DocumentaryTouching the VoidWon2004Evening Standard British Film AwardBest Film AwardTouching the VoidWon2005EmmyOutstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)The Last DragonNominated2005Online Film & Television AssociationBest Documentary AwardTouching the VoidNominated2007BAFTA AwardFlaherty Documentary Award9/11: The Falling ManNominated2007New York Festival World Gold Medal Feature-Length Documentary9/11: The Falling ManWon2007Grierson AwardsBest Cinema DocumentaryDeep WaterWon2007Focal AwardBest Use of Footage in a Feature Length Documentary or FilmDeep WaterWon2007San Diego Film Critics Society AwardBest DocumentaryDeep WaterWon2007Rome International Film Festival AwardBest Cinema DocumentaryDeep WaterWon2008International Emmy AwardBest DocumentaryThe Beckoning SilenceWon2009BAFTA TV AwardBest Single DocumentaryThe Beckoning SilenceNominated2009BAFTA TV AwardBest Single DocumentaryThrilla in ManilaNominated2009Sundance Film FestivalGrand Jury PrizeThrilla in ManilaNominated2009Banff Television Festival AwardBest Sports DocumentaryThrilla in ManilaWon2009Grierson AwardBest Historical DocumentaryThrilla in ManilaWon2010Peabody AwardThrilla in ManilaWon2010News & Documentary Emmy AwardOutstanding Historical ProgrammingThrilla in ManilaNominated2010International Emmy AwardBest Documentary9/11: Phone Calls from the TowersNominated2011Academy Awards (Oscar)Best Motion Picture of the Year127 HoursNominated2011BAFTA Alexander Korda AwardBest British Film127 HoursNominated2011American Film Institute (AFI) AwardsMovie of the Year127 HoursWon2011News & Documentary Emmy AwardOutstanding Historical ProgrammingInto the Universe with Stephen Hawking, episode "Time Travel"Nominated2012News & Documentary Emmy AwardOutstanding Informational Programming - Long Form 9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor: People Helping PeopleNominated2012EmmyOutstanding Science and Technology ProgrammingCuriosity, episode "Did God Create the Universe"Nominated2015Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts AwardBest Feature Length DocumentarySherpaNominated2015London Film Festival Grierson AwardBest Documentary FilmSherpaWon2016Film Critics Australia Award Best Feature Length DocumentarySherpaWon2016BAFTA Film AwardsBest Documentary AwardSherpaNominated2022Australian Academy of Cinema and Television ArtsBest DocumentaryRiverWon2022Grierson AwardsBest Science DocumentaryPositiveNominated2025Telluride Mountainfilm Festival James Balog Creative Vision AwardCecilWon
Notable Work
Touching the Void — 2003 (Producer) Deep Water — 2006 (Producer) 9/11: The Falling Man — 2006 (Executive Producer) Thrilla in Manila — 2008 (Executive Producer) 127 Hours — 2010 (Producer) Sherpa — 2015 (Producer)
Complete Filmography +TitleFormatYear of ReleaseRoleWorld In ActionTV series1981-1985Researcher (multiple episodes)Rough Justice TV Series1987Producer (3 episodes)Coded Hostile (aka Tailspin: Behind the Korean Airliner Tragedy)TV Movie1989ProducerDead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez DisasterTV Movie1992ProducerEverymanTV Series1993-1994Producer (3 episodes)Children of GodTV Movie1994Director | ProducerWhat Has Become of UsTV Mini Series1994Executive Producer (3 episodes)WitnessTV Series1994-1997Executive Producer / Producer (4 episodes)The AffairTV Movie1995ProducerBlack BoxTV Series1996-1998Executive Producer (6 episodes)CrashTV Series1998Executive Producer (3 episodes)DrivenTV Series1998Executive Producer (30 episodes)BlazeTV Series1999Executive Producer (3 hours)BootcampDocumentary1999Executive ProducerMaydayTV Series1999Executive Producer (4 episodes)Station XTV Mini Series1999Executive Producer (6 episodes)DerailTV Series2000Executive Producer (3 episodes)Secret AgentTV Series2000Producer (4 episodes)Teenage Japanese KillersTV Movie2000Executive ProducerWhy Doctors Make MistakesTV Series2000Executive Producer (3 episodes)Murder in ParadiseTV Series2001Executive Producer (1 episode)Why Men LeaveDocumentary2001Executive ProducerLost GirlsTV Series2002Executive Producer (2 episodes)Lost WorldsTV Series2002Executive Producer (1 episode)The Hollywood MachineTV Series2002Executive Producer (3 hours)What Killed the Mega BeastsTV Movie2002Executive ProducerTouching the VoidTheatrical Documentary2003ProducerWe Built This City: LondonTV Movie2003Executive ProducerWe Built This City: New YorkTV Movie2003Executive ProducerThe Last DragonTV Movie2004Executive ProducerE=mc²TV Movie2005Executive ProducerI Shouldn’t Be AliveTV Series2005-2011Executive Producer (30 episodes)The SommeTV Movie2005Executive ProducerDeep WaterTheatrical Documentary2006ProducerThe Da Vinci DetectiveTV Movie2006Executive Producer9/11: The Falling ManFeature Documentary2006Executive ProducerClapham JunctionTV Movie2007Executive ProducerImpact EarthTV Movie2007Executive ProducerThe Beckoning SilenceFeature Documentary2007Executive ProducerThrilla in ManilaFeature Documentary2008Executive ProducerWe Built This City: ParisTV Movie2008Executive ProducerThe Diary of Anne FrankTV Mini Series2009Executive Producer (5 episodes)U Be DeadTV Movie2009Executive Producer9/11: Phone Calls from the TowersTV Movie2009Executive ProducerStephen Hawking’s UniverseTV Mini Series2010Executive Producer (3 episodes)Atlas 4DTV Series2010Executive Producer (3 episodes)127 HoursFeature Film2010Producer9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor: People Helping PeopleTV Movie2011Executive ProducerStephen Hawking’s Grand DesignTV Mini Series2012Executive Producer (3 episodes)Ultimate Airport DubaiTV Series2013-2015Executive Producer (19 episodes) | Creative Director (30 episodes)Dogs: Their Secret LivesTV Series2014Executive Producer (4 episodes)Mayday: The Passenger Who Landed a PlaneTV Special2014Executive ProducerBletchley Park: Code-Breaking's Forgotten GeniusTV Movie2015Creative DirectorSherpaTheatrical Documentary2015ProducerHitler: The Rise and FallTV Series2016Creative Director (6 episodes)Taking Flight Britain’s America’s Cup ChallengeTV Series2016Executive ProducerMan Made Planet: Earth from SpaceTV Movie2017Executive ProducerModern British SlaveryDocumentary2017Creative DirectorNightmare on EverestTV Movie2017Creative DirectorA Year of British MurderTV Movie2019Executive ProducerGeneration 9/11TV Mini Series2021Creative Director (2 episodes)RiverFeature Film2021ProducerI SniperTV Mini Series2023Executive Producer (6 hours)Tsunami: The Wave That Shook the WorldTV Special2024Executive ProducerCecilTheatrical Documentary2025Producer
References
External links John Smithson official website
John Smithson LinkedIn Arrow Media Darlow Smithson Productions