THIS is the moment the families of the Southport victims embraced after winning an award for the best authored documentary at the National Television Awards.
The moving BBC progamme shed light on the grieving families of Alice de Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, who were brutally murdered during a dance workshop in Southport in 2024.
The BBC Southport documentary won the best authored prize at the National Television Awards Credit: ITV
The families of the Southport victims went up to receive the award at the 02 Credit: ITV
As Holly Willoughby announced the winning documentary, cameras turned to the three families, overwhelmed with emotion as they went up to receive the award on Tuesday evening.
They were not the only ones moved to tears, with the camera flitting across the 02 Arena to catch shiny-eyed audience members applauding the brave trio of parents.
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The heartwrenching documentary pulled at heartstrings across the nation when it aired for the first time at the end of last year.
Featuring deeply personal interviews and tear-jerking family footage, the documentary exposed the shattered lives left behind after the fatal stabbings.
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Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was one of the three girls killed by Axel Rudakubana Credit: PA
Alice da Silva Aguiar was nine years old when she was brutally killed at a dance class in Southport Credit: PA
The family of Bebe King have set up a family support charity in her honour Credit: PA
The families of the three girls killed in the Southport stabbings, outside No 10 Credit: AFP
It also shone a light on the legacies the girls’ families are building in their honour: Alice’s Wonderdance, for young, aspiring dancers, and Bebe’s Hive and Elsie’s Story, both support groups for grieving families.
Addressing the crowds, Elsie’s mum Jenni said: “We never expected to be stood up here, so I don’t know what to say. We know you didn’t vote for us, you voted for our three girls.”
Part of the documentary focused on Alice and Elsie’s dads, Sergio and David, who completed the London Marathon to raise money for a new playground at the girls’ school.
Later in the programme, the Prince and Princess of Wales paid the finished project a visit, delivering an moving speech to students and staff.
A star-studded category tonight, featuring Jesy Nelson – as well as documentaries on Caroline Flack and Ozzy Osbourne – they were nevertheless pipped to the post by the Southport documentary for the best author prize.
Other awards including serial drama performance, reality competition, quiz shows and new dramas.
The three girls had been attending a Taylor Swift dance class in Merseyside when they were fatally attacked by Axel Rudakubana, then 17, on July 29 2024.
Several other children were injured during the savage assault, as well as two adults.
Rudakubana, a British citizen with Rwandan parents, was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison in January 2025 after pleading guilty to murder and the possession of an al-Qaeda training manual.
The horrifying attack sparked widespread anti-immigration protests, as misinformation spread about the attacker’s identity, who was briefly assumed to be an illegal immigrant.
A local mosque was damaged during clashes with the police, as the riots escalated rapidly and erupted across the county.
