ALEX Holmes tackles tough subjects with his award-winning films and documentaries - but can't help wondering what mum and dad might think.

Alex called home to Hereford and the two critics who matter most right after bagging a BAFTA on Sunday night.

He knew what to expect. The nod they gave his acclaimed documentary Dunkirk was worth - almost - as much as the "surprise" prize.

Alex, aged 37, may be one of the brightest talents in British television, but he's a "home boy" at heart.

"I really value my parent's opinions. When they said Dunkirk was impressive I knew I'd made something good," he said.

BAFTA agreed to give Dunkirk the Huw Wheldon Award for best specialist factual documentary against strong competition.

Alex told the Hereford Times that the win came as a complete surprise to him and the team. Dunkirk, he said, went somewhat against convention by mixing documentary accounts with dramatic reconstruction.

Though BAFTA usually likes its "specialist factual" served straight, judges praised Dunkirk - shown on BBC2 last year - as a powerful, emotional piece.

Alex was drawn to the evacuation as one of the great stories of the Second World War that could not be filtered through American eyes - like so many others.

"Dunkirk is a truly European story. It's about how close Britain came to not being able to continue the war, and how we survived to do so," said Alex.

With most survivors in their 80s at least, it was a tale that needed to be told now, he said.

Alex grew up in Aylestone Hill, Hereford, and returns to the city whenever he can.

His documentary-making skills first stirred at Hereford Cathedral School where English teacher Colin Gray remembers a bright student with a distinctly questioning turn of mind.

"Those who taught him knew that they, and what they were saying, would be challenged," said Mr Gray.

Headmaster Canon Dr Howard Tomlinson said the school was "immensely proud" of Alex's award.

From HCS Alex went to Cambridge reading archaeology and anthropology before breaking into investigative journalism.

Work with various independent TV companies and a stint with World in Action led him to drama, documentary and feature film production.

Alex was awarded his first BAFTA for the drama Nice Girl. Another went to the feature film Last Resort, which also earned accolades world-wide.

The latest BAFTA boosts a busy "to do" list. On it is another wartime documentary in the spirit of Dunkirk - but this time about the Blitz.

Events in Iraq over the past two years could also enter the frame, and there's a long-cherished - if hugely controversial - examination of the 1998 SAS shooting of three IRA terrorists in Gibraltar.