Herts’ film and TV graduate Kyri Zindilis receives BAFTA award for his work on EastEnders

University of Hertfordshire film and TV graduate Kyri Zindilis has been awarded a BAFTA for his work on BBC’s EastEnders.

Kyri, who graduated in 2011 from the University, was part of a six-person BBC team who were collectively awarded the BAFTA for Best Soap and Continuing Drama.

The award, by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), recognises excellence in British soap operas and long-running drama series. It highlights outstanding storytelling, character development, and production quality and is a prestigious accolade.

Kyri’s significant contributions to the show—as a senior story editor and current story producer—have been instrumental in its continued success. He worked on pivotal episodes, such as the 35th-anniversary specials and emotionally impactful storylines about issues such as depression, grief and trauma.

Reflecting on how his life and times at the University has influenced his career journey, Kyri said:

“It was a joy to study at the University of Hertfordshire, and my BA (Hons) Film & TV Production course allowed me to develop and hone my skills within all areas of the filmmaking process.

“I feel it gave me a real taste of which area of the Film and TV industry I wanted to work in, and also gave me the opportunity to make some creative and talented friends for life.”

Kyri joins other high-achieving alumni from the University’s School of Creative Arts Kyri such as Will Lloyd-Cook, who served as the animation director for the BAFTA-winning children's animation Numberblocks and Felix Peever (2017), Beth Jones (2020), and Avneet Poonian (2023) who contributed as set dressers and prop makers to the Oscar-nominated Wallace & Gromit film The Great Escape. In February the University’s graphic design course was independently ranked in the world’s top ten.

The University of Hertfordshire offers a well-regarded MA Screenwriting program, designed to provide students with practical and intensive training in screenwriting within a collaborative filmmaking environment.

Howard Berry, Principal Lecturer (Film and Television Post Production), himself a film-maker, has stayed in contact with Kyri since he graduated. He was delighted about his BAFTA success. Howard said:

“Kyri didn’t just work on EastEnders, he was one of the six members of the senior creative team to be personally awarded the BAFTA for this, in his lead role of Story Producer.

“Kyri’s career journey shows young people studying in the creative arts today that there are real opportunities for them and that there are practical routes into worthwhile and career defining roles.”

Kyri’s career in television began in 2009 as a production runner on The X Factor UK. He later worked with Kudos as a runner and served as a series assistant on the first series of Grantchester in 2014, progressing to assistant script editor for the show's second series in 2016.

He joined EastEnders in 2016 as a series archivist, a role he held until 2018. He then transitioned to storyliner, contributing to 20 episodes between September and December 2018. From March 2018, he served as a script editor on 58 episodes, including the show's 35th-anniversary week in February 2020.

In 2021, Kyri became a story editor for EastEnders, working on 229 episodes, and was later promoted to senior story editor, overseeing 171 episodes through 2023. As of 2025, he continues to contribute to the series as a story producer.

Learn more about studying screenwriting at Herts. The University has now opened its Clearing pages for people to learn more about the courses that interest them.