David Farnor | On 02, Feb 2017

BBC Three bagged a double win at last night’s Broadcast Awards, as Fleabag flew to the top of its categories.

The online TV channel is almost one year old, so all eyes in the industry will be on viewing figures for BBC iPlayer in the coming months, as it’s decided whether the experimental venture has been a success. Early indicators are positive, though, with BBC Three’s drama, Thirteen, viewed by more than 3 million people in 2016, more than any of the corporation’s other shows.

Fleabag’s popularity and acclaim are also an encouraging sign, helped by its double-dip at last night’s ceremony. BBC Three was nominated for eight prizes in total, neck and neck with Sky and just behind BBC Two’s nine. Fleabag was nominated in three categories – Best Comedy, Best Original and Best Multichannel Programme – and walked away with the latter two.

Adapted from Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s award-winning Edinburgh play, the show sees the comedian and actress play the dry-witted, angry, cash-strapped, grief-riddled, porn-watching eponymous young woman, who’s trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy. Alongside her are a cast that includes Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Hugh Dennis and Hugh Skinner.

The six-part series was hailed by Broadcast as “that rare breed: a comedy that landed fully-formed and seemingly unfiltered by the hands of commissioners and producers”, praising BBC Three’s Comedy Feed piloting process.

“A fresh new talent with a unique voice has exploded onto our screens,” said one judge.

Other contenders for Original Programme included Dickensian, Flowers, Is This Rape? Sex on Trial, and Naked Attraction.

Fleabag’s premiere on BBC Three in July, before being repeated on BBC Two and launching on Amazon Prime Video in the US in September, helped secure it a win for Best Multichannel Programme – beating competition from Chewing Gum, Charlie Hebdo: 3 Days That Shook Paris, Love Island, Murdered by My Father and Professor Green: Suicide and Me.

Elsewhere, Channel 4 dominated the evening, converting its 22 nominations into seven gongs, including Best Drama for This Is England ’90, Best Entertainment Programme for The Last Leg, Best Documentary for Interview with a Murderer and Best Sports Programme for its coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Channel 4 also won Channel of the Year, seeing off competition from BBC One, BBC Two, Dave, Sky 1 and BBC Three.

You can still stream the box set of Fleabag on BBC iPlayer, with Episode 1 available until 18th March. Read our review of the programme here, or head this way for our weekly guide to what’s coming soon to BBC Three.

You can see the full list of winners (via broadcastawards.co.uk) below:

Channel of the Year Channel 4
Independent Production Company Big Talk Productions
Post-production House Envy
Best Popular Factual Programme The Real Marigold Hotel
Best Drama Series or Serial This Is England ‘90
Best Original Programme Fleabag
Best Documentary Series Exodus: Our Journey To Europe
Best Documentary Programme Interview with a Murderer
Best Single Drama: Ellen
Best News & Current Affairs Programme Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks
Best Music Programme Adele
Best Entertainment Programme The Last Leg
Best Sports Programme Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Best Comedy Programme Mum
Best Multichannel Programme Fleabag
International Sales The Last Panthers
Best Children’s Programme The Boy on the Bicycle
Best Soap or Continuing Drama Emmerdale
Best Daytime Programme The Question Jury
Best Pre-school Programme Topsy and Tim
Special Recognition Later… With Jools Holland