David Farnor | On 18, Mar 2020

Fleabag led the winners at this year’s Royal Television Society Awards, taking home two prizes.

The awards, which were revealed behind closed doors by writer and comedian Paul Merton (and streamed live to nominees and viewers at home) named Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s BBC Three comedy as the best Scripted Comedy, as well as naming her the best Writer (Comedy).

BBC Three also enjoyed success with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK crowned best Entertainment programme, while BBC One’s Gentleman Jack was named Best Drama Series and BBC Four’s Bros: After The Screaming Stops was named the best Arts programme. Stephen Graham was named best Actor (Male) for Channel 4’s The Virtues, while Tamara Lawrance was named Best Actor (Female) for BBC One’s The Long Song.

Fleabag wasn’t the only comedy winner, though, with Saoirse-Monica Jackson named best Comedy Performance (Female) for Channel 4’s Derry Girls and Ncuti Gatwa named best Comedy Performance (Male) for Netflix’s Sex Education.

On an international level, Craig Mazin was named best Writer (Drama) for HBO hit Chernobyl.

Wayne Garvie, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards said: “We are all facing an incredibly difficult time and rightfully have made responsible changes to the format of the RTS Programme Awards. Despite this, we would like to acknowledge the incredible contribution of all our nominees to the UK’s television output and celebrate our deserving winners. This is my last year in the role of Chair of the RTS Programme Awards and throughout my tenure I have been proud to witness the outstanding talent in the UK, and have been repeatedly inspired by the creativity across our industry.”

The RTS Programme Awards seek to recognise UK productions and, where appropriate, international co-productions which, between 1st November 2018 and 31st October 2019, have made a positive contribution worthy of acclaim by the industry and UK viewers.

Channel 5 was dubbed the prestigious Channel of the Year, describe as “a confident broadcaster reaping the rewards of years of steady growth and development – a channel that increasingly now both surprises and delights”.

Jane Featherstone (Founder and Chief Executive, Sister Pictures) was also given the Judges’ Award, after a year that saw her produce Cleaning Up, The Split, Don’t Forget the Driver, Giri/Haji and Chernobyl.

“It is, by any measure, an exceptional slate of extraordinary work, all in a single year. Drama of the very highest quality, produced with passion and flair by one of the stand-out stars of British television production,” said the RTS.r

Read on for the full list of winners.

Actor (Female)

Niamh Algar – The Virtues (Warp Films and Arty Productions for Channel 4)
Suranne Jones – Gentleman Jack (A Lookout Point Production in association with HBO for BBC One)
Tamara Lawrance – The Long Song (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)

Actor (Male)

Jared Harris – Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)
Michael Ward – Top Boy (Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew and SpringHill Entertainment for Netflix)
Stephen Graham – The Virtues (Warp Films and Arty Productions for Channel 4)

Arts

Bros: After The Screaming Stops (Fulwell 73 for BBC Four)
imagine…James Graham: In the Room Where It Happens (BBC Studios for BBC One)
Superkids: Breaking Away From Care (Expectation for Channel 4)

Breakthrough Award

Aisling Bea – This Way Up (Merman Television for Channel 4)
Tanya Moodie – Motherland (Merman Television and Delightful Industries for BBC Two)
Tim Renkow – Jerk (Roughcut TV and Primal Media for BBC Three)

Children’s Programme

The Athena (Bryncoed Productions for Sky Kids)
Step Up to the Plate (Lion TV for CBBC)
Zog (Magic Light Pictures for BBC One)

Comedy Performance (Female)

Diane Morgan – Motherland (Merman Television and Delightful Industries for BBC Two)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)
Saiorse-Monica Jackson – Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)

Comedy Performance (Male)

Alex Murphy & Chris Walley – The Young Offenders (Vico Films and Rotator for BBC Three)
Ncuti Gatwa – Sex Education (Eleven Film for Netflix)
Youssef Kerkour – Home (Jantaculum and Channel X for Channel 4)

Daytime Programme

Beat the Chef (Twofour and Motion Content Group for Channel 4)
Good Morning Britain (ITV Studios Daytime for ITV
The Repair Shop (Ricochet for BBC One)

Documentary Series

The Choir: Our School By The Tower (Twenty Twenty Productions for BBC Two)
Crime and Punishment (72 Films for Channel 4)
Hometown: A Killing (7 Wonder for BBC Three)

Drama Series

Ackley Bridge (The Forge Entertainment for Channel 4)
The Capture (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)
Gentleman Jack (A Lookout Point Production in association with HBO for BBC One)

Entertainment

Britain’s Got Talent (Thames/Syco for ITV)
Love Island (ITV Studios Entertainment/Motion Content Group for ITV2)
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (World of Wonder Productions for BBC Three)

Entertainment Performance

London Hughes – Don’t Hate The Playaz (Monkey Kingdom for ITV2)
Mo Gilligan – The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (Expectation and Momo G for Channel 4)
Stephen Mulhern – In For A Penny (ITV Studios Entertainment/Mitre Television for ITV)

Formatted Popular Factual

The British Tribe Next Door (Voltage for Channel 4)
Celebrity Gogglebox (Studio Lambert for Channel 4)
The Circle (Studio Lambert & Motion Content Group for Channel 4)

History

Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain (Blast! Films for Channel 4)
The Last Survivors (Minnow Films for BBC Two)
Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History (BBC NI for BBC Four and BBC One Northern Ireland)

Live Event

The BRIT Awards 2019 (BRITs TV for ITV)
The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance (BBC Studios for BBC One)
Stormzy at Glastonbury 2019 (BBC Studios for BBC Two)

Mini-Series

Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)
The Long Song (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)
Years and Years (Red Production Company for BBC One)

Presenter

Fred Brathwaite – A Fresh Guide to Florence with Fab 5 Freddy (BBC Studios for BBC Two)
Mobeen Azhar – Hometown: A Killing (7 Wonder for BBC Three)
Vicky McClure – Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure (Curve Media for BBC One)

RTS Channel of the Year

BBC Three
Channel 5
Sky Atlantic

Science and Natural History

8 Days: To the Moon and Back (BBC Studios, PBS & The Open University, The Science Unit for BBC Two)
The Parkinson’s Drug Trial: A Miracle Cure? (Passionate Productions for BBC Two)
The Planets (A BBC Studios Production with NOVA and WGBH Boston for BBC, PBS co-produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures. A BBC Open University Partnership for BBC Two)

Scripted Comedy

Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)
Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)
Stath Lets Flats (Roughcut TV for Channel 4)

Single Documentary

David Harewood: Psychosis and Me (Films of Record for BBC Two)
Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag (Hardcash Productions for ITV)
War in the Blood (Minnow Films for BBC Two)

Single Drama

Brexit: The Uncivil War (House Productions in association with HBO for Channel 4)
Doing Money (Renegade Pictures for BBC Two)
The Left Behind (BBC Studios for BBC Three and BBC Cymru Wales)

Soap and Continuing Drama

Casualty (BBC Studios for BBC One)
Coronation Street (ITV Studios for ITV)
EastEnders (BBC Studios for BBC One)

Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit

Alex Scott – 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Input Media and BBC Sport for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer)
Gareth Thomas – 2019 Rugby World Cup (ITV Sport for ITV)
Nasser Hussain – The Ashes (Sky Sports for Sky Sports Cricket)

Sports Programme

2019 Rugby World Cup (ITV Sport for ITV)
ICC Cricket World Cup Final (Sky Sports & Sunset+Vine for ICC TV and Sky Sports Cricket)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 – Semi Final: England v USA (Input Media and BBC Sport for BBC One)

Writer (Comedy)

Danny Brocklehurst – Brassic (Calamity Films for Sky One)
Laurie Nunn – Sex Education (Eleven Film for Netflix)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)

Writer (Drama)

Craig Mazin – Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)
Neil Forsyth – Guilt (Happy Tramp North and Expectation for BBC Scotland and BBC Two)
Roy Williams – Soon Gone: A Windrush Chroniclea (A Douglas Road and Young Vic Production for BBC Four)

 

Fleabag and Chernobyl lead 2020 RTS Awards nominees

4th March 2020

The nominees for the 2020 Royal Television Society Programme Awards have been announced, and Fleabag and Chernobyl are leading the pack.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s BBC comedy is going head to head with Channel 4’s Derry Girls, both of which have secured nominations in the Scripted Comedy and Comedy Performance (Female) categories. Phoebe has also received a nomination for Writer (Comedy), alongside Danny Brocklehurst for Brassic.

Sky Atlantic’s co-production with HBO, a dramatisation of the 1986 nuclear disaster, is nominated under Actor (Male) for Jared Harris, and Writer (Drama) for Craig Mazin. It is also recognised in the Mini-Series category.

Other notable contenders include Channel 4 drama The Virtues, recognised in both the Actor (Female) with Niamh Algar and Actor (Male) with Stephen Graham, and BBC One’s Gentleman Jack, with a nomination for Drama Series alongside The Capture and Ackley Bridge, plus Suranne Jones nominated in the Actor (Female) category for her portrayal of Anne Lister receives. Also nominated in the Actor (Female) category is Tamara Lawrance for BBC One’s The Long Song.

Netflix is also in competition, with Michael Ward bagging an nomination for the revival of Top Boy and Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa recognised for Comedy Performance (Male). Sex Education’s Laurie Nunn is also up for Writer (Comedy).

Last year’s winner The Repair Shop for BBC One once again is in the running for Daytime Programme, alongside Good Morning Britain and Beat The Chef; whilst The BRIT Awards 2019, The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance and Stormzy’s 2019 performance on the legendary Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury all compete in the Live Event category.

BBC Three, Channel 5 and Sky Atlantic are all in contention for the RTS Channel of the Year award with Casualty, EastEnders and Coronation Street nominated in the Soap and Continuing Drama category.

The winners will be announced at the RTS Programme Awards Ceremony, hosted by writer and comedian Paul Merton, on Tuesday 17th March at The Grosvenor Hotel.

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