BBC dominates at the RTS Awards

The BBC dominated The Royal Television Society awards last night taking away many gongs which included the awards for Best Drama, Best Actress and Best Actor.

It was a good night for the BBC last night and it took many gongs at the Royal Television Society awards last night. BBC One was the winner overall with nine awards in total while BBC Two and BBC Four both went away with four awards each. Channel Four and ITV1 had two awards from the evening. BBC One drama Small Island saw its lead actors, Naomie Harris and David Oyelowo, recognised in the Best Actor/Best Actress categories while Jimmy McGovern drama The Street won Best Drama Series. The Street ran for three seasons on BBC One however was produced for the channel by ITV Studios – and when cutbacks at the company saw studio closures McGovern stated he did not wish to produce another series of the drama.



Tony Warren, Corrie CreatorCoronation Street was recognised at the awards even though it was absent from the Best Continuing Drama category. The Granada soap celebrates its 50 anniversary this year but its absence from the short-list for the award proved to a shock to some. However, creator Tony Warren [pictured right in 1985] was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In November his creation will mark its 50 anniversary on-air with a “Big Event” which has yet to be finalised. Rumours state it could be a wedding or a funeral. The Best Soap/Continuing Drama award went to EastEnders which celebrated its 25 anniversary in February with a live episode for the climax of the ‘Who Killed Archie’ storyline.


There was disappointment for ITV when Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor failed to take home the Best Entertainment Award. Instead it went to BBC Four and Charlie Brooker for Newswipe. Ant and Dec missed out on the Entertainment Performance award with Harry Hill taking it instead – though that still remained with an ITV presenter. It was however, a slight upset as some would have assumed it would have gone to the Geordie Duo. BBC Two won the comedy award for political satire The Thick of It and critically acclaimed American drama Mad Men won the International Award beating Glenn Close drama Damages.


BBC Two drama Five Minutes of Heaven, about the conflict in Northern Ireland, won Best Single Drama while ITV won Best Drama Serial for Unforgiven which starred Suranne Jones as a woman who is released from prison. Occupation writer Peter Bowker won the Best Drama Writer Award for his film about the Iraq war. The Best Presenter award when to Louis Theroux beating James May and Piers Morgan while other awards went to Wounded on BBC One and film maker Norma Percy.