Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2006
14/03/2007
Presented on Tuesday 13 March 2007 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1
Hosted by Mark Austin
Jane Lighting, RTS Chair, presented the Awards
Please see below for winners highlighted in red
NOMINATIONS:
Situation Comedy & Comedy Drama
The Royle Family: The Queen Of Sheba Granada for BBC One
"...the winning programme was a masterclass in writing. The very welcome return of one of television's finest creations exceeded all expectations."
Green Wing A talkbackTHAMES Production for Channel 4
Extras BBC Comedy/HBO for BBC Two
Entertainment
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? BBC for BBC One
"...a totally confident series, which moved the performance format on to a whole new level with a compelling mixture of high camp and entertainment that appeals to every age."
Friday Night Project A Princess Production for Channel 4
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! (Series 6) ITV Productions for ITV
Arts
9/11: Out Of The Blue Silver River Productions for five
"An outstanding film in which the combination of poetry and real interviews for the subject matter was strikingly original. It was judged to be a beautifully conceived and executed programme and Rufus Sewell's performance of the poem was terrific."
Peter And The Wolf BreakThru Films for Channel 4
Simon Schama's Power Of Art: Bernini BBC London Arts for BBC Two
Breakthrough Award - Behind the Screen
"...the winning programme was a real treat, - well observed and well-written, with a stream of non-stop, laugh-out loud gags."
Lisa Gilchrist (Producer) - See No Evil: The Moors Murders ITV Productions for ITV
Bart Layton (Producer/Director) - Banged Up Abroad Raw TV for five
Breakthrough Award - On Screen
Sacha Dhawan - Bradford Riots An Oxford Film and Television Production in association with Great Meadow Productions for Channel 4
"This year's winner gave a strong and empathetic performance, demonstrating a terrific range of skills. His characterisation was powerful and compelling and he convincingly portrayed both vulnerability and rage."
Joseph Mawle - Soundproof BBC Drama in association with Blast! Films for BBC Two
Russell Brand - Russell Brand's Got Issues Vanity Productions for Channel 4
Children's Drama
Young Dracula CBBC
"...an innovative drama, which combined strong characterisation with a production full of energy and humour to produce a thoroughly entertaining watch."
Jackanory: Muddle Earth CBBC
That Summer Day Hat Trick Productions for CBBC
Children's Programme
Newsround - The Wrong Trainers BBC for BBC One/Interactive
"The jury were unanimous in their admiration for a programme that set itself a bold and challenging objective, and achieved it with stunning results. Clever animation, coupled with heart-rendingly real children's voices, engaged young viewers with child poverty in a meaningful and relevant way."
Charlie and Lola: Welcome To Lolaland Tiger Aspect Productions for CBeebies
Evacuation Twenty Twenty Productions for CBBC
History
Who Do You Think You Are? Wall to Wall for BBC Two
"... a skilful and accessible blend of social history and biography, which has proved an innovative and inspirational hit with the viewers."
Nuremberg: Nazis On Trial BBC for BBC Two
The War Of The World Blakeway Productions for Channel 4
Single Documentary - General
True Stories: Sisters In Law A Vixen Film for More4
"In a very strong field, ... this programme was one of the freshest and most genuinely revelatory the jury had seen for years. It was ground-breaking in every respect and offered a real and fascinating insight into a subject very rarely given airtime."
The Falling Man A Darlow Smithson Production for Channel 4
Rain In My Heart BBC Documentaries for BBC Two
Documentary Series - General
Anatomy Of A Crime BBC Bristol Features and Documentaries for BBC Two
"With stunning access, patience and meticulous craft, this series revealed the real human impact of crime and its aftermath in modern Britain."
Stephen Fry - The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive IWC for BBC Two
Cult Of The Suicide Bomber II Many Rivers Films for Channel 4
Science & Natural History
Planet Earth: From Pole To Pole BBC, JVP, NHK & BBC Worldwide for BBC One
"A stunningly impressive piece of work on a colossal scale which, accompanied by David Attenborough's understated narration, made it one of the must see series of the year."
Horizon: Bye Bye Planet Pluto BBC for BBC Two
How William Shatner Changed The World Handel Productions, Mentorn, Discovery Canada, History US & ARTE for five
Soap
Coronation Street ITV Productions for ITV
"...the winning programme was beautifully written and acted. Storylines combining marriage and death were handled with sensitivity in a tightly drawn, clear narrative - this is soap at its very best."
Emmerdale ITV Productions for ITV
The Bill talkbackTHAMES for ITV
Presenter
Bruce Parry - Tribe BBC Wales/Discovery Channel for BBC Two
"Cow surfing, in a jungle, stark naked, takes the notion of commitment to a whole new level."
Gordon Ramsay - Gordon Ramsay's F Word An Optomen Television Production for Channel 4
Nations & Regions Presenter
Jim McColl - The Beechgrove Garden Tern Television for BBC One Scotland
"Cool and laid back, he makes presenting the show seem effortless. An institution..."
Darryl Grimason - Supergoose, Secret Gardens, Earthworks And Waterworld BBC Northern Ireland and Yamal Productions for BBC One Northern Ireland
Fearghal McKinney UTV
Nations & Regions Programme
Iceman - Inside Out BBC Yorkshire
"A brilliantly constructed and compelling narrative capturing all the tension, jeopardy and eccentricity of an extraordinary challenge..."
Holloway Hairdo DFG Films for ITV London in association with Film London
Life's Too Short Tern Television for BBC One Scotland
Digital Channel Programme Award
Death Of A President Borough Films for More4
"... an outstanding piece of work that will stand up to the test of time. It is brave, clever and controversial."
Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe Zeppotron for BBC Four
Manchester Passion BBC Classical Music TV for BBC Three
Daytime Programme
Through Hell And High Water Two Four for BBC One
"A genuinely unique, standout series for daytime, following an extraordinary journey. It was funny, moving and passionate, and was beautifully produced. If it played out in primetime it would have been watched by millions..."
The New Paul O'Grady Show An Olga TV Production for Channel 4
This Morning ITV Productions for ITV
Features & Factual Entertainment
The Apprentice talkbackTHAMES/Mark Burnett Productions for BBC Two
"The jury commended the winning programme's flawless storytelling, wonderful sense of drama, fabulous structure and great casting..."
Dragons' Den BBC for BBC Two
The Real Hustle Objective Productions for BBC Three
International Award
Entourage (Season 2) - Aquamansion HBO for ITV2
"The winning programme impressed the jury with its razor sharp script, giving us the inside track on love and celebrity in the fast lane of show business. Agent Ari Gold is simply the funniest character on TV."
Baghdad ER HBO for More4
Spiral Canal Plus and Son et Lumiere for BBC Four
Single Drama
Housewife 49 ITV Productions for ITV
"A terrific example of mainstream drama at its best with a wonderful realisation of factually based character. The beauty of the film lies in the detail of its writing, which is suffused with love and emotion."
Longford A Granada Production for Channel 4 in association with HBO Films
Road To Guantanamo A Revolution Film for Channel 4
Drama Serial
Low Winter Sun A Tiger Aspect Production for Channel 4
"The Jury commended the uncompromising nature of this beautifully crafted two-parter, with its stunning performances and clever direction, calling it a gothic masterpiece and a compelling view."
Prime Suspect ITV Productions for ITV
Drama Series
The Street Granada for BBC One
"...the winning series embraced difficult and emotional ideas. With its high production values, superb scripts and exceptional performances it has moved the genre on with a real sense of honesty and depth. "
Doctor Who BBC Wales for BBC One
Life On Mars BBC/Kudos Film and Television for BBC One
Writer - Drama
Peter Morgan - Longford A Granada Production for Channel 4 in association with HBO Films
"A flawless, lyrical piece of television writing - showing a craftsman at the peak of his power."
Simon Donald - Low Winter Sun A Tiger Aspect Production for Channel 4
Abi Morgan - Tsunami, The Aftermath Kudos Film and Television for BBC Two and HBO
Actor - Male
Michael Sheen - Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! BBC Drama for BBC Four
"The winning actor brilliantly portrayed a complex man with complex emotions. His exciting performance was all at once compelling, stunning and magical."
Jim Broadbent - Longford A Granada Production for Channel 4 in association with HBO Films
Actor - Female
"The winning actor's performance was fantastic, faultless and transcends the genre. She is a class act."
Julia Davis - Fear Of Fanny BBC Drama for BBC Four
Susan Lynch - Soundproof BBC Drama in association with Blast! Films for BBC Two
Writer - Comedy
"A welcome return to an old friend that felt as fresh and original as ever, effortlessly combining laugh out loud comedy with pathos."
Sharon Horgan & Dennis Kelly - Pulling Silver River for BBC Three
Victoria Pile & Team - Green Wing A talkbackTHAMES Production for Channel 4
Entertainment Performance
Simon Amstell - Never Mind The Buzzcocks TalkbackTHAMES for BBC Two
"With a comic style that is irreverent, exciting and original, he has totally revitalised a long-running format to make it, once again, must-watch TV."
Harry Hill - Harry Hill's TV Burp (Series 5) Avalon Television Production for ITV
Comedy Performance
"In the second series of this brilliant hit comedy, he has stepped out of the shadow of his illustrious partner, and craftily stolen the show."
Kevin Bishop - Star Stories An Objective Production for Channel 4
Catherine Tate - The Catherine Tate Show Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two
Judges' Award
Richard Curtis
The Judges' Award is presented in recognition of an outstanding contribution to UK television programming over a number of years, and goes this year to Richard Curtis.
For nearly 30 years, Richard Curtis has been the writer behind many of British television's great comedies and comedy characters, working with some of the top comedic talent in British television.
In 1979 he started writing for the BBC on Not The Nine O'Clock News, before going on to write with Rowan Atkinson and later Ben Elton, to bring us the wonderfully scheming Edmund Blackadder in the first of four series of Blackadder, culminating in 1989 with the hilarious but incredibly poignant Blackadder Goes Forth. It is surely this ability to combine wit with moments of depth and sensitivity that has made Richard's series loved by so many.
In 1990, again writing with Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton (and later Richard Driscoll), Richard brought to ITV the lovably annoyingly hapless Mr Bean, demonstrating that a writer at the top of his craft can spellbind an audience despite a total lack of dialogue.
And again demonstrating his ability to write across an enormous range of projects, Richard wrote for a bunch of puppets in the wonderfully original and satirical Spitting Image (1984-1996), in 1991 he penned the Christmas BBC TV fantasy Bernard & The Genie starring Lenny Henry and Alan Cumming, and keeping the Christmas flavour wrote the 1999 animated tale of Robbie The Reindeer.
Not afraid to confront potentially controversial subjects, in 1994 Richard introduced the British audience to the folks of 'Dibley', with Dawn French in the role of its first female vicar - 10 years later the final instalments of The Vicar of Dibley gained the highest audience figures on both Christmas Day 2006 and New Year's Day 2007, as Geraldine Grainger walked up the aisle with the man of her dreams.
However, not content to just write comedy, in 1985 in response to the famine in Ethiopia, Richard co-founded Comic Relief, who together with the bi-annual BBC charity Red Nose Day events has to date raised over £425 million for charity projects in Africa and the UK. In addition in 2005 Richard organised the televised Live 8 concerts, and most recently was responsible for the BBC/HBO film The Girl In The Cafe as part of the Make Poverty History campaign's Live 8 efforts.
Finally, in the words of last year's RTS Judges' Award recipient, the BBC's Head of Comedy, Jon Plowman "The guy who brought the world Mr Bean, The Vicar of Dibley, Blackadder, the best bits from Not The Nine O'Clock News as well as Girl In The Cafe and coming up for the tenth night of Comic Relief, raising upwards of £425,000,000 for a charity he began whilst single handedly saving the British film industry, is surely deserving of this award in a year when he finally consigned The Vicar of Dibley to comedy heaven. Nuff said."
Gold Medal
Clive Jones
"...a man who in a 30-year career has himself become something of an institution in UK broadcasting.
In an industry where top talent on and off-screen swaps channels so regularly that just four years in the same place can earn you the moniker "veteran", this man is the very honourable exception: 30 years in television, all at a single channel.
Our gold medallist actually started his working life in regional newspapers. He quickly moved into television, but that dual affinity - to the regions and to news - he has carried forward throughout his illustrious career.
When he first joined ITV it was an era of union super-power and industrial unrest. A few months into his first TV job at Yorkshire Television, ITV endured a summer long black out. It is no great exaggeration to say that this man has kept it on-air ever since.
Certainly that was his role at TV-AM, where he moved next. Whilst Greg Dyke and Roland Rat have argued for two decades over who should take the credit for that remarkable TV turnaround, those who really know talk of a more softly-spoken hero, our medal winner tonight.
From TV-AM, to TVS and another turnaround. The dream ended there in the infamous 1991 licence auction. They lost the franchise when - (and doesn't this tell you how far we've come) - the regulator decided they'd actually bid too much.
A quick stop to form London's first seven day commercial newsroom and transmission company and our medal winner became MD of Central.
As Central joined with Carlton, he formed an unlikely double act with a certain Michael Green.The Thatcherite entrepreneur and the former left-wing street fighter from the Welsh Valleys. Who'd have thought it?
When the Granada merger happened, Green and many others from Carlton lost out. But our winner today stayed the course to secure what he will tell you is his proudest achievement in ITV: pulling together ITN and the numerous ITV regional newsrooms to form a single integrated news operation.
What fitting tribute to that achievement that ITV should be honoured both at the national and regional level for its news programmes at the recent RTS awards.
But if he made his name in ITV and - particularly in TV news - the reputation and respect he commands rests on achievements extending far beyond the "day job".
His commitment to the causes of training and diversity are second to none. He has chaired Skillset and took a leading role in the Audio Visual Industries Training Group.
As founder Chairman of the Cultural Diversity Network, from a standing start - within 10 months - he had persuaded all the broadcasters to publish Action Plans with clear targets - and a year later it was clear that there had been significant advances in both on screen portrayal and behind the screen employment. He had placed Diversity - for a time - at the forefront of the Agenda.
Tireless work and support for groups from the Runnymede Trust and the Broadcasting Disability Network through to the likes of YCTV and the Youth Media Fund demonstrate that this is a man whose commitment to diversity and to true equality of representation and access runs deep indeed.
Reeling off his achievements - as impressive as they are undoubtedly are - does not do justice to the full impact that this man has had on UK television.
The rollercoaster which has been ITV over the last decades has broken as many reputations as it has built. To win and keep the respect of one's colleagues and the industry whilst riding that whirlwind over a full 30 years is a huge achievement.
But that is what our winner has managed. He's done it by cons
