The RTS Programme Awards 2016 - in Partnership with Audio Network - will be announced tonight in central London by host Richard Madeley.
Ant and Dec are nominated for the Entertainment Performance award and will battle it out against The Last Leg's Adam Hills and A League Of Their Own's Jack Whitehall. The Last Leg also receives a nomination for Entertainment programme where it will complete against Release the Hounds and The Graham Norton Show.
The RTS introduced the Breakthrough Award this year, to recognise the emergence of a significant new talent in UK production. The nominees for this award include Michaela Coel for E4's Chewing Gum, Sian Gibson for BBC One's Peter Kay’s Car Share and Channel 4's Richard Bentley for The Stranger on the Bridge.
Coel also receives two further nominations in the comedy categories for Chewing Gum. However it’s Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan’s Channel 4 series Catastrophe that scoops the most nominations, picking up nods for Scripted Comedy, Writer - Comedy and Comedy Performance.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES
Commenting on this year’s awards juries, The Foundry CEO Alex Mahon, said: "I am delighted as the new Chairman to share the news that we have substantially changed the make-up of the judging chairs and the juries to a pattern that I feel is now more representative of Britain and of our viewers.
"This year, of the 200 or so jurors, we moved to 52% female and 27% BAME. Talking to the Chairs it was clear that the tone of the conversations in the jury rooms changed for the better too. Making this change was relatively simple because the high quality talent we need was easy to find and in plentiful supply.”
The RTS Programme Awards is sponsored this year by Audio Network. This is the first time the Awards has had a headline sponsor.
Audio Network’s Head of Television, Europe, Lina Tebbs, says: “Since the company was founded in 2001, Audio Network has supported the UK TV industry and we’re delighted and proud to become the first RTS Programme Awards Sponsor and a Major Patron of the RTS for 2016. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate and showcase the all-important talent that sits at the heart of the industry.”
The RTS Programme Awards are chaired by Mahon. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 22 March 2016 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane.
The awards honour excellence across all genres of television programming and recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams as well as the programmes themselves.
For more information about the awards event, and to book, click here.
