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RTS Programme Awards 2013
The Royal Television Society (RTS), Britain’s leading forum for television and related media, today announced the winners for the RTS Programme Awards 2013. The ceremony, held at Grosvenor House on Tuesday 19 March, was hosted by award-winning comedian, writer and actress Jo Brand.
Chaired by David Liddiment, the Awards honour excellence in key genres of television programming, from children's fiction to comedy performance, history to soaps, covering both national and regional output. Held annually, the RTS Programme Awards aim to recognise the work of exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as celebrating the programmes themselves.
Winners
Actor (Female): Olivia Colman
Title: Accused II
Production Company: RSJ Films
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“Riveting and totally convincing…. The truth in her portrayal of a woman whose son has been murdered gave the audience a horrifying glimpse of what it would be like to lose a child in such violent circumstances.”
Actor (Male): Sean Bean
Title: Accused II
Production Company: RSJ Films
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“The winner’s performance was fresh and intelligent with real heart, and was both accessible and totally convincing.”
Arts
Title: Lucian Freud: Painted Life
Production Company: Blakeway
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“A beautifully made, landmark documentary. Solid and skillful with amazing access. Emotionally engaging, revealing and…utterly brilliant!”
Children's Drama
Title: Wolfblood
Production Company: CBBC Productions
Broadcaster: CBBC
Nominees:
“An exceptional piece of drama which moved the genre on… utterly compelling performances and was beautifully shot.”
Children's Programme
Title: Room in the Broom
Production Company: Magic Light Pictures
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“Deceptively simple but with complex resonances, the jury described the winning programme as exceptionally rich, moving and powerful - a work of genius.”
Comedy Performance: Jessica Hynes
Title: Twenty Twelve (Series 2)
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“Her subtle performance was laugh out loud funny and made the show talk-about TV.”
Daytime Programme
Title: Remembrance Week
Production Company: Fever Media
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“…modern and relevant, … fabulously and sensitively produced, incredibly well researched and full of surprises.”
Documentary Series
Title: Protecting Our Children
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“The jury were impressed by this outstanding and illuminating insight into a controversial and harrowing process. Elegantly and thoughtfully chronicled, the series displayed an intelligent lightness of touch that was refreshingly devoid of prurience.”
Drama Serial
Title: Good Cop
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“Fantastically well written, directed and performed, the Jury felt that this programme moved the genre on from the normal ‘cop show’.”
Drama Series
Title: Sherlock
Production Company: Hartswood Films and Masterpiece
Broadcaster: BBC Wales and BBC One
Nominees:
“Brilliant, intelligent and different - a masterclass in every aspect of film-making that has truly elevated the genre.”
Entertainment
Title: Celebrity Juice
Production Company: Talkback Production Company
Broadcaster: ITV2
Nominees:
“The divine alchemy of the right talent in the right format, with a mission only to create the biggest belly laughs possible, make this an unmissable channel-defining treat.”
Entertainment Performance: Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly
Title: I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Production Company: ITV Studios
Broadcaster: ITV
Nominees:
“The jury said: “They are just brilliant, they get better and better.” Quite simply, you couldn’t have I’m A Celebrity without them.”
History
Title: The Secret History of Our Streets
Production Company: Century Films and Halcyons Heart Film
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“Vibrant and fizzing living history with a strong sense of place and a lightness of touch. An innovative and intriguing concept, beautifully filmed and directed.”
International
Title: Girls
Production Company: HBO
Broadcaster: Sky Atlantic HD
Nominees:
“Once in a while a show comes along that feels genuinely unique and new. This dazzlingly funny, beautifully observed comedy is already iconic.”
Live Event
Title: The London Olympics 2012
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC
Nominees:
“Television both shaped and captured the national mood as the most extraordinary live drama played out across two amazing weeks with the BBC rising magnificently to the occasion.”
Nations and Regions Programme
Title: The Bank Of Dave (Episode 1)
Production Company: Finestripe Productions
Broadcaster: Channel 4
Nominees:
“…the engaging and charismatic central character in the winning programme helped realise a difficult concept and supplied a fantastic feel good factor, as well as capturing the spirit of Burnley.”
Popular Factual and Features
Title: Long Lost Family (Series 2)
Production Company: Wall to Wall Media
Broadcaster: ITV
Nominees:
“…a brilliantly made programme, demonstrating best-in-class story telling skills with a wonderfully warm and moving quality.”
Presenter: Clare Balding
Title: The Olympics
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC
Nominees:
“With tour-de-force live presenting skills, [Clare] was joyful, effortless and commanding with a perfect understanding of what viewers at home wanted to know.”
Science and Natural History
Title: Operation Iceberg
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“…primetime science as it should be. Exciting, refreshing and multi-layered, it really made you want to be there.”
Scripted Comedy
Title: Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of my Life
Production Company: Baby Cow
Broadcaster: Sky Atlantic HD
Nominees:
“Brilliantly funny and clever… the winning programme works on so many different levels and has moved on in form and content.”
Single Documentary
Title: 7/7: One Day in London
Production Company: Minnow Films
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“… exerted a powerful grip on the viewer. It was a beautifully researched, structured and photographed film featuring some truly innovative use of time, space and chronology.”
Single Drama
Title: The Hollow Crown: Richard II
Production Company: A Neal Street Productions co-production with NBC Universal and WNET Thirteen
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“A classic Shakespeare history play is brought to life — and made as gripping as any psychological thriller.”
Soap and Continuing Drama
Title: Coronation Street
Production Company: ITV Studios
Broadcaster: ITV
Nominees:
“Well-paced, dignified and with artful touches, this show knows its place in a vast market. With strong performances and a quality of writing, the stories enjoy constant injections of humour and retain a warmth which is enjoyed by all.”
Writer - Comedy: Writing Team
Title: The Thick of It (Series 4)
Production Company: BBC Productions
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“In its characterisation, in its storytelling and in its conception it was flawless. Not only was it very funny, it also managed to be both moving and profound.”
Writer - Drama: Steven Moffat
Title: Sherlock
Production Company: Hartswood Films and Masterpiece
Broadcaster: BBC Wales and BBC One
Nominees:
“… the winner’s writing was inventive, witty and fizzed along. With gloriously unpredictable and assured storytelling.”
Judges’ Award
Title: London Paralympics 2012
Broadcaster: Channel 4
Nominees:
“British TV has much to be proud of and we have been celebrating many fantastic programmes [at this year’s ceremony]. However from time to time television manages to harness its considerable power and trigger a shift in public attitudes for the better. This has been the achievement of [Channel 4].”
Judges’ Award: Danny Boyle
Nominees:
“…the man who created and masterminded the most surprising, dazzling, original night of television of the year. It was a fearless explosion of creativity, community and technical virtuosity, which managed to capture the complexity of our national identity, showcase the distinctiveness of Great Britain to the world, and set the mood for those extraordinary weeks last summer.”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dave Gordon
Nominees:
“[Dave] joined the BBC in 1972, when he became a Radio Studio Manager specialising in news, current affairs and sports programmes – a humble beginning to what would become an illustrious 40-year career in broadcasting.
By 1984 he was editing daily sports news coverage for BBC Radio before switching to television. After spells on the BBC’s flagship programmes Sportsnight and Grandstand, he became Editor of the Saturday afternoon show in 1991 and Executive Editor six years later.
He headed up the teams covering the BBC’s biggest sporting events, from Wimbledon to the Grand National, from the World Athletics Championships to the Paralympics. Personal favourites were the London Marathon and the Great North Run, where the top class sport was combined with inspirational tales of human endeavour and sacrifice.
And, like any good athlete, tonight’s recipient peaked at the big events.
The first Olympic Games our winner worked on was Moscow in 1980, and he attended every one for BBC Sport from Seoul in 1988 – to go with seven Winter Olympics and eight Commonwealth Games.
He took charge of the BBC teams for the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games, winning a host of awards including the prestigious Golden Rings prize from the International Olympic Committee in 2000.
However, his BBC career ended on the biggest high of them all, as he masterminded BBC Sport’s coverage of the London Olympics, the biggest event that the corporation has ever covered. From record TV audience figures of nearly 30 million, to ground-breaking digital coverage, it was two weeks of broadcasting that perfectly captured the public’s imagination during an unforgettable summer. He even managed time to carry the Olympic flame for a few precious moments. It was a fitting climax to a 40 year career in broadcasting that has seen our recipient preside over some of the most iconic and unforgettable moments in sporting history.”
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