went to CBeebies’ Twirlywoos: Twirling (Mackinnon and Saunders/Ragdoll Productions) in the Pre-school category and the CBBC Production Hiroshima: A Newsround Special (School Age). Danger Mouse (CBBC Production/FremantleMedia) took the Best Animation Award. Kids’ shows also won in the Best Factual Entertainment category (CBBC Production The Dengineers), and Entertainment (CBeebies Production Swashbuckle). In news and current affairs, Andy Bonner was named Best Regional News Journalist, one of three awards taken by ITV News’s Granada Reports. It also won Best Regional News Programme for The
Television www.rts.org.uk January 2017
Sarah Lancashire won with Happy Valley Hillsborough Inquests and Best Regional Story for Hillsborough Compilation. Tonight: Meeting My Enemy (ITV Studios for ITV) won the Current Affairs prize. Other winners included Kid’s Hospital: Your Child in Their
Band of Gold
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BC One’s hard-hitting police drama Happy Valley took three prizes – including Best Performances in a Single Drama or Drama Series for Kevin Doyle and Sarah Lancashire – at the RTS North West Awards 2016. The series, which was produced by Manchesterbased Red Production Company, also picked up the Best Production (Craft) Award. More than 450 guests attended the ceremony at the Hilton Deansgate in November, which was hosted by comedian Les Dennis. “TV production is one of the North West’s big employers and global export industries. There were some brilliant winners, some witty speeches and some people who got a bit carried away on stage. We would not want it any other way,” said RTS North West Chair and Shine North MD Alex Connock. BBC One’s Reg, produced by Liverpool-based LA Productions, took home two awards: Best Single Drama or Drama Series and Best Script Writer for Jimmy McGovern and Robert Pugh. Both McGovern and Lancashire won awards at the first RTS North West Awards two decades ago (see box). Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien picked up the award for Best Performance in a Continuing Drama. In the comedy categories, Alison Steadman received the Best Actor Award for her role in BBC One’s Broken Biscuits (Jellylegs Productions), while BBC Two’s Boy Meets Girl (Tiger Aspect) was named Best Comedy Programme. The children’s awards
Two decades of riches n The RTS North West Awards were launched 20 years ago, with the first ceremony held on 9 November 1996 in the Banqueting Hall of Manchester Town Hall. ‘Mersey Television, the BBC and Granada Television were
Andrew Farrington
Red triumphs in the North West
well represented in many of the awards categories,’ reported Television. The Judges’ Award went to Jimmy McGovern, who had penned the script for ITV docudrama Hillsborough and, a few years earlier, created
Hands (Best Factual Series, Films of Record/GroupM Entertainment for Channel 5) and Life Begins Now (Best Single Documentary, Platform Productions for BBC Three).
ITV crime drama Cracker, starring Robbie Coltrane. Other winners included: Channel 4 soap Brookside; BBC mock chat-show The Mrs Merton Show; Kay Mellor’s ITV drama about prostitutes in Bradford, Band of Gold; Coltrane; and Sarah Lancashire, for her role in Coronation Street. Andrea Wonfor, who died in 2004, gave the keynote speech. Wonfor was Chair of the RTS – the first woman to hold that role in the Society’s history – and Joint Managing Director of Granada. BBC Radio 4’s Jenni Murray presented the awards. The ceremony was recorded by Mersey Television (now Lime Pictures) – the Brookside producer set up by writer Phil Redmond – and highlights broadcast by Granada. Matthew Bell
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