RTS Award 2023 Winners: Genre Defining Programming

The BBC came out on top with a staggering 17 awards out of the 30 categories, three of which were for the hit comedy series Am I Being Unreasonable?

Channel 4 followed with six wins, with Derry Girls recognised across two of the categories: Scripted Comedy and Writer - Comedy. Other series that received wins across multiple categories included BBC’s The Traitors for Entertainment and Entertainment Performance, BBC’s Sherwood for Drama Series and Adeel Akhtar for the brand-new Supporting Actor – Male category.

In the live production category, Glastonbury 2022 and Platinum Party at the Palace were outdone by The State Funeral of HM The Queen Elizabeth II (BBC Studios Events Productions for BBC). The judges said of the coverage: “There was really only one word to sum it up: Perfect.”

BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore received the prestigious Judges’ Award, hailed by Allen for “the incredible leadership she has provided the BBC in a remarkable year for innovation, creativity and seismic current affairs.” Moore was celebrated for leading the BBC through one of the most momentous years in history.

The judges highlighted the past year’s wider broadcasting industry challenges that the BBC has navigated, from emerging from the pandemic, the death of her majesty, the war in Ukraine to the cost-of-living crisis. They also noted the recent triumphs such as sporting coverage with the World Cup, the Women’s Euros and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Along with the relocation of studios and productions, the judges commented that Moore piloted the BBC with “an exceptional combination of steadfast level headedness, confidence and creative flair”.

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Winners were unveiled at the London ceremony where guests included Kate Winslet, Billie Piper, Sarah Lancashire, Charlie Brooker, Sharon Horgan, Huw Edwards, Gaby Roslin, Claudia Winkleman, Stephen Merchant, Susan Wokoma, Gabby Logan, Ade Adepitan, Kit Connor, Alex Scott, Maxine Peake, Diane Morgan and many other A-list names from the world of UK television.

The Outstanding Achievement Award was handed to actor and producer Sarah Lancashire OBE (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax) for her talent and her total commitment and dedication to the television industry.

New for 2023, the Supporting Actor – Female award was presented to Ambika Mod for BBC and AMC’s This Is Going to Hurt, and the inaugural Comedy Drama award was given to Sky’s Brassic. In addition, BET UK celebrated its first ever RTS award, taking home the win in the Arts category for The Evolution of Black British Music.

Chair of the Awards, Kenton Allen, said: “2022 was a phenomenal year on and off screen. We introduced new categories for Comedy Drama and Supporting Actors to further reflect the incredible range and diversity in the scripted world and I’m thrilled to say that we saw a sensational response, with all of the nominees and winners reflecting an incredible range of creative excellence.

The full list of nominees and winners:

Arts

WINNER – The Evolution of Black British Music (Fan Studios & Motion Content Group for BET UK)

The winning production “captured the programme makers’ enthusiasm for the subject matter quite brilliantly. It felt so completely authentic,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• The Ghost of Richard Harris (Bright Yellow Films, Samson Films & Groove International for Sky Arts)
• This Is Joan Collins (Salon Pictures for BBC)

Breakthrough Award

WINNER – Lenny Rush – Am I Being Unreasonable? (Boffola Pictures & Lookout Point for BBC)

The judges described the winner as “an exhilarating new talent…we can’t wait to see what’s next for this exciting new star.”

Nominees:

• Nicôle Lecky – Mood (Bonafide Films for BBC)
• Eddie Kadi – Sorry, I Didn’t Know (Triforce Productions for ITV1)

Children’s Programme

WINNER – Dodger (Universal International Studios for CBBC)

“Enjoyable and spectacularly well produced – in fact, a great all-round production,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• COP27: Six Ways to Save Our Planet (Fresh Start Media for Sky Kids and Sky News)
• Corpse Talk (Tiger Aspect Kids & Family for YouTube Originals)

Comedy Drama

WINNER – Brassic (Calamity Films for Sky Max)

This show, said the judges, “manages to be both funny and moving, with great performances from a supremely authentic cast.”

Nominees:

• Am I Being Unreasonable? (Boffola Pictures & Lookout Point for BBC)
• Cheaters (Clerkenwell Films for BBC)

Comedy Entertainment

WINNER – Friday Night Live (Phil McIntyre Television & Boffola Pictures for Channel 4)

The judges called the winning show “bold, courageous, perfectly balanced and above all very funny.”

Nominees:

• Joe Lycett vs David Beckham, A Got Your Back Special (Rumpus Media & My Options Were Limited for Channel 4)
• Sorry, I Didn’t Know (Triforce Productions for ITV1)

Comedy Performance (Female)

WINNER – Daisy May Cooper – Am I Being Unreasonable? (Boffola Pictures & Lookout Point for BBC)

The judges described the performance as “exceptionally funny. No doubt about it, she’s got funny bones.”

Nominees:

• Leah Brotherhead – Hullraisers (Fable Pictures for Channel 4)
• Rose Matafeo – Starstruck (Avalon Television for BBC)

Comedy Performance (Male)

WINNER – Lenny Rush – Am I Being Unreasonable? (Boffola Pictures & Lookout Point for BBC)

“A standout talent with comedic timing and style that’s spot on in this piece,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• Samson Kayo – Bloods (Roughcut Television for Sky Comedy)
• Jon Pointing – Big Boys (Roughcut Television for Channel 4)

Daytime Programme

WINNER – Loose Men (ITV Studios Daytime for ITV1)

The winning programme, “felt brave, groundbreaking and truly refreshing in so many different ways,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• Come Dine With Me: The Professionals (Multistory Media for Channel 4)
• Scam Interceptors (BBC Studios Documentary Unit for BBC)

Documentary Series

WINNER – Gazza (A Haviland Digital, Mark Stewart Productions & Western Edge Pictures production for BBC)

“What an amazing piece of work, which brought in layers and textures to deliver depth and intrigue,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• Big Oil vs The World (Mongoose Pictures / PBS Frontline for BBC)
• Jeremy Kyle Show: Death On Daytime (Blast! Films for Channel 4)

Drama Series

WINNER – Sherwood (House Productions for BBC)

Of the winning series, the judges said, “It had a dream cast and a beautifully elegant script…it felt incredibly original.”

Nominees:

• The Responder (Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC)
• Top Boy (Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew and SpringHill Entertainment for Netflix)

Entertainment Programme

WINNER – The Traitors (Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC)

“Authentic and compelling – the producers captured lightning in a bottle,” said the judges.

Nominees:

• Joe Lycett’s Big Pride Party (Rumpus Media & My Options Were Limited for Channel 4)
• The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (Expectation TV & Momo G for Channel 4)

Entertainment Performance

WINNER – Claudia Winkleman – The Traitors (Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC)

The judges said, “Outstanding. This was a performance of absolute mastery.”

Nominees:

• Jordan Stephens – Don’t Hate The Playaz (Monkey Kingdom for ITV2)
• Mo Gilligan – The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (Expectation TV & Momo G for Channel 4)

Formatted Popular Factual

WINNER – Gogglebox (Studio Lambert for Channel 4)

“It’s endlessly compelling, creating talking points in every edition,” commented the judges on the winning programme.

Nominees:

• Idris Elba’s Fight School (Workerbee & Green Door for BBC)
• The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit (Ricochet for BBC)

History

WINNER – Our Falklands War: A Frontline Story (The Garden Productions for BBC)

The judges described the winning programme as “a story extremely well told and with a unique voice that made for brilliant film-making.”

Nominees:

• Aids: The Unheard Tapes (Wall to Wall Media for BBC)
• Italia 90: Four Weeks that Changed the World (Blast! Films for Sky Documentaries)

Leading Actor (Female)

WINNER – Kate Winslet – I Am Ruth (Me+You Productions in association with Juggle Productions for Channel 4)

The judges described this performance as “astonishing, affecting and underpinned by raw truth and painful honesty. A tour-de-force.”

Nominees:

• Billie Piper – I Hate Suzie Too (Bad Wolf for Sky Atlantic)
• Monica Dolan – The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe (Story Films for ITV1)

Leading Actor (Male)

WINNER – Kit Connor – Heartstopper (A See-Saw Films Production for Netflix)

The judges called this actor’s performance “profoundly affecting and impactful – a really big moment.”

Nominees:

• Kane Robinson – Top Boy (Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew and SpringHill Entertainment for Netflix)
• Chaske Spencer – The English (Drama Republic for BBC)

Limited-Series

WINNER – Mood (Bonafide Films for BBC)

The judges described this series as “thoroughly original, exciting and with so much to say.”

Nominees:

• Anne (World Productions for ITV1)
• Chloe (Mam Tor Productions for BBC)

Live Event

WINNER – The State Funeral of HM The Queen Elizabeth II (BBC Studios Events Productions for BBC)

The judges said, “There was really only one word to sum it up: perfect.”

Nominees:

• Glastonbury 2022 (BBC Studios Music Productions for BBC)
• Platinum Party at the Palace (BBC Studios Events Productions for BBC)

Presenter

WINNER – Ramita Navai – Afghanistan: No Country for Women (Quicksilver Media for ITV1)

The winning presenter, said the judges, “delivered truly compelling television, drawing viewers in with an astonishing depth of knowledge on the subject.”

Nominees:

• Huw Edwards – The State Funeral of HM The Queen Elizabeth II (BBC Studios Events Productions for BBC)
• Martin Lewis – The Martin Lewis Money Show Live (MultiStory Media for ITV1)

Science & The Natural World

WINNER – The Green Planet (BBC Studios Natural History Unit with PBS, bilibili, ZDF, China Media Group, CCTV9, France Télévisions & The Open University for BBC and iPlayer)

The judges said, “It was mind-blowingly good – hugely ambitious editorially and technologically ground breaking.”

Nominees:

• My Garden of a Thousand Bees (Passion Planet; WNET Group; HHMI Tangled Bank Studios & Ammonite Films for Sky Nature)
• My Dead Body (141 Productions for Channel 4)

Scripted Comedy

WINNER – Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)

In choosing the winner the judges said, “What an incredible show, so brilliantly done. It was thrilling to see it produced so perfectly.”

Nominees:

• Big Boys (Roughcut Television for Channel 4)
• Cunk On Earth (Broke and Bones for BBC/Netflix)

Single Documentary

WINNER – The Tinder Swindler (A Raw Production with Gaspin Media and AGC Studios in association with VG for Netflix)

“The programme makers made a stunning documentary feel like a great drama,” said the judges in commendation of the winning title.

Nominees:

• Dying to Divorce (Dying to Divorce for Sky Documentaries)
• Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert (Wall to Wall Media for Channel 4)

Single Drama

WINNER – Life and Death in the Warehouse (BBC Studios Drama Productions for BBC)

The judges remarked upon this drama’s “fast paced storytelling matched with terrific performances, an exceptional piece of television.”

Nominees:

• The House (Nexus Studios for Netflix)
• Then Barbara Met Alan (Dragonfly Film and Television & One Shoe Films for BBC)

Soap and Continuing Drama

WINNER – Casualty (BBC Studios Continuing Drama for BBC)

“A new perspective from a long-established show” said the judges of the winning programme, adding, “This was powerful work, supremely well realised.”

Nominees:

• EastEnders (BBC Studios Continuing Drama for BBC)
• Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures for Channel 4)

Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit

WINNER – Ade Adepitan – Winter Paralympics 2022 (Whisper for Channel 4)

The judges described the winner as “a broadcaster of genuine insight and charisma.”

Nominees:

• Gabby Logan – Women’s Euro 2022 (BBC Sport)
• Roy Keane – FIFA World Cup 2022 (ITV Sport for ITV1 & ITV4)

Sports Programme

WINNER – Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (BBC Sport / Sunset+Vine for BBC)

The judges described the winning coverage as “vibrant, authentic and fantastically diverse.”

Nominees:

• Winter Paralympics: Today in Beijing (Whisper for Channel 4)
• Women’s Euro 2022 (Whisper and BBC Sport for BBC)

Supporting Actor – Female

WINNER – Ambika Mod – This Is Going to Hurt (SISTER in Association with Terrible Productions for BBC One and AMC)

Commenting on the winning performance, the judges said, “it was pitch perfect, a study of a woman operating under extraordinary strain laced with humour and charm.”

Nominees:

• Saffron Hocking – Top Boy (Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew and SpringHill Entertainment for Netflix)
• Adelayo Adedayo – The Responder (Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC)

Supporting Actor – Male

WINNER – Adeel Akhtar – Sherwood (House Productions for BBC)

The judges said, “this actor gave a brilliantly elevated performance with a real lightness of touch…he is evolving and growing all the time.”

Nominees:

• Stephen Walters – Anne (World Productions for ITV1)
• Stephen Merchant – Four Lives (ITV Studios for BBC)

Writer – Comedy

WINNER – Lisa McGee – Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)

The judges remarked on writing that was “absolutely extraordinary – laugh out loud funny, but awe-inspiring too.”

Nominees:

• Jack Rooke – Big Boys (Roughcut Television for Channel 4)
• Sam Leifer and Tom Basden – Plebs: Soldiers of Rome (Rise Films for ITVX)

Writer – Drama

WINNER – Lucy Prebble - I Hate Suzie Too (Bad Wolf for Sky Atlantic)

Commenting on the writer’s work on this piece, the judges said, “the script dazzles with energy and vibrancy – an exhilarating piece of work.”

Nominees:

• Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters (Merman / ABC Signature in association with Apple for Apple TV+)
• Will Smith – Slow Horses (See-Saw Films in association with Apple for Apple TV+)

Judges’ Award

WINNER – Charlotte Moore

Outstanding Achievement Award

WINNER – Sarah Lancashire OBE

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