The RTS Programme Awards 2020 took place on 17 March and it was the very first time for the awards ceremony to be live-streamed, a decision prompted by the coronavirus outbreak which forced the majority of live shows to be postponed or cancelled.

Writer and comedian Paul Merton revealed the winners and crowned them in absentia.

NCUTI GATWA AS ERIC IN SEX EDUCATION. PHOTO BY SAM TAYLOR/NETFLIX

A few notable wins of this year’s edition were Phoebe Waller-Bridge who received the award for Writer (Comedy) for her terrific work on ‘Fleabag’, Ncuti Gatwa’s Comedy Performance (Male) award for his brilliant portrayal of Eric in the teen TV comedy show ‘Sex Education’, and Stephen Graham’s win in the ‘Actor (Male)’ category for his heart wrenching performance as Joseph in ‘The Virtues’.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s short but exceptional track record makes her a force to be reckoned with. Award-winning actress, producer and scénariste extraordinaire, Phoebe has also written and created the smash hit TV series ‘Killing Eve’, and was asked to work her scriptwriting magic on the new Bond film, ’No Time to Die’, set to release later this year.

STEPHEN GRAHAM AND SHEA MICHAEL SHAW IN THE VIRTUES. © DEAN ROGERS/CHANNEL 4

Stephen Graham’s win comes as no surprise, as the actor has had a fantastic 2019, doing a magnificent job in a few outstanding small and silver screen productions, such as portraying Anthony ‘Tony Pro’ Provenzano in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated ‘The Irishman’, Dick James in the Elton John biopic ‘Rocketman’, and Detective Sergeant John Corbett in the hit detective TV series ‘Line of Duty’.

The winners in full:

Actor (Female)

WINNER – Tamara Lawrance – The Long Song (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)

“Captivating and full of humanity, conveying an almost unimaginable strength in the darkest of moments”

Nominees:

• Niamh Algar – The Virtues (Warp Films and Big Arty Productions for Channel 4)
• Suranne Jones – Gentleman Jack (A Lookout Point Production in association with HBO for BBC One)

Actor (Male)

WINNER – Stephen Graham – The Virtues (Warp Films and Big Arty Productions for Channel 4)

“Utterly mesmerising and steeped in a real rawness – we were seeing an actor discovering new places to go emotionally in his work”

Nominees:

• Jared Harris – Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)
• Micheal Ward – Top Boy (Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew and SpringHill Entertainment for Netflix)

Arts

WINNER – Bros: After The Screaming Stops (Fulwell 73 for BBC Four)

“Remarkable access, and a masterful study in the tensions and triumphs of the creative process that was – at times – brutally honest, but ultimately moving”

Nominees:

• imagine…James Graham: In the Room Where It Happens (BBC Studios for BBC One)
• Superkids: Breaking Away From Care (Expectation for Channel 4)

Breakthrough Award

WINNER – Tanya Moodie – Motherland (Merman Television and Delightful Industries for BBC Two)

“Genuinely, a star in the making”

Nominees:

• Aisling Bea – This Way Up (Merman Television for Channel 4)
• Tim Renkow – Jerk (Roughcut TV and Primal Media for BBC Three)

Children’s Programme

WINNER – Zog (Magic Light Pictures for BBC One)

“This felt special, a real piece of inclusive quality television full of positive messages and warmth.”

Nominees:

• The Athena (Bryncoed Productions for Sky Kids)
• Step Up to the Plate (Lion TV for CBBC)

Comedy Performance (Female)

WINNER – Saoirse-Monica Jackson – Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)

“A truly stand-out performance in a brilliantly funny series, she confidently commits to the character despite the craziness of the world she inhabits”

Nominees:

• Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)
• Diane Morgan – Motherland (Merman Television and Delightful Industries for BBC Two)

Comedy Performance (Male)

WINNER – Ncuti Gatwa – Sex Education (Eleven Film for Netflix)

“Perfectly balanced, combining slapstick and big comic set pieces with moments of tender emotion and great heart in a truly wonderful series”

Nominees:

• Alex Murphy & Chris Walley – The Young Offenders (Vico Films and Rotator for BBC Three)
• Youssef Kerkour – Home (Jantaculum and Channel X for Channel 4)

Daytime Programme

WINNER – The Repair Shop (Ricochet for BBC One)

“The passion pours through the screen. Produced with great confidence and real commitment, it’s a show that feels just right for today’s audience”.

Nominees:

• Good Morning Britain (ITV Studios Daytime for ITV)
• Beat the Chef (Twofour and Motion Content Group for Channel 4)

Documentary Series

WINNER – The Choir: Our School By The Tower (Twenty Twenty Productions for BBC Two)

“A genuine insight into lives that we rarely see captured so vividly and so carefully on television”.

Nominees:

• Hometown: A Killing (7 Wonder for BBC Three)
• Crime and Punishment (72 Films for Channel 4)

Drama Series

WINNER – Gentleman Jack (A Lookout Point Production in association with HBO for BBC One)

“Sharply written, beautifully acted and directed, and all built around relationships which genuinely caught the audience’s imagination”

Nominees:

• The Capture (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)
• Ackley Bridge (The Forge Entertainment for Channel 4)

Entertainment

WINNER – RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (World of Wonder Productions for BBC Three)

“In its own unique way, it said something rather unexpected and fun about being British, as well as being full of warmth and laughs”.

Nominees:

• Love Island (ITV Studios Entertainment/Motion Content Group for ITV2)
• Britain’s Got Talent (Thames/Syco for ITV)

Entertainment Performance

WINNER – London Hughes Don’t Hate The Playaz (Monkey Kingdom for ITV2)

“Authentic, witty, and with an infectious personality”.

Nominees:

• Mo Gilligan The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (Expectation and Momo G for Channel 4)
• Stephen Mulhern In For A Penny (ITV Studios Entertainment/Mitre Television for ITV)

Formatted Popular Factual

WINNER – The British Tribe Next Door (Voltage & Motion Content Group for Channel 4)

“Genuinely innovative, bravely breaking new ground as a format, an idea realised and executed impeccably well”

Nominees:

• The Circle (Studio Lambert & Motion Content Group for Channel 4)
• Celebrity Gogglebox (Studio Lambert for Channel 4)

History

WINNER – Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain (Blast! Films for Channel 4)

“A provocative, highly revealing piece of work full of many challenging questions still to be answered”

Nominees:

• Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History (BBC NI for BBC Four and BBC One Northern Ireland)
• The Last Survivors (Minnow Films for BBC Two)

Live Event

WINNER – Stormzy At Glastonbury 2019 (BBC Studios for BBC Two)

“This transcended the event to become a significant national moment, as well as an outstanding television spectacle”

Nominees:

• The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance (BBC Studios for BBC One)
• The BRIT Awards 2019 (BRITs TV for ITV)

Mini-Series

WINNER – The Long Song (Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios for BBC One)

“An extraordinary achievement in storytelling and a stand-out piece of important television”

Nominees:

• Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)
• Years and Years (Red Production Company for BBC One)

Presenter

WINNER –  Mobeen Azhar Hometown: A Killing (7 Wonder for BBC Three)

“A uniquely engaging and compelling presence on screen”

Nominees:

• Vicky McClure Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure (Curve Media co-produced with The Open University for BBC One)
• Fred Brathwaite A Fresh Guide to Florence with Fab 5 Freddy (BBC Studios for BBC Two)

RTS Channel of the Year

WINNER – Channel 5

“A confident broadcaster reaping the rewards of years of steady growth and development – a channel that increasingly now both surprises and delights”

Nominees:

• BBC Three
• Sky Atlantic

Science and Natural History

WINNER – The Parkinson’s Drug Trial: A Miracle Cure? (Passionate Productions for BBC Two)

“Produced with immense care over a long period, it was informative, packed with drama and emotion”.

Nominees:

• The Planets (A BBC Studios Production with NOVA and WGBH Boston for BBC, PBS co-produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures. A BBC Open University Partnership for BBC Two)
• 8 Days: To the Moon and Back (BBC Studios, PBS & The Open University, The Science Unit for BBC Two)

Scripted Comedy

WINNER – Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)

“Beautifully accomplished, supremely well written and performed”

Nominees:

• Stath Lets Flats (Roughcut TV for Channel 4)
• Derry Girls (Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4)

Single Documentary

WINNER – War in the Blood (Minnow Films for BBC Two)

“A consummate piece of work…subtle and unsensational, immaculately balanced but uncompromising”

Nominees:

• Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag (Hardcash Productions for ITV)
• David Harewood: Psychosis and Me (Films of Record co-produced with The Open University for BBC Two)

Single Drama

WINNER – The Left Behind (BBC Studios for BBC Three and BBC Cymru Wales)

A smart piece that shone a light on the real state of the nation, telling multi-layered stories in an emotional and nuanced way”

Nominees:

• Brexit: The Uncivil War (House Productions in association with HBO for Channel 4)
• Doing Money (Renegade Pictures for BBC Two)

Soap and Continuing Drama

WINNER – Casualty (BBC Studios for BBC One)

“Excellent central dramatic performances combined with an authentic and gripping story”

Nominees:

• EastEnders (BBC Studios for BBC One)
• Coronation Street (ITV Studios for ITV)

Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit

WINNER – Alex Scott 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Input Media [now known as Gravity Media] and BBC Sport for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer)

“A former player willing to draw on immense knowledge of the game to bring confident, concise analysis in a refreshing, inspiring way”. 

Nominees:

• Nasser Hussain The Ashes (Sky Sports for Sky Sports Cricket)
• Gareth Thomas 2019 Rugby World Cup (BBC Sport for BBC One)

Sports Programme

WINNER – ICC Cricket World Cup Final (Sky Sports & Sunset+Vine for ICC TV and Sky Sports Cricket)

“A spectacular and extraordinary moment in sporting history, captured brilliantly by a production team clearly right at the top of their own game”

Nominees:

• 2019 Rugby World Cup (ITV Sport for ITV)
• FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 – Semi Final: England v USA (Input Media [now known as Gravity Media] and BBC Sport for BBC One)

Writer (Comedy)

WINNER – Phoebe Waller-Bridge Fleabag (Two Brothers Pictures in association with All3Media International for BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video)

“Every now and then, a show comes along that’s so unique and distinctive you know there’ll never be another remotely like it…and that’s the sign of a truly special creative mind”

Nominees:

• Laurie Nunn Sex Education (Eleven Film for Netflix)
• Danny Brocklehurst Brassic (Calamity Films for Sky One)

Writer (Drama)

WINNER – Craig Mazin Chernobyl (Sister, The Mighty Mint and Word Games in association with HBO for Sky Atlantic)

“It was a complex story told with a compulsive narrative shape – profound and affecting. The writer unflinchingly presented prescient and relevant themes”

Nominees:

• Roy Williams Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle (A Douglas Road and Young Vic Production for BBC Four)
• Neil Forsyth Guilt (Happy Tramp North and Expectation for BBC Scotland and BBC Two)

Judges’ Award

WINNER – Jane Featherstone (Founder and Chief Executive, Sister Pictures)

The recipient of this prestigious honour is a Producer of drama who – over the last twelve months in particular – has shown that her time has truly come.