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Top Honours for Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Gavin & Stacey: The Finale at the 51st BPG Awards –
– Rivals stars Danny Dyer and Bella Maclean scoop Best Actor and BPG Breakthrough Awards, as Jessica Gunning takes the Best Actress Award for Baby Reindeer –
20 March 2025: The 51st Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards celebrated outstanding achievements in television, streaming, and audio, with Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, and Rivalsemerging as the night’s biggest winners. The prestigious event, held at The Everyman in Broadgate, brought together industry leaders, BPG members, and key figures from the UK entertainment sector for an unforgettable evening.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV1) earned top honours in two major categories, securing Best Drama Series and Best Writer for Gwyneth Hughes. The poignant and impactful drama continues to earn recognition for its powerful storytelling and real-world impact. Best Single Drama or Miniseries went to Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Aardman Animations for BBC One/Netflix), which saw the return of the iconic animated duo, as they faced off against the vengeful Feathers McGraw.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale (Tidy and Fulwell73 for BBC1) won Best Comedy, for the heartfelt conclusion to one of the UK’s favourite comedies. Creators and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones were present to accept the award for the ratings juggernaut. Best Entertainment went to The Traitors (Studio Lambert for BBC1), with the hit psychological competition series winning for the second consecutive year, showing that BPG members did remain faithful for series two.
In acting, Danny Dyer beat an incredibly strong field to take home the Best Actor trophy for his career-best performance as Freddie Jones in Rivals (Happy Prince for Disney+), the delightfully frisky black comedy drama adapted from Jilly Cooper’s novel set in the competitive world of 1980s British television. Best Actress was awarded to Jessica Gunning for her chilling portrayal of Martha Scott, a dangerously obsessed stalker in Baby Reindeer (Clerkenwell Films for Netflix).
The documentary categories also saw standout performances. Best Documentary Series went to Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams on Tour (South Shore Productions for BBC1), following Flintoff’s return to Preston to take his team of unlikely lads on a cricket tour of India. Best Single Documentary or Miniseries was awarded to Boybands Forever (Mindhouse Productions for BBC2), a revealing journey exploring the traumatic truth about life in the biggest boybands of the 1990s.
The evening’s celebrations continued in the audio categories. Ellen E Jones saw off tough competition to win Best Radio Presenter for Screenshot (BBC Radio 4), while Three Million (BBC Radio 4), which uncovered the forgotten story of the Bengal famine in British India during WWII, took home Best Radio Programme. Kill List, a gripping podcast which uncovered the shocking truth of a secret Kill List on the darknet, won Best Podcast.
Each year, the BPG Executive Committee also honours outstanding emerging talent. This year’s BPG Breakthrough Award went to Bella Maclean for her standout performance as Agatha ‘Taggie’ O’Hara in Rivals. The BPG Emerging Creator Award was given to TikTok sensation Big Manny, who has captivated audiences with his entertaining and educational science content. Both awards are sponsored by Prime Video.
Additionally, three previously announced special awards were presented. The BPG Jury Award for Excellence in British Drama was awarded to the team behind Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light (Playground and Company Pictures for BBC1) for their captivating drama series. Honouring their services to the British TV industry, Anne Mensah, Vice President of Content at Netflix, received the BPG Jury Prize for Outstanding TV Executive, and Jane Featherstone, co-founder and executive producer of Sister Pictures, was honoured with the Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery.
The BPG Awards 2025 full list of winners are below.
The BPG Awards 2025 celebrated the compelling mix of gripping dramas, thought-provoking documentaries, groundbreaking comedy, innovative entertainment, and the standout performances from acclaimed actors and emerging talents alike, highlighting the excellence and originality in the last year of Television, Streaming and Audio.
BPG Chair Manori Ravindran said: “As a journalist, I know firsthand how much passion and expertise go into covering this industry, which is why the BPG Awards are so special. Coveted by the industry, these awards stand apart because they are chosen independently by the critics, correspondents, and writers who live and breathe TV and audio. This year’s winners represent the very best of British storytelling—bold dramas, captivating documentaries, and groundbreaking entertainment that reflect the richness of our industry. These awards celebrate the talent, creativity, and impact of television, streaming, and audio in shaping conversations and inspiring audiences. A huge thank you to our sponsors for making this celebration possible.”
The Broadcasting Press Guild marked its 50th anniversary last year. The Guild began in 1974 and continues to bring together the best TV and audio writers, industry correspondents, critics and previewers. The BPG Television, Streaming & Audio Awards were given for work commissioned or produced in the UK and screened in 2024. These prizes are highly valued by programme-makers because they are chosen independently by the BPG’s expert membership of TV and audio writers, correspondents and critics.
The BPG Awards are made possible with thanks to the 2025 sponsors: Warner Bros. Discovery, BBC Studios, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Pact.
X (formerly Twitter): @BPGPressGuild #BPGAwards
Instagram: @bpgpressguild
LinkedIn: Broadcasting Press Guild
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THE BPG AWARDS 2025 WINNERS IN FULL ARE:
BEST SINGLE DRAMA / MINI-SERIES
- Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (BBC1, Netflix)
BEST DRAMA SERIES
- Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV1)
BEST SINGLE DOCUMENTARY OR MINI-SERIES
- Boybands Forever (BBC2)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SERIES
- Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams on Tour (BBC1)
BEST COMEDY
- Gavin and Stacey: The Finale (BBC1)
BEST ENTERTAINMENT
- The Traitors series 2 (BBC1)
BEST WRITER
- Gwyneth Hughes (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, ITV1)
BEST ACTRESS
- Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer, Netflix)
BEST ACTOR
- Danny Dyer (Rivals, Disney+)
AUDIO AWARDS
BEST RADIO PRESENTER
- Ellen E Jones for Screenshot (BBC Radio 4)
BEST PODCAST
- Kill List (Wondery/Novel)
BEST RADIO PROGRAMME
- Three Million (BBC Radio 4)
SPECIAL AWARDS
BPG BREAKTHROUGH AWARD
- Bella Maclean (Rivals)
BPG EMERGING CREATOR AWARD
- Big Manny
BPG JURY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN BRITISH DRAMA
- Wolf Hall – Playground and Company Pictures for BBC One
BPG JURY PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING TV EXECUTIVE
- Anne Mensah – VP, Content at Netflix
HARVEY LEE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BROADCASTING (Sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery)
- Jane Featherstone
Notes to Editors:
- The winners of the TV and Streaming Awards listed were announced at the 51st BPG Awards on Thursday March 20 2025 at The Everyman Broadgate on Finsbury Avenue in the City of London. The Harvey Lee Award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting and two BPG Jury Prizes will be presented at the same time.
- The BPG Television, Streaming and Audio Awards are presented for work commissioned or premiered in the UK and screened in 2024. Programmes which were first streamed online are nominated and voted for alongside broadcast channel commissions originating in the UK.
- The Broadcasting Press Guild was founded in 1974 and has more than 110 members. They are journalists who specialise in covering television, streaming, radio podcasts and the media, and include critics, previewers, media correspondents and feature writers from national newspapers, broadcasters and leading trade journals and online publishers.
- Programme winners in the past in entertainment, comedy, documentary and drama include some of the most renowned and significant shows in UK television history and range from Life On Earth, The Up Series, Shameless, The Jewel In The Crown and The Thick Of It to Downton Abbey, Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland, Ghosts, The Crown, Fleabag, Happy Valley, Dispatches: Russell Brand – In Plain Sight and Have I Got News For You.
- Past BPG Best Actress winners include Glenda Jackson, Eileen Atkins, Helen Mirren, Peggy Ashcroft, Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Redgrave, Diana Rigg, Zoe Wanamaker, Julie Walters, Olivia Colman, Keeley Hawes, Sheridan Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Claire Foy, Jodie Comer and Sarah Lancashire.
- Past BPG Best Actor winners include Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alec Guinness, Albert Finney, Charles Dance, Robert Hardy, Jim Broadbent, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Stephen Graham, Ben Whishaw, Dominic West and Gary Oldman (see more details and photos at http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/).
- Previous winners of the BPG Radio/Audio Broadcaster award include Aasmah Mir, Clara Amfo, Alistair Cooke, Sir Terry Wogan, Sue Lawley, Samira Ahmed, James O’Brien, Jane Garvey, Emma Barnett, Nick Ferrari, Eddie Mair, Lauren Laverne, Jonathan Ross, Evan Davis, Simon Mayo, Kirsty Young, Brian Redhead, Sir Mark Tully, Sandy Toksvig, John Finnemore, Michael Buerk and Susannah Simons.
- Supporting the Awards, the BPG Awards 2025 Sponsors are: Warner Bros. Discovery, BBC Studios, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Pact.
- Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, HBO, Max, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, and others.
- BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd and generated revenues of £1.8 billion in the last year and profits of over £200 million for a third consecutive year. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes TV and audio globally and Media & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including UKTV, bbc.com and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made more than 2,800 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide range of UK and global broadcasters and platforms. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.
- Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services, with 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films, and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching, as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time
- Prime Video is a first-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one app available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can customize their viewing experience and find their favourite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports – including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Red One, Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, Cross, and The Idea of You; UK produced Originals such as Clarkson’s Farm, The Rig, The Devil’s Hour, The Grand Tour and 007: Road To A Million, licensed fan favourites Nine Perfect Strangers and The Continental: From The World of John Wick; exclusive entertainment such as UEFA Champions League; and programming from partners such as Apple TV+, hayu, Paramount +, discovery+ Premium (incl. TNT Sport) and Crunchyroll via Prime Video add-on subscriptions, as well as more than 700 free ad-supported (FAST) Channels globally. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. All customers, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership or not, can rent or buy titles via the Prime Video Store, and can enjoy even more content for free with ads. Customers can also go behind the scenes of their favourite movies and series with exclusive X-Ray access. For more info visit www.amazon.co.uk/primevideo.
- Pact is the UK screen sector trade body for independent production and distribution companies. Our mission is to help make the UK’s independent production sector the most successful in the world. Since 1991, our work has helped transform the sector from a cottage industry into a British success story which employs thousands of people and is worth billions to the UK economy.
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