Michaela Coel and David Tennant have dominated this year’s Broadcasting Press Guild Awards with both of them winning multiple prizes.

I May Destroy You – the ground-breaking and original drama which Coel created, starred in and wrote – took three of the BPG’s top awards: for Best Actress, Best Writer and Best Drama Series. The 12-part series was made for BBC One and HBO. Accepting her award, she said: “Receiving this from the Broadcasting Press Guild is particularly meaningful to me, because this is awarded by journalists, the best of which scrutinize the topic, their opinion of it, and interrogate both the world and themselves, as writers within it. I can identify with this, particularly because I May Destroy You was inspired by my own experiences of sexual assault.”

Tennant won the award for Best Actor, for his performances in Des (ITV) and Staged (BBC One). In his video acceptance speech, he said: “I’m very aware that I’m piggybacking on the back of the brilliant people I work with … working with great people makes you look better. I’m very aware of that.” Staged was also named Best Comedy.

The BPG Jury Prize was awarded to Joe Wicks for his PE With Joe fitness sessions on YouTube during lockdown. He said: “What a wonderful honour it is to receive this award … we have now streamed 115 live workouts, with a total of 100 million views globally.”

The BPG Innovation in Broadcasting Award went to the BBC for its Lockdown Learning initiative and the Harvey Lee Award, for an outstanding contribution to broadcasting, was given to John McVay of PACT on behalf of all who created the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme, to help the industry open up again during the pandemic.

Jake Kanter, the chair of the BPG, said: “2020 was a challenging year for British television. Coronavirus shuttered production for months, ripped a near-fatal hole in the ad market, and ravaged a brilliant freelance community that actually makes the stuff we love to watch. But amid the rubble, industry ingenuity prospered and what crumbled was quickly rebuilt.

“It was a year when television and radio provided comfort, distraction and a friendy embrace in an ugly world. Our winners are testament to that.”

The BPG Television, Streaming and Audio Awards are prized by programme-makers because they are chosen independently by TV and radio correspondents, critics and previewers. Instead of the usual BPG Awards lunch, the 47th Awards was held as a virtual event for the first time, with the winners announced – and prizes accepted – via the BPG Twitter account, @BPGPressAwards.

Clara Amfo of BBC Radio 1 was named as Audio Presenter of the Year. Accepting her award on Twitter, she said: “We’ve all experienced a fervoured relationship with our audience. That’s not to be taken for granted at all. It would be remiss of me not to accept this award and not big up all of my colleagues. I accept this award alongside them.”

Seani B and DJ Ace won the Radio Programme of the Year award, for their BBC 1Xtra Talks Special on George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. The Podcast of the Year was How Do You Cope? With Elis James and John Robins, produced by Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Scott Bryan, chair of the audio jury, said: “This has been such an important year for radio, connecting us at a time when we’ve all been apart. The winners have all provided thoughtful, powerful conversations and moments that listeners will remember for a long time to come.”

Quiz (ITV), from James Graham’s stage play about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, was named Best Drama Mini-Series, and Emma Corrin won the BPG Breakthrough Award for her performance as Princess Diana in The Crown (Netflix). Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two) won the Best Entertainment award, for the second time in three years.

Once Upon a Time in Iraq (BBC Two) won the award for Best Documentary Series and The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty (BBC Two) was named Best Documentary Mini-Series.

Further information from Torin Douglas, BPG, 07860 422992 or torindouglas@aol.com.

Notes to editors

1. The Broadcasting Press Guild was founded in 1974 and has more than 145 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 an online publishers.
2. Instead of the usual invitation-only lunch, attended by the winners, BPG members and leading broadcasting executives, the awards were announced in a virtual ceremony on Twitter @BPGPressGuild #BPGAwards at lunchtime on Friday March 12^th2021. Details of the nominations, previous BPG awards can be found at http://broadcastingpressguild.org, together with pictures, videos and a history of the Guild.
3. Harvey Lee – in honour of whom our Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award is named – was a leading light of the BPG, who died at the tragically early age of 41. The award for outstanding achievement has been given in his memory every year since every year since 1992. Previous winners are named on our website: http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpgawards/harvey-lee/
4. While 12 of the BPG awards were voted for by Guild members, the following prizes were decided by the BPG’s Executive Committee: the BPG Jury Prize to Joe Wicks for PE With Joeon YouTube; the BPG Innovation Award to the BBC for Lockdown Learning, which was accepted by the BBC’s head of education Helen Foulkes; the BPG Breakthrough Award to Emma Corrin for her role as Princess Diana in The Crown(Netflix); and the Harvey Lee Award, in honour of a former leading light of the BPG for an outstanding contribution to broadcasting, to John McVay of PACT on behalf of all who created the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme, to help the industry open up again during the pandemic. 

The full list of BPG TV and Radio Awards winners is:

Audio Presenter of the Year
Clara Amfo
BBC Radio 1 production for BBC Radio 1

Radio Programme of the Year
1Xtra Talks Special: George Floyd and Black Lives Matter with
Seani B and DJ Ace
BBC Audio for BBC 1Xtra

Podcast of the Year
How Do You Cope?…With Elis James and John Robins
Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live

Best Documentary Mini-Series
The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty
72 Films for BBC Two

Best Documentary Series 
Once Upon a Time in Iraq
KEO films for BBC Two / PBS Frontline

Best Drama Mini-Series
Quiz
Left Bank Pictures for ITV /AMC

Best Drama Series 
I May Destroy You
Various Artists Ltd /FALKNA for BBC One / HBO

Best Entertainment 
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Series 3
Owl Power TV for BBC Two

Best Comedy
Staged, Series 1
Infinity Hill / GCB Films for BBC One

Best Actor
David Tennant, for his roles as:
– Dennis (Des) Nilsen in
Des
New Pictures for ITV, and
– Himself in
Staged, Series 1
Infinity Hill / GCB Films for BBC

Best Actress
Michaela Coel
For her role as Arabella Essiuedu in
I May Destroy You
Various Artists Ltd /FALKNA for BBC One / HBO

Best Writer
Michaela Coel
I May Destroy You
Various Artists Ltd /FALKNA for BBC One / HBO

BPG Innovation in Broadcasting Award
BBC for its Lockdown Learning initiative
BBC Education and Children’s Department for BBC TV / Online / Social Media

BPG Breakthrough Award 
Emma Corrin
For her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in
The Crown, Series 4
Left Bank Pictures / Sony Pictures Television for Netflix

BPG Jury Prize
PE With Joe
Body Coach TV and Joe Wicks for YouTube

Harvey Lee Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award
John McVay, PACT
On behalf of all who created the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme

45th Television and Radio Awards Lunch

Friday March 15^th 2019, Banking Hall

News release

EMBARGOED till 12 Noon Friday March 15th 2019

Hugh Grant, Jodie Comer, Nicholas Parsons and Lauren Laverne
are among the winners at the 45th Broadcasting Press Guild Awards

Two BBC TV dramas have each won three prizes at this year’s Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, voted for by journalists who write about television and radio and sponsored by Virgin Media.

A Very English Scandal (BBC One), about the Jeremy Thorpe affair, has won the award for Best Single Drama/Mini Series and Hugh Grant, who played the former Liberal leader, was named Best Actor. Russell T Davies, who wrote the script from the book by John Preston, won the Best Writer award.

The glossy serial-killer drama Killing Eve (BBC America) has been voted Best Drama Series and its star Jodie Comer was named best actress. It also won the Best Online First/Streaming Award, having been shown as a BBC Three boxed set on BBC iPlayer, ahead of its transmission on BBC One.

The 45th BPG Awards lunch took place today at Banking Hall in the City of London, attended by the winners, BPG members and leading broadcasting executives. (Full list of winners below). The BPG Awards – given only for work commissioned or produced in the UK – are highly prized by programme-makers because they are selected independently by TV and radio correspondents, critics and previewers.

Jake Kanter, BPG Chair, said: “These awards are now a 45-year-old institution, and we think they are the most democratic in the land. No tedious judging panels, no political lobbying, just a list of the best TV and radio shows of 2018, voted for by people whose job it is to write about TV and radio for a living. In fact, this year, we had a record number of votes, which is testament to the enduring qualities of the BPG and the brilliance of the output.

“Drama’s hot streak continued. We had killer antiheroes, political subterfuge, and dangerous trysts.

Elsewhere, five kids from Derry created history in Northern Ireland, two jokers went fishing and hooked an unexpected hit, and the retelling of one unthinkable murder shocked the nation all over again.”

Channel Four has won the award for Best Comedy with Derry Girls and BBC Two’s Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing was named Best Entertainment programme. The Netflix drama Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, created by Charlie Brooker, won the BPG Award for Innovation. Brooker was there to accept his award, as were Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.

Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation (BBC One) was named Best Documentary Series and Grenfell (BBC Two) won the award for Best Single Documentary. Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Lawrence, and two members of Grenfell United, Karin Mussilhy and Kat Sladden collected their respective awards alongside the programme makers.

The Best of Multichannel Award, which goes to one of the non-PSB programmes shortlisted in the drama, documentaries, comedy and entertainment categories, went to the drama Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic).

Lauren Laverne was named Radio Broadcaster of the Year, for her work on BBC Radio 6 Music as well as Desert Island Discs and Late Night Woman’s Hour, both on BBC Radio 4.

The chair of the BPG radio jury, Julian Clover, said: “Our winner moves seamlessly between speech and music radio. She’s been tasked with presenting two of the big beasts of Radio 4… and, after presenting the mid morning show on BBC Radio 6 Music, her move to breakfast was described by one of our judges as a big step forward for the music content and a welcome step away from obligatory breakfast banter.”

The award for Radio Programme of the Year went to Tara and George, presented by Audrey Gillan (BBC Radio 4), which explores the lives of two people in their late forties who sleep rough in London. And the Podcast of the Year award went to Hip Hop Saved My Life with Romesh Ranganathan.

Among several special awards made by the BPG executive committee, sports presenter and football pundit Alex Scott won the Breakthrough Award for her work with BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

The BPG Chairman’s Award, chosen by this year’s BPG Chair Jake Kanter, recognised the impact of Big Brother on UK television. The citation said: “The reality TV behemoth gave rise to countless copycat formats and became a training ground for the industry’s top creatives, as well as making household names out of the likes of Dermot O’Leary & Davina McCall. It was a defining hit for Channel 4, gave a fresh lease of life to Channel 5 and proved its durability and value to producer EndemolShine Group.”

Nicholas Parsons CBE received the Harvey Lee Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, and attended the lunch with members of his family. As previously announced, the award recognises his seven decades of TV and radio entertainment, and in particular his contribution to one of the BBC’s longest-running programmes, Just A Minute on BBC Radio 4, which he has chaired for over 50 years.

Ends

All media and photography requests:

Olivia McKee, Virgin Media

T: 0333 000 2900

E: press@virginmedia.co.uk

@VirginMediaCorp

For social media, please follow:

www.twitter.com/BPGPressGuild

www.twitter.com/VirginMediaCorp

#BPGAwards

https://www.facebook.com/broadcastingpressguild/                                                                         

Notes to editors

1. The Broadcasting Press Guild was founded in 1974 and has more than 150 members. They are journalists who specialise in covering television, radio and the media, and include critics, previewers, media correspondents and feature writers from national newspapers, broadcasters and leading trade journals and websites.
2. The invitation-only event at the Banking Hall in the City of London was sponsored by Virgin Media and attended by the winners, BPG members and leading broadcasting executives. Details of the nominations, previous BPG awards and Virgin Media can be found at http://broadcastingpressguild.org, together with pictures, videos and a history of the Guild.
3. Harvey Lee – in honour of whom our Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award is named – was a leading light of the BPG, who died at the tragically early age of 41. The award for outstanding achievement has been given in his memory every year since every year since 1992. Previous winners are named on our website: http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpgawards/harvey-lee
4. This year’s BPG Awards are sponsored by Virgin Media, which offers four multi award-winning services across the UK and Ireland: broadband, TV, mobile phone and landline. Its interactive TV service brings live programmes, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and the best apps and games in a set-top box, as well as on-the-go for tablets and smartphones. It launched the world’s first virtual mobile network and is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the UK and Ireland. Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international cable company, with operations in more than 30 countries. www.virginmedia.com/tv

For more information about the Broadcasting Press Guild, please contact:

Torin Douglas, BPG  torindouglas@aol.com or 07860 422992 

The full list of BPG TV and Radio Awards winners is:

Best Single Drama/Mini-series
A Very English Scandal
A Blueprint Pictures production for the BBC and Amazon Studios

Best Drama Series
Killing Eve
A Sid Gentle Films Ltd production for BBC America, internationally distributed by Endeavor Content      

Best Single Documentary
Grenfell
A Minnow Films production for BBC One

Best Documentary Series
Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation
An On the Corner production, in association with Rogan Productions, for BBC One

Best Entertainment
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
An Owl Power TV production for BBC Two

Best Online First/ Streaming
Killing Eve
A Sid Gentle Films Ltd production for BBC America, internationally distributed by Endeavor Content and first streamed in UK on BBC Three as a box set on BBC iPlayer

Best Comedy
Derry Girls
A Hat Trick Productions production for Channel 4

Best of Multichannel
Patrick Melrose
A Two Cities production in association with Sunnymarch and Little Island for Sky Atlantic and Showtime

Radio Broadcaster of the Year
Lauren Laverne
BBC Radio 6 Music, Late Night Woman’s Hour and Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4

Radio Programme of the Year
Tara and George
A Falling Tree Productions production for BBC Radio 4

Podcast of the Year
Hip Hop Saved My Life – Romesh Ranganathan
Ranga Bee Productions

Best Actor
Hugh Grant for A Very English Scandal (BBC One)

Best Actress
Jodie Comer for Killing Eve (BBC America)

Best Writer
Russell T Davies for A Very English Scandal (BBC One)

Innovation Award
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, for a ground-breaking form of storytelling.
A House of Tomorrow production for Netflix

Breakthrough Award
Alex Scott
Sports broadcaster for BBC and Sky

BPG Chairman’s Prize
Big Brother
EndemolShine Group for Channel 4 and Channel 5

Harvey Lee Award
Nicholas Parsons CBE
Actor, presenter & game show host, in particular, recognition of more than 50 years of presenting Radio 4’s Just A Minute.