This year’s RTS Programme Awards, long considered the gold standard of achievement in the television community, took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London this week.
In partnership with Audio Network and hosted this year by Richard Madeley, the awards celebrate excellence across all genres of television programming, with prizes in twenty five categories. In honour of another year of outstanding British television, let’s have a closer look at some of the big winners.
The winner in the Documentary Series category was The Romanians Are Coming, produced by Keo Films for Channel 4, which beat competition from Reggie Yates’ Extreme Russia and The Detectives.
With the number of immigrants rising in the UK and laws changing around the possibility of work, this documentary series explored the lives of Romanians trying to make a new life in Britain.
Set against the background of the recent immigration crisis, this Channel 4 documentary gave an insight on the challenges faced by Romanians living and working in the UK. The Romanians Are Coming was described as having “amazing casting and full of exquisite layering”, with the series “offering heartfelt entertainment while shedding light on a sensitive issue.”
The Guardian said: “Not just watchable and balanced (it is neither patronising nor handwringingly worthy), The Romanians Are Coming is moving, and human, the personal side of a political story. Such an important story too, in the upcoming election, and in this part of the world today. You can’t ask for a lot more of a documentary.”
The Drama Series award was won by No Offence, produced by Abbott Vision for Channel 4, which took the prize ahead of Humans and The Last Kingdom.
No Offence is a police crime comedy drama, described as ‘an outrageous new police procedural series from the writer of Shameless and State of Play.’ The series follow a team of detectives from a fictional version of the Manchester Metropolitan Police, and impressed audiences by bringing a fresh approach to police procedural drama: “It felt like nothing else, and brought something new to the genre. Clever, funny, tense and with strong performances at its centre.”
Channel 4’s head of drama Piers Wenger said: “No Offence is the best of what the world has come to expect from a Paul Abbott script: characters you can adore, gags which practically blind you with their brilliance and plots which, while appearing outlandish, challenge the way you think about the world.”
Coalition, produced by Cuba Pictures for Channel 4, won the award for Single Drama category, beating Black Mirror: White Christmas and Cyberbully.
Coalition took viewers behind the scenes of one the most extraordinary chapters in modern British politics, featuring Bertie Carvel, Mark Dexter, and Ian Grieve starring as Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown. The 90-minute drama was directed by BAFTA-winning Alex Holmes and described as “a clever and very original film that was funny and perceptive…as well as beautifully written and performed.”, with The Guardian reviewing it as both “gripping” and “moving”.
Writer James Graham said: “In May 2010, British politics was faced with a dilemma it hadn’t had to face in peacetime for over 75 years… The public were asked ‘who should govern’, and they came back with the answer – ‘we don’t know’. Those historic, dramatic few days put personalities at the heart of politics – and the choices made, I believe, changed the face of British politics forever. What we try to capture in this drama is the tension, the high stakes, and the frequent farcical and absurd nature of what happens when a power is wrangled, negotiated and fought over like children trading cards in the playground.”
Last but not least, the winner of the Single Documentary was Storyville: India’s Daughter, produced by Assassin Films for BBC Four. The other nominees were Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and My Son The Jihadi.
Part of the BBC’s ongoing Storyville strand, the film was Directed by Leslee Udwin, and featured interviews with one of the convicted rapists and the two lawyers who defended the accused. India’s Daughter received many positive reviews in the British press, notably from Sonia Faleiro in The Guardian who said that “this film does what the politicians should be doing.”
However, the film proved controversial in India, with authorities ordering it to be banned: “These excerpts of the interview as published are highly offensive and have already created a situation of tension and fear among women in society. Therefore, in the interest of justice and maintenance of public order, an application was made in court seeking restraining order from publishing, transmitting, uploading and broadcasting the interview.”
Take a look at the RTS website for a full list of the nominees, winners and more from the awards ceremony. Congratulations to everyone involved in some of 2015’s best television!