The Night Manager, Keeley Hawes and Robbie Coltrane win big at Broadcasting Press Guild Awards
BBC1’s Tom Hiddleston thriller scoops the best drama prize after being overlooked by the Royal Television Society
The Tom Hiddleston spy spectacular The Night Manager has won the best drama series prize at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.
The BBC1 show, based on the book by John Le Carre, beat off a shortlist which contained War & Peace, Line of Duty and The Tunnel – Sabotage for the prize which was collected by two of its stars, Hugh Laurie and Tom Hollander, on Friday.
The award is particularly welcome for the producers of the drama which was overlooked in all the categories for the Royal Television Society Awards which take place next week – a snub which RadioTimes.com understands has infuriated the production team.
Keeley Hawes was named Best Actress for her roles in three hit drama series - Line of Duty, The Durrells and The Missing. She was at today’s lunch to receive her award which she won in a competitive shortlist containing Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), Claire Foy (The Crown) and Andrea Riseborough.
Riseborough was nominated for her work on Channel 4’s National Treasure but the C4 drama about a fictional case of historic sexual abuse did pick up one prize, with Robbie Coltrane collecting the best actor award for his performance as Paul Finchley, the accused entertainer.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, actress and writer of the comedy series Fleabag, collected the Best Writer award at the ceremony at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, while Mum's award for Best Comedy was picked up by its star Lesley Manville.
The best single drama award went to BBC1’s Agatha Christie adaptation Witness for Prosecution which aired over Christmas.
Planet Earth II was named Best Documentary Series and Hillsborough won the award for Best Single Documentary at the awards which is selected independently by TV and radio correspondents, critics and previewers.
The award for Best Entertainment programme went to BBC1s The Graham Norton Show, and Sky Atlantic’s Alan Partridge: Mid Morning Matters won the award for Best Multichannel (non-PSB) programme.
In its 75th anniversary year, Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, presented by Kirsty Young, was named Radio Programme of the Year. LBC’s James O’Brien was named Radio Broadcaster of the Year.
The Harvey Lee award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, which is awarded by the BPG executive committee, went to the documentary filmmaker and producer Norma Percy. She has persuaded an impressive list of world leaders to be interviewed for revelatory series such as The Death of Yugoslavia, The Second Russian Revolution and Inside Obama’s White House.
