Cumming received the RTS Scotland Special Award 2023 in recognition of his achievements across a long and varied career, which has taken in beloved Scottish shows Take the High Road and The High Life, award-winning US series The Good Wife and, currently, Apple TV+’s musical comedy Schmigadoon!.

“I owe my whole career to Scotland. I made my first film here when I was 20. I got my first of many roles on Scottish Television when I was 21 and my first film was a Scottish co-production with a Scottish writer/director,” he said.

Scott, the recently retired Managing Director of Glasgow-based training provider TRC Media, received the Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her commitment to Scotland’s creative sector.

She said: “The TV industry in Scotland has changed beyond recognition since I joined more than 30 years ago and so many wonderful, passionate and talented people have driven and contributed to that change. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to play a small part.”

BBC Scotland enjoyed a successful night, picking up four scripted awards. The acting awards went to Tony Curran for heart-wrenching drama Mayflies and Shauna Macdonald for the reality show spoof The Scotts.

Scot Squad, a mockumentary series about a fictional Scottish police force, took the Comedy prize. Scottish soap River City’s 20th anniversary episode won the Drama award. Rob Williams was presented with the Writer award for Channel 4’s prison drama Screw.

Scottish wildlife film-maker and presenter Gordon Buchanan bagged two prizes: On-screen Personality and a share of the Camera award, both for Snow Dogs: Into the World. The BBC Scotland programme also picked up the Sound prize.

The ceremony was held at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, and hosted by the TV presenter Shereen Cutkelvin and the actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli.

RTS Scotland Chair Stephen O’Donnell said: “When you see all this talent together in the one room, it’s clear to see that Scotland’s creative community punches above its weight. These awards are so important to recognise the incredible TV talent we have here in Scotland, not only to celebrate their achievements but also to inspire the next generation.”

The awards were sponsored by ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund, Channel 4, BBC Studios, Arteus Post Production, KR Management and The Nerve.

Matthew Bell

RTS Scotland Television Awards winners

The RTS Scotland Special Award 2023 — Alan Cumming

Outstanding Contribution Award — Margaret Scott

Drama — River City: 20th Anniversary Episode, BBC Studios for BBC Scotland

Actor - Male — Tony Curran, Mayflies, Synchronicity Films for BBC Scotland

Actor - Female — Shauna Macdonald, The Scotts, The Comedy Unit for BBC Scotland

Director — Dr Marco J Federici, Rico: The Richard Demarco Story, MLC Productions and Federici Films

Writer — Rob Williams, Screw, STV Studios for Channel 4

On-screen Personality — Gordon Buchanan, Snow Dogs: Into the Wild, Hello Halo Productions/Oak Island Films for BBC Scotland

Comedy — Scot Squad, The Comedy Unit for BBC Scotland

Entertainment and Features — Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling, Tern TV for BBC Scotland

Documentary and Specialist Factual — Long Live My Happy Head, Melt the Fly for BBC Scotland

Documentary and Specialist Factual - Arts — Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves, Lion Television Scotland for BBC Two

Documentary and Specialist Factual - History — The Mystery of Anthrax Island, Indelible Telly for BBC Scotland

Documentary and Specialist Factual - Science and Natural History — The Secret Genius of Modern Life, BBC Studios: Science Unit for BBC Two

News — Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotland News and Current Affairs for BBC Scotland

Young Journalist — Morgan Spence, BBC Scotland

Current Affairs — Disclosure: The Great Ferries Scandal, BBC Scotland

Live Event — World Pipe Bands Championship 2022, BBC Scotland Productions for BBC Scotland

Daytime — The Travelling Auctioneers, STV Studios for BBC One

Sport — Fight at the Fort, Amped Pictures for BBC Scotland

Children’s — Triùir Aig Trì, Sorbier Productions for BBC Alba

Short Form — When We Were Famous: Scotland 72, Studio Something

Animation and VFX — The World Cup 2022 Title Sequence: Here We Go!, Studio Something for BBC Sport

Camera — Gordon Buchanan, Jack ­Warrender and Keith Partidge, Snow Dogs: Into the Wild, Hello Halo Productions/Oak Island Films for BBC Scotland

Editing — Dave Clark, The Last Stone, Tern TV for BBC Scotland

Post-production - Motion Design and Animation (Individual and Small Team) — Iron Sail, Revenant

Sound — Adam Wood and Jamie Hartland for Serious Facilities, Snow Dogs: Into the Wild, Hello Halo Productions/Oak Island Films for BBC Scotland

Student Television Award — Small, ­Jonathan Payne, Sophie MacDonald and Laura Wiggett, The University of Edinburgh