Fiona Campbell, Chair of RTS NI said: “What a year it’s been for Northern Ireland on-screen production across all platforms which has been reflected in the quality of entries this year. All our finalists are great examples of the outstanding content being produced in Northern Ireland which is enjoyed by audiences worldwide. We look forward to coming together at the awards to celebrate the achievements of our people and productions and I wish all the finalists every success on the night.”

Richard Williams, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to once again support the RTS NI Awards. The RTS is a long standing and prestigious organisation which we are proud to work alongside. The real joy of this event is that it is a rare, if not unique, opportunity for hugely diverse people and companies that make up the screen industry to celebrate their collective creative output and to see the full scale of the industry.”

Eddie Doyle, Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland said: “The RTS NI Awards recognise the skills, talent and creative excellence of television production in Northern Ireland . We are pleased to support the awards again this year.“

Zach Willis, Co-Founder, Ka-Boom, headline sponsor of the RTS NI Awards says: “Television production in Northern Ireland is thriving and Ka-Boom is once again delighted to support the RTS NI Awards to highlight the best of the best at the Awards ceremony next month.”
Gareth McGreevy, Chair of RTS NI Awards said: “As an educational charity, the RTS encourages and celebrates work in television and its related fields and our Northern Ireland Awards now in their 8th year, enable us to recognise the extraordinary talent that is so evident in Northern Ireland’s creative industries. The judging panels have commented on the particularly high standard this year and we look forward to coming together as an industry next month in what has become a staple event in the industry calendar.”

The RTS NI Programme Awards 2023 with headline sponsor Ka-Boom are delivered with support from BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Channel 4. The Awards Ceremony will be held in Belfast City Hall on Thursday 1 June 2023.The Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Programme Awards 2023 Finalists are:

Childrens and Animation:

• Happy the Hoglet (Paper Owl Films)
• ODO (Sixteen South/Letko)
• Silverpoint (Zodiak Kids & Family Productions UK)

Comedy:

• Derry Girls 3 (Hat Trick Production)
• Free Gaff (Green Inc Film & TV)
• William of Orangedale (Hat Trick Productions NI)

Current Affairs:

• Spotlight: The Babymaker Uncovered (BBCNI)
• Spotlight: Police, WhatsApp and Whistleblowers (BBCNI)
• Up Close - Home Terror (UTV)

Documentary:

• James Joyce's Ulysses (DoubleBand Films and Lone Star Productions)
• Quinn Country (Fine Point Films)
• The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (Tyrone Productions)
• Young Plato: The Philosophy Boys of Ardoyne (Aisling Productions and Soilsiu Films)

Drama:

• Bloodlands: Series 2 (Hat Trick Productions)
• Doineann (DoubleBand Films)
• Wreck (Euston Films)

Entertainment:

• Beauty Queen and Single (Stellify Media)
• Live At The Waterfront! (Green Inc Film & TV)
• The Belfast Mixtape: Songs from Lockdown (BBCNI)

Factual Entertainment:

• Ceol Le Toal (Big Mountain Productions)
• Strawbridge over the Drawbridge (BBCNI)
• The Fast and the Farmer-ish (Alleycats TV)

Lifestyle/Features:

• B&B By The Sea (Afro-Mic Productions)
• Chronicles of Strangford (Waddell Media)
• The Hotel People (Waddell Media)

News Coverage:

• BBC Newsline - Creeslough (BBCNI)
• UTV Live - Creeslough (UTV)
• UTV Live – Dying on the Streets (UTV)

On Screen Talent:

• Holly Hamilton (in Victory in Vienna by Clean Slate Productions)
• Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (in The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O’Donnell by Tyrone Production)
• Theo Dorgan (in An Buachaill Gealgháireach (The Laughing Boy / To Yelasto Paidi by Imagine Media Productions Ltd)

Original Music Score:

• An Buachaill Gealghaireach: The Laughing Boy (Eleni Karaindrou; Imagine Media)
• Nowhere Special (Andrew Simon McAllister)
• Wreck (Steve Lynch, Noemi Spanos, Chris Baugh, Ryan J Brown; Euston Films, Fremantle Media)

Specialist Factual:

• Brian Friel: Shy Man, Showman (Walk on Air Films and Ronachan Films)
• Fergal Keane: Living with PTSD (State of Grace Films)
• The White Handkerchief (Open Reel Productions)

Tickets for the Awards are available, priced at £45 each via https://rts.org.uk/table-booking/11684