Comedy legend Billy Connolly has received the RTS Scotland Award for his outstanding contribution to television in Scotland.
Connolly, who was unable to attend the Glasgow event in mid-May, said in his acceptance speech from the United States: “I owe everything to Bill Tennent from Scottish Television who put me on his show every time he couldn’t find another guest.”
The RTS Scotland Awards were held at the Oran Mor in the city, and hosted by STV presenter Jennifer Reoch and stand-up comedian and radio presenter Des Clarke.
Gok Wan was named On Screen Personality of the Year for Channel 4 series Gok’s Fill Your House For Free. The series, which was produced by Raise the Roof Productions, also won the Daytime Award. “Warm, knowledgeable and believable presenter, Gok Wan, drove the team of experts to turn trash into treasure – a genuinely inspirational programme,” said the RTS judges.
Louise Lockwood also took home two awards: Director of the Year and the Professional Excellence: (Craft) Camera Award for her work on Fair Isle: Living on the Edge (BBC Studios Pacific Quay Productions for BBC One Scotland/BBC Four), which was described by the judges as “a searingly honest portrayal of island life”.
In Plain Sight, a three-part series for ITV based on Lanarkshire detective William Muncie’s quest to bring to justice Scottish killer Peter Manuel, took the Drama Award. The World Productions and Finlaggan Films production, said the judges, offered viewers a “powerful lead in Douglas Henshall’s Muncie and a real tour de force performance from Martin Compston as Manuel”.
The Young Journalist of the Year Award, a new award made in memory of former BBC Scotland head of news George Sinclair, went to Channel 4 and Firecrest Films’ Kevin Anderson. He also received a prize of £1,000 from the George Sinclair Charitable Trust.
In the News and Current Affairs categories, Reporting Scotland (BBC Scotland) won the News Programme Award, while Scotland and the Battle for Britain (STV Productions for BBC Two) took the Current Affairs Award.
My Baby, Psychosis and Me (Matchlight/Sprout Pictures for BBC One) received the Documentary and Specialist Factual Award. Matchlight also won the Documentary and Specialist Factual: History Award for Scotland and the Klan (BBC Scotland), which examined the links between racism in today’s Deep South and the Scottish settlers that first occupied it.
The Documentary and Specialist Factual: Arts Award went to The Secret Life of Sue Townsend (Aged 68¾), which was produced by BBC Studios Pacific Quay Productions for BBC Two, while Robbie Coltrane’s Critical Evidence (IWC for Crime and Investigation) picked-up the Factual Entertainment and Features Award.
BBC Studios Scotland’s Two Doors Down won the Comedy Award and BBC Scotland Children's took the Children’s Award for CBBC’s All Over the Workplace – Politics.
In the Sport category the judges made two awards, to BBC Scotland for the documentary, Scotland’s Game and Sky Sports’ coverage of the 2016 Scottish Cup final.
Other awards went to: Kahl Henderson from Savalas, Professional Excellence: (Craft) Sound Award for The Secret Agent (World Productions for BBC One); Jonathan Seal, Professional Excellence: (Craft) Post Production: Editing for The Marvellous World of Roald Dahl (BBC Studios Pacific Quay Productions for BBC Two); and Eric Romero, the Student Television Award for his short film, Lethe.
Glasgow animation and motion graphics studio Playdead won two awards: Post Production: Graphics and Titling Award for BBC Bitesize’s Elements of Art & Design; and the Short Form Content Award with American Dream for Wondros.
QTV Sports collected the Innovation Award for The Homeless World Cup, while the Animation and VFX Award went to Dawn of War III (Axis Animations for YouTube).
All photos by Paul Reich Photography.
