At a ceremony hosted by BBC South Today presenter Laura Trant and ITV News Meridian anchor Fred Dinenage, 225 guests watched BBC South win the Special Event Coverage award for its World War One programme, while reporter Nikki Mitchell was named best Regional TV Journalist. The Inside Out team took the Single Factual/Documentary award for its hugely enjoyable The Isle of Wight Festival at 50.

Ben Moore went home with the Regional Special Feature Journalist award and Emily Ford was named best Video Journalist. BBC South’s Joe Cooper deservedly won the Camerawork award.

ITV also enjoyed success at the RTS Southern Regional Awards. ITV News Meridian reporter Ashna Hurynag was named best On-screen Newcomer and the ITV regional broadcaster took home the Strand within a News or Magazine Programme award for a moving documentary that examined the country’s housing crisis, Where’s Home?. ITV Meridian East also won the coveted Regional News Magazine programme award.

The independent producers also did well on the night. Phoenix Television won the Single Documentary/Factual Programme award for the BBC Four film about the death of the British world light-heavyweight champion boxer, Murder in Soho: Who killed Freddie Mills?. Love Love Films won the Online award for its highly personal film, Chin Up, and Joe Simpson took the Graphics award against strong challengers. 

The prize for best Factual Series went to Southampton’s Topical Television for the Channel 4 programme, The £1 Houses: Britain’s Cheapest Streets. In the craft category, Paddywack Productions’ Nick Elborough took the Post-production award for his excellent portfolio of work.

In the student categories, the awards were shared around the Southern Centre region. The Arts University Bournemouth notched up two victories, taking the Drama award for Zebra and the Animation prize for a film about dementia, Anna.

Bournemouth University took the Short Form prize for the charming film, The Shovellers, and the Comedy and Entertainment award went to a Wiltshire College/Bournemouth University co-production, The Second Coming.

Solent picked up the Factual award for its quirky film about a man who makes death masks, The Final Portrait. The judges praised the “extremely high” standard of student work, which they felt was often of professional this year.

“The awards are the highlight of our year and we all look forward to them with immense pleasure and pride at the talent in our region,” said RTS Southern Chair Stephanie Farmer, who is also executive producer at RedBalloon Productions.

“This year our awards event was poignant because we also paid tribute to two young video journalists from ITV Meridian and ITV Channel who had lost their battles with cancer, Martin Dowse and Leah Ferguson.

“The tribute film and standing ovation that followed was incredibly emotional. We had members of the families present and Leah’s father, Alexander Ferguson, stood up to thank the RTS for the tribute and all the work we do to support young people in the industry. It meant a lot to all of us.”

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RTS Southern Award winners

Factual Series

The £1 Houses: Britain’s Cheapest Streets

Topical Television for Channel 4

 

Factual Entertainment

The Isle of Wight Festival at 50

BBC South

 

Single Documentary or Factual

Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills?

Phoenix Television for BBC Four

 

Regional News Magazine

ITV Meridian East

 

Special Event Coverage

WW1

BBC South Today

 

Strand - News or Magazine

Where’s Home?

ITV Meridian

 

Regional TV journalist

Nikki Mitchell

BBC South

 

Regional Special Feature Journalist

Ben Moore

BBC South

 

Video Journalist - Broadcast

Emily Ford

BBC South

 

On-screen Newcomer

Ashna Hurrying

ITV Meridian

 

Online Production

Chin Up

Love Love Films

 

Camerawork

Joe Cooper

BBC South

 

Graphics/Animation

Joe Simpson

Love Love Films

 

Post-production

Nick Elborough

Paddywack Productions

 

Student Award winners