The Royal Television Society West of England Awards supported by Gorilla took place on Sunday 27th April at Bristol Old Vic with a gala ceremony hosted by comedian Stuart Goldsmith. The television community of the West of England turned out in force to celebrate their work over the last year.

Guests included architect, designer and presenter George Clarke, actors Mark Rylance and Sekou Diaby, plus presenters Liz Bonnin, Anna Dimitriadis and Arthur Williams.

Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story (Silverback Films) won two awards – in Documentary and in Editing. This heartwarming film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wild otter and a man set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland. Johnny Rolt who worked on the production as a cinematographer also won a Flying Futures award for emerging talent behind the camera.

In a strong Natural History category, BBC Studios Natural History Unit triumphed with Mammals. Presented by Sir David Attenborough, it explores the world of mammals, uncovering the secrets of their success, from the tiny terrestrial Etruscan shrew to the biggest of them all, the blue whale.

BBC Three comedy drama Boarders won in Scripted and Mark Rylance in On Screen Performance for his role as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. The judges commended Rylance for “a standout, composed and stunning performance, which conveyed complex internal emotions whilst maintaining Cromwell’s stoic exterior.”

Ellie Barker from ITV News West Country impressed the judges to win On Screen Talent and George Clarke’s Adventures in Americana won in Factual Entertainment and Features, a series in which Clarke explores the iconic Americana design movement on a captivating path less travelled around the United States

In News, Robert Murphy from ITV News West Country won in News Journalist and the Rugby on Trial story from BBC Local Longform Investigations won in News Story. It investigated whether enough has been done to protect players from the devastating impacts of concussions and repeated knocks to the head and whether parents can be sure their children will be safe playing rugby at school.

Rachel Drummond-Hay, Chair of RTS West of England and MD of Drummer Television commented “As a region we should be hugely proud of the calibre of talent and strength of programming demonstrated in this year’s awards. A huge congratulations to all of the winners and a very special thank you to our sponsors who have continued to be so generous even in challenging times.”

Many thanks to our sponsors and partners:

Sponsors of the RTS West of England awards include title sponsor Gorilla, Silverback Films, One Tribe TV, BBC Studios Factual Entertainment Productions, BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Channel 4, ITV News West Country, The Bristol Hotel, Doghouse Post Production, The Bottle Yard Studios, Films at 59, Wounded Buffalo Sound Studios, University of the West of England, Picture Shop, Twenty Twenty, Plimsoll Productions, Twofour and Death Disco.