Edwards came to the stage with her guide dog, Miss Molly, and producer Sam Supple to pick up the prize for The Travel Show programme on the BBC News Channel. “This award is for every disabled journalist who wants to produce stories, not just on disability, but on very visual topics,” she said.

The award for Factual Series went to an intriguing programme about King Charles II, made by Phoenix Television for Sky History. In Royal Autopsy, Professor Alice Roberts investigates the cause of death of the monarch, using new historical research, forensic pathology and special effects.

ITV News Meridian won the Strand Within a News or Magazine Programme category for Elements, a series of short features about climate change, based on the four natural elements, earth, wind, fire and water.

In the other news categories, ITV notched up two more wins: ITV News Channel’s sports correspondent Keilan Webster was named Special Features Journalist, while ITV Meridian West picked up the award for Regional News Programme.

For the second year running, BBC South East’s Colin Campbell took home the Regional TV Journalist award.

A one-off award for Royal Programming was made to Channel TV for its moving and fascinating coverage in The Queen’s Funeral.

The awards ceremony returned to the Guildhall in Winchester after a two-year break during the Covid pandemic, when awards were held online. Sangeeta Bhabra from ITV Meridian and BBC South’s David Allard hosted the ceremony.

The student categories were dominated by Arts University Bournemouth, which won three of the four prizes on offer for Animation (Dadaland), Drama (The Cubicle) and Factual (P is for Paradise).

The latter was “exceptional”, said the judges, praising a film that explores the relationship between a daughter (the film-maker) and a father diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Entertainment and Comedy Drama award went to Portsmouth University for Death Comes Knocking, which the judges said had “laugh-out-loud moments, several plot twists and great use of music”.

RTS Southern Chair Stephanie Farmer said: “It was wonderful to get everyone back together in one space and to celebrate the talented folk who work and study in our region. Regional journalism is so important, and the quality seems to get higher and higher each year.

“That also goes for the indies and student talent that is produced across the South. The awards always affirm what we already know – there is a wealth of creativity and knowledge in the South that is rightly award-winning.”

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RTS Southern Television Awards winners

Documentary – How Does a Blind Girl Go on Safari?, The Travel Show – BBC News Channel

Factual – Royal Autopsy – Phoenix Television for Sky History

Royal Programming – The Queen’s Funeral – Channel TV

Regional News Magazine Programme – ITV Meridian West

Regional Television Journalist – Colin Campbell – BBC South East

Special Features Journalist – Keilan Webster – ITV News Channel

Strand within a News or Magazine Programme – Elements – ITV News Meridian

Short Form – Pop Paper City – LoveLove Films for Channel 5

Camera – Andy Robinson – BBC England

Post-production – David Head

Student Categories

Animation – Dadaland – Arts University Bournemouth

Drama – The Cubicle – Arts University Bournemouth

Entertainment and Comedy Drama – Death Comes Knocking – Portsmouth University

Factual – P is for Paradise – Arts University Bournemouth