Accepting the award on behalf of Element Pictures Producer Emma Norton described what a “total joy” it was to work with so many extraordinarily talented people, including Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal as “our perfect Marianne & Connell”.

Other RTS Ireland Television Award winners for 2021 included Dara Ó Briain, who received the BAI Outstanding Contribution Award, ShinAwiL Ltd for Dancing With The Stars, and Tyrone Productions for David Brophy’s Unsung Heroes, all broadcast on RTÉ. The full list of RTS Ireland Television Award winners for 2021 is:

Drama - Sponsored by Screen Ireland

Winner – Normal People – Element Pictures

Entertainment – Sponsored by Piranha Bar

Winner: Dancing With The Stars – ShinAwiL Ltd

Factual Series – Sponsored by Egg Post Production

Winner: David Brophy’s Unsung Heroes – Tyrone Productions

Factual Single – Sponsored by Nemeton TV

Winner: Abbeyfealegood - Atom Films

Sport – Sponsored by TVM

Winner: New Gaels - Poolbeg Productions

News & Current Affairs – Sponsored by Camerakit

 Winner: RTÉ Investigates - Inside Ireland's Covid Battle; Life & Death - RTÉ

Animation Sponsored by Windmill Lane

Winner: The Voyage - JAM Media

Specialist Factual – Sponsored by Screenscene

Winner: The Funeral Director – GMarch TV for RTÉ

Children’s – Sponsored by IMRO

Winner: Tina Times Two – Dyehouse Films

Outstanding Contribution – Sponsored by BAI

Winner: Dara Ó Briain

Speaking after the broadcast RTS Ireland Television Awards committee chairperson Niall Cogley said: “What a great way to launch this new project – with such wholehearted support from such a wide cross-section of the Irish television industry and with so much top-level Irish talent on display.

“There seems to be an abundance of world-class television talent in this country and we are very grateful to all those who participated with entries, on juries, as sponsors, as patrons and as part of the team who pulled this event together.

“Congratulations to all those who were nominated and who were selected as winners. But in such an extraordinarily difficult year for all those who work in the creative industries, we would like to pay a special tribute to the resilience and talent of all those who work in the television industry, on all sides of the camera. We salute your excellence.”

The RTS Programme Awards are among the international gold standard awards for the TV industry and represent an important showcase for the extraordinary talent evident across the television industry in this country.  

This is the latest initiative of the Republic of Ireland Centre of Royal Television Society which has been operating since 1996. RTS Ireland organises a range of other events and awards every year including the awards ceremony for student productions in the categories of Drama, Short Form, Comedy, Animation, Factual and Craft Skills.  

For more information about the awards, click here.