The RTS Programme Awards 2016 in partnership with Audio Network, honour excellence across all genres of television programming and recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams as well as the programmes themselves.

Suranne Jones fought off stiff competition from Claire Foy (Wolf Hall) and Claire Rushbrook (Home Fires) to pick up the award for Female Actor for her performance in BBC One drama Doctor Foster, while Anthony Hopkins won the Male Actor award for BBC Two’s The Dresser.

Hello and thank you all for coming. If you are slightly bewildered at finding yourself at the British Museum on a Tuesday evening, I know how you feel. I’m a reluctant interviewee and an even more reluctant speechmaker. Tonight though I have no one to blame but myself.  I chose to be here. I chose to be here because I wanted to speak for the first time about something that has mattered as much to me as anything I’ve put on the air at 4. I’m not going to bore you to death on terms of trade reform or the importance of Channel 4’s unique model.

The audience at “An evening with Kirsty Wark” saw a clip from early in her career, pre-Newsnight, when, thanks to thorough research, she caused then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to stumble. “I love the prep for an interview – it’s so important,” she said.

Joining the RTS Board of Trustees are Jane Turton, CEO of All3Media, and Rob Woodward, CEO of STV Group plc.

 “These appointments are part of the Royal Television Society’s strategy for continued growth”, says RTS CEO Theresa Wise.

“The strength of our board is vital in ensuring we make the most effective use of our resources and with Jane and Rob’s extensive experience and industry knowledge they will make fantastic additions.”

Also announced are a number of new Fellows of the RTS.

The Society is offering 20 bursaries to students studying Television Production and Broadcast Journalism courses at accredited universities.  A further five technology bursaries are also available to students studying Computing and Engineering at some of the top courses at British universities.

Writer/director John Morton explained to a packed London Centre event at the end of January that the show’s forerunner, London Olympics mockumentary Twenty Twelve, was initially poorly received by the BBC.

“Twenty Twelve had a bit of a bumpy start –  it wasn’t always liked very much in the BBC,” revealed Morton. “When it went out and did okay the music changed from ‘We don’t think this is very good’ to ‘Can we have more of these wonderful characters?’.”

Channel 4 News’ Matt Frei will battle it out with ITV News at Ten’s Julie Etchingham and BBC Two’s Victoria Derbyshire for the title of Network Presenter of the Year, while Al Jazeera English, BBC News Channel and Sky News are in the running for the News Channel of the Year Award. Matt Frei is also nominated for the Television Journalist of the Year Award alongside CNN International’s Nima Elbagir and Sky News’ Alex Crawford. Channel 4 News, BBC News at Ten and Sky News at Five are nominated for the Daily News Programme of the Year Award.

Burns, who stands down from Channel 4 later this month, told an audience of senior broadcasters, MPs and producers that its not-for-profit structure continues to be successful. 

Since his appointment in 2009, when the UK economy was on its knees, Channel 4 had delivered consistent yearly growth in advertising revenue, he pointed out.  

Burns reiterated his opposition to privatising Channel 4, an option back on the Government’s agenda.

However, he said it was worth considering if the broadcaster should make a fixed financial return to the state.

The film sees a group of British pensioners retire to India, where they move into a dilapidated hotel and try to adapt to life in a new environment.

In the BBC Two series The Real Marigold Hotel, actor Miriam Margolyes, dancer Wayne Sleep, actor Sylvester McCoy, comedian Roy Walker, chef Rosemary Shrager, darts champion Bobby George, singer Patti Boulaye and former news reader Jan Leeming will spend three weeks in India.