RTS Scotland Awards 2016
Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, 25 May, 2016
The very best of Scottish TV talent turned out for the RTS Scotland Awards 2016 on Wednesday 25th May.
The ceremony was hosted by Catriona Shearer and Sanjeev Kohli at the Oran Mor, Glasgow. A special mention went to Jim McColl for the 1000th episode of his gardening show Beechgrove Garden, for which he picked up The RTS Scotland Award.
Other winners on the night were Elaine C Smith in the On Screen Personality category for her show Burdz Eye View and BBC Scotland won Best Current Affairs for their investigation of puppy trafficking.
Chaired by April Chamberlain, the awards cover all forms of production in Scotland, recognising excellence and innovation across a range of genres and crafts.
Winners
Best Daytime: The TV That Made Me
Production Company: Raise the Roof Productions
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“… a triumph in how to fuse archive with engaging conversation and comment. Brian Connelly is perfectly cast and brings a real warmth to the show. This programme stands out as being both fresh and innovative.”
Best Factual Entertainment and Features: Supershoppers
Production Company: Firecrest Films
Broadcaster: Channel 4
Nominees:
“… engaging blend of journalism, consumer issues and entertainment makes for an informative and humorous watch. The production values and direction are first class and there’s a fresh feel to this ambitious and enlightening programme.”
Best History Programme: Scotland's War at Sea
Production Company: BBC Scotland Factual
Broadcaster: BBC Two Scotland
Nominees:
“… an engrossing film… superbly put together with highly effective use of archive and impressively constructed sequences. An important story, brilliantly well told.”
Best Documentary and Specialist Factual: Earth's Natural Wonders: Living on the Edge
Production Company: BBC Scotland Science Production
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“... a film of real scale and ambition, wonderfully shot and cleverly weaving human and environmental stories. It was beautifully put together and contained many memorable sequences.”
Best Arts Programme: Handmade
Production Company: BBC Scotland Arts Production
Broadcaster: BBC Four
Nominees:
"... compelling, engrossing, riveting television"
Best Drama: Stonemouth
Production Company: BBC Scotland/Slate North
Broadcaster: BBC One Scotland/ BBC Two
Nominees:
“…Excellent and witty writing, excellent direction with fantastic ensemble and individual performances.”
News and Current Affairs: Best News Programme: STV News at Six - Central
Production Company: STV News
Broadcaster: STV
Nominees:
“This programme was praised for its confidence, integrity and authority across a wide range of stories, the quality of its presenters and reporters and overall its clear and comfortable connection with viewers.”
News and Current Affairs: Best Current Affairs: BBC Scotland Investigates: The Dog Factory
Production Company: BBC Scotland Investigates
Broadcaster: BBC Scotland
Nominees:
“… a first class example of investigative journalism, the reporter showing considerable courage in putting herself in danger through covert filming and without being intimidated by the scale and nature of organised crime that was being exposed.”
Sport: Best Sport Programme: Jim Baxter
Production Company: purpleTV
Broadcaster: BBC ALBA
Nominees:
“… imaginative, entertaining and a good story, well told.”
Sport: Best Live Event: BT Sport SPFL
Production Company: Sunset + Vine
Broadcaster: BT Sport
Nominees:
“… an important match, from a challenging location, with good guest pundits. The presenter did a fine job of getting the balance right between reflecting the match, and following up the shocking post-match violence, while the pitch side reporter did great work in securing a revealing interview with the victim.”
Best Comedy: Burnistoun's Big Night
Production Company: The Comedy Unit and Bold Yin
Broadcaster: BBC Scotland
Nominees:
“… was the winner for its sheer inventiveness, innovative structure and treats for devoted fans and new viewers alike.”
Best Children's Programme: Eve
Production Company: Leopard Drama
Broadcaster: CBBC
Nominees:
“… an ambitious, contemporary drama with really high production values. The special effects were really well done and the storytelling was imaginative and absorbing.”
Best Animation and VFX: Trauma and the Brain
Production Company: Media Co-op
Broadcaster: Vimeo
Nominees:
“A great animation that has been well executed. The illustrated technique and style delivered information while setting the correct tone for the film. It really felt like you were learning something while watching it.”
Student television Award: Dipper for the Water of Leith
Production Company: Krzysztof Kubik
Broadcaster: University of Edinburgh
Nominees:
“Enjoyable, refreshing and unusual. Absorbing. Beautifully done.”
On Screen Personality: Elaine C Smith
Title: Burdz Eye View
Production Company: Solus Productions/ RPM Arts
Broadcaster: STV
Nominees:
“A presenter who brought their own character and personality to the screen, with a real ability to connect with the subject in a warm, funny and emotional way.”
Television Journalist of the Year: Bernard Ponsonby
Title: STV News
Production Company: STV News
Broadcaster: STV
Nominees:
“… at the top of his game, just as at home presenting big ticket set piece programming or providing analysis and explanation on a day to day basis… a commanding on screen presence able to control and unsettle politicians whilst simultaneously maintaining a close connection to viewers.”
Television Director of the Year: Jack Cocker
Title: Imagine - Richard Flanagan: Life After Death
Production Company: BBC Scotland Factual
Broadcaster: BBC One
Nominees:
“Jack’s vision for how to combine the most beguiling of subjects in Richard Flanagan, with strong visual storytelling was nothing short of perfection… Character-driven, visual storytelling at its absolute best.”
Professional Excellence (Craft): Best Camera: Fraser Rice
Title: Phil Cunningham's Pipe Dream
Production Company: BBC Scotland Entertainment & Events
Broadcaster: BBC Two Scotland
Nominees:
“Fraser Rice’s use of natural light and his poetic and sensitive use of camera in response to the subject was effective and refreshingly original.”
Professional Excellence (Craft): Best Sounds: John Cobban/422tv
Title: Eve
Production Company: Leopard Drama
Broadcaster: CBBC
Nominees:
“...the dialogue. the music and effects were creatively recorded, assembled and imaginatively blended together to create an outstanding result that never overtook the content, but throughout the program added tension and sensitivity to all scenes.”
Professional Excellence (Craft) - Post Production: Best Editing: Joe Spiers
Title: Quintinshill: Britain's Deadliest Rail Disaster
Production Company: Finestripe Productions
Broadcaster: BBC Scotland
Nominees:
“A story edited with real flair and with excellent pacing. The transitions between the very well done dramatic reconstructions and the documentary were seamless.”
Professional Excellence (Craft) - Post Production: Best Graphics and Titling: ISO
Title: The Story of Scottish Art
Production Company: BBC Scotland
Broadcaster: BBC Two
Nominees:
“Nice concept beautifully executed… Visually stunning and technically proficient…”
Best Digital Innovation Award: Anthony Browne, Louise Thornton, Muslim Alim
Title: BBC The Social
Production Company: BBC Scotland Social Media
Broadcaster: BBC Scotland
Nominees:
“To be commended for its risk taking and its wholehearted embrace of new technologies to engage with an audience television increasingly finds hard to connect with.”
The RTS Scotland Award: Jim McColl and the Tern TV production team
Title: The Beachgrove Garden 1000th Episode
Nominees:
“For nearly four decades, Jim McColl has led Scotland’s longest running and best loved TV gardening series, The Beechgrove Garden.
Jim, I’m sure won’t mind me saying, was 80 last year and has spent half of those 80 years with BBC Scotland and Beechgrove, teaching Scotland to garden.
Jim began his broadcasting career in the 70s on Radio Scotland, he’s loved by viewers, gardeners and production teams. He is a natural, a one off. An object lesson in being at ease with the camera. He connects with his audience, drawing them in with his mixture of authority, passion, humility and humour. We trust him. If Jim tells you it’s time to plant your tatties then it just is.
Jim is our nation’s most respected & favourite TV gardener.
And Jim’s a generous team player. His co presenters on the programme, Carole Baxter, George Anderson and Chris Beardshaw, are all horticulturalists, experts who learn to present.
Beechgrove’s early hallmarks remain; its relevance to the Scottish climate, showing best practice in an accessible way, its willingness to show and learn from failures, to encourage us to get hands dirty and above all to never take itself too seriously.
These enduring qualities, have endeared Jim and the programme, to us over the decades.
Tern’s programme production team have kept the format fresh and the production true to its roots. They reach the milestone of 1000 episodes this year.
Horticultural broadcasting legend Jim McColl and the production team of Tern television for the 1000th Episode of Beechgrove Garden, are the recipients of the RTS Scotland Award 2016.”