Double for DoubleBand at RTS Northern Ireland Programme Awards
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced its first winners at the inaugural regional RTS Northern Ireland Programme Awards during a glittering awards ceremony held at The MAC, Belfast last night (5th November). The event coincided with the annual Belfast Media Festival and saw veteran broadcaster and one of Britain’s most accomplished journalists, John Sergeant host the awards event which was attended by over 200 members of the Northern Ireland TV and film production industry.
Emerging with an awards double was the aptly named DoubleBand Films, having picked up the award for Best Single Documentary for its film ‘Road’, about the famous Dunlop family and their domination of motorcycle road racing. The independent production company then added the award for Best Factual Series for its ‘Brave New World – New Zealand’ which examined the mark that Ulster pioneers have made in New Zealand.
Other winners on the night saw ‘Line of Duty’, by World Productions Ltd beat fellow cop series ‘The Fall’ to the top prize in the Best Drama category. Local animation skills were recognised with two awards with Flickerpix receiving Best Comedy and Entertainment Programme for its ‘On the Air’, animated series for BBC which is based on real dialogue from the Gerry Anderson Radio Programme. Meanwhile ‘Puffin Rock’ by Derry based Dog Ears won out in the battle for Best Children’s and/or Animation Programme.
In the News Programme category, UTV Live Tonight won for its programme on 26th February 2014 which covered the political fall-out which followed the release of John Downey, accused of the Hyde Park bombings and what became known as the ‘On the Runs’ letters.
Best Current Affairs Programme went to BBC Spotlight for its ‘A Woman Alone with the IRA’ programme surrounding the Mairia Cahill sexual abuse case. In the final category of the night Waddell Media won Best International Production for its programme ‘Hitler’s Hidden Drug Habit.’
A special Judges’ Award was also presented by Christine Bleakley and Michael Wilson, Chair of RTS Northern Ireland to Richard Williams, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Screen in recognition of his outstanding, long-term contribution to the Northern Ireland creative industry.
Michael Wilson, the Chair of RTS Northern Ireland said: “The RTS NI Judges’ Award is selected by the Committee of the RTS in Northern Ireland. The award represents excellence in the world of television and signifies all the qualities that the RTS strives for such as excellence, skills, development and promotion of the arts and crafts of television – everything that Richard has strived for and excelled in, within his work as Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen”.
“Richard Williams has been the lynch pin to developing the Northern Ireland creative industry in the last decade. He’s be instrumental in the development of Titanic Studios, in bringing Universal, HBO and other producers to our shores creating globally renowned content, building skills and investing in Northern Ireland’s creative industries. NI Screen has provided funding of various kinds to just about every major media company in Northern Ireland and has ensured the development and nurturing of our future talent”.
The RTS NI Programme Awards are considered to be the gold standard of achievement in the television community, and recognise the work of exceptional production teams across all genres of television programming.
Kieran Doherty, Chair of the RTS NI Awards Committee said: “I am thrilled that the first RTS Programme Awards for NI have been such a success and on behalf of everyone involved I want to congratulate all the worthy winners and indeed those shortlisted.
“In recent years, Northern Ireland has established itself as an exciting new centre of creativity and we felt it was only right to showcase and celebrate the extraordinary quality and diversity of work being produced right on our doorsteps. The timing to coincide with the Belfast Media Festival has ensured a fantastic evening of regional celebration and we hope that this will now become a regular platform to recognise the craft and production skills that Northern Ireland now regularly contributes to today’s television schedules.
The RTS partnered with BBC Northern Ireland, Channel 4, Northern Ireland Screen and UTV to stage the inaugural Programme Awards for Northern Ireland. The awards were sponsored by Yellowmoon Post Production, Ka-boom and City Air Express.
The full list of Award winners and shortlisted is as follows:
Comedy and Entertainment
Flickerpix: On The Air (Winner)
Alleycats TV: Keepin Er Country
Green Inc Film & Television: Monumental
Factual Series
DoubleBand Films: Brave New World – New Zealand (Winner)
360 Production: Ireland’s Great War
Big Mountain Productions: Wild Ireland
Single Documentary
DoubleBand Films: ROAD (Winner)
Big Mountain Productions: Addicts’ Symphony
DoubleBand Films: The Man Who Shot The Great War
Current Affairs
BBC Northern Ireland: Spotlight: A Woman Alone with the IRA (Winner)
BBC Northern Ireland: BBC Newsline – The Education Divide
BBC Northern Ireland: Spotlight: Public Figures Part 1
News Coverage
UTV: UTV Live Tonight (Winner)
BBC Northern Ireland: BBC Newsline – The Death of Ian Paisley
BBC Northern Ireland: BBC Newsline – The Gay Cake Verdict
Drama
World Productions Ltd: Line of Duty – Series 2 (Winner)
Hardy Pictures: 37 Days
The Fall 2 Limited: The Fall – Series 2, episode 3
Children’s and /or Animation
Dog Ears: Puffin Rock (Winner)
Flickerpix Ltd: Five Fables
Sixteen South Limited: Lily’s Driftwood Bay
International Production:
Waddell Media: Hitler’s Hidden Drug Habit (Winner)
Sideline Productions: Secrets of Great British Castles
Tile Films: War of the Three Kings
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