The RTS Programme Awards 2025, in partnership with Cast & Crew, took place last night, with the ceremony beginnning by recognising Journalists in Gaza with a Special Award from the RTS Television Journalism Awards, for their courage and commitment as they face extraordinary danger reporting from Gaza.
Across the 29 competitive categories, the BBC led with 16 wins. Three of these wins went to Sophie Willan’s sitcom Alma’s Not Normal, which ended the night with the most awards for a single programme. As well as Comedy Drama, Willan won both the Comedy Performance – Female and Writer – Comedy categories.
The BBC’s musical drama This Town, from acclaimed screenwriter Steven Knight, won the newly combined award for Limited Series and Single Drama.
Channel 4 followed with five wins, with their coverage of the 2024 Paralympics being recognised across both Sports categories: Sports Programme and Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit for presenting duo Rose Ayling-Ellis and Clare Balding.
Other multi-award winners include Disney+’s hit drama series Rivals, including a Supporting Actor – Male win for Danny Dyer and a Writer – Drama award for Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade.
In the Leading Actor categories, Lennie James won for his leading role in the BBC’s Bernardine Evaristo adaptation, Mr Loverman, and Anna Maxwell Martin took home the award for her performance in ITV’s true crime drama Until I Kill You.
The RTS awarded their prestigious Judges’ Award to James Corden and Ruth Jones, in recognition of their roles as creators and writers of beloved BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which saw its final episode premiere on Christmas Day 2024 to exceptional ratings.
For 2025, the Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Claudia Winkleman, honouring her illustrious career in entertainment broadcasting and presenting.
Kenton Allen, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards, said: “Year after year we are astounded by the level of talent within the UK television industry – across the scripted and unscripted categories, this year’s programming exemplifies the ongoing success of British content in the UK and beyond.”
Full list of winners and nominees:
Arts
WINNER – My Sexual Abuse: The Sitcom (Swan Films for Channel 4)
“A profoundly compelling, challenging and genuinely innovative piece of work,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• In My Own Words: Alison Lapper (Chalk Productions for BBC)
• Camden (Lightbox in association with Day One Pictures and Radical22 Productions for Disney+)
Breakthrough Award
WINNER – Josh Tedeku – Boarders (Studio Lambert for BBC)
The judges described the winner as “displaying all the characteristic hallmarks of a huge future star – a talent with a brilliant range that instantly draws the viewer in.”
Nominees:
• Michelle de Swarte – Spent (Various Artists Limited for BBC)
• Bethany Asher – Sherwood (House Productions for BBC)
Children’s Programme
WINNER – Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures (Eagle Eye Productions for BBC)
“A clever, engaging piece of children’s television produced to absolute perfection,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Dodo (Wildseed Studios, Toonz, Telegael for Sky Kids)
• BMX All Stars (Big Deal Films for BBC)
Comedy Drama
WINNER – Alma’s Not Normal (Expectation for BBC)
The winning programme “navigates between the drama and comedy effortlessly, doing so with a refreshing and unique voice.”
Nominees:
• Boarders (Studio Lambert for BBC)
• Ludwig (Big Talk Studios and That Mitchell & Webb Company for BBC)
Comedy Entertainment
WINNER – Junior Taskmaster (Avalon UK for Channel 4)
The winning show “is slick, fun and produced with great confidence and flair.”
Nominees:
• Have I Got News For You (Hat Trick Productions for BBC)
• Sorry, I Didn’t Know (TriForce Productions for ITV1)
Comedy Performance – Female
WINNER – Sophie Willan – Alma’s Not Normal (Expectation for BBC)
“A triumphant performance that succeeds on so many levels…she has true star quality,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Aimee Lou Wood – Daddy Issues (Fudge Park Productions for BBC)
• Michelle de Swarte – Spent (Various Artists Limited for BBC)
Comedy Performance – Male
WINNER – Oliver Savell – Changing Ends (Baby Cow Productions for ITV1)
“A perfect performance of real nuance…and he has really great timing!” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Jim Howick – Here We Go (BBC Studios Comedy Productions for BBC)
• Nabhaan Rizwan – Kaos (Sister for Netflix)
Daytime Programme
WINNER – Loose Women (ITV Studios Daytime for ITV1)
The winning programme “was highly informative, sensitively produced and showed a real respect for its audience.”
Nominees:
• Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure (Alleycats for BBC)
• BBC Breakfast (BBC Breakfast for BBC)
Documentary Series
WINNER – The Push: Murder on the Cliff (Candour Productions for Channel 4)
The judges described the winning series as “a deftly handled work which brought real emotional power to the story being told.”
Nominees:
• To Catch a Copper (Story Films for Channel 4)
• On Thin Ice: Putin v Greenpeace (Curve Media Ltd for BBC)
Drama Series
WINNER – Industry (Bad Wolf for BBC in association with HBO)
“A series with feature film production values and brilliant performances in which every story detail had a purpose,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures for BBC and Masterpiece)
• Supacell (Netflix)
Entertainment
WINNER – The Traitors (Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC)
The winning show was described by the judges as “a piece of genius executed absolutely flawlessly.”
Nominees:
• Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (Lifted Entertainment (Part of ITV Studios) in co-production with Mitre Studios for ITV1)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (World of Wonder for BBC)
Entertainment Performance
WINNER – Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (Lifted Entertainment (Part of ITV Studios) in co-production with Mitre Studios for ITV1)
“Polished, inclusive and with a complete commitment to the material and the audience,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Steven Frayne – Miracles (Expectation & Seventeen 17 for Sky Max)
• Claudia Winkleman – The Traitors (Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC)
Formatted Popular Factual
WINNER – Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour (South Shore Productions for BBC)
“This was audacious, ambitious and masterfully accomplished,” remarked the judges.
Nominees:
• The Jury: Murder Trial (ScreenDog Productions for Channel 4)
• The Martin Lewis Money Show Live – Budget Special (MultiStory for ITV1)
History
WINNER – Atomic People (Minnow Films for BBC)
The judges described the winning programme as “beautifully crafted…with interviews that were both intensely powerful and very moving.”
Nominees:
• Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain (Swan Films for Channel 4)
• Helmand: Tour of Duty (Passion Pictures & Kailash Films for BBC)
Leading Actor – Female
WINNER – Anna Maxwell Martin – Until I Kill You (World Productions for ITV1)
“A compelling, perfectly pitched performance in a genuinely challenging role,” commented the judges.
Nominees:
• Ambika Mod – One Day (A Drama Republic Production with Universal International Studios and Focus Features for Netflix)
• Monica Dolan – Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV1)
Leading Actor – Male
WINNER – Lennie James – Mr Loverman (Fable Pictures for BBC)
“An epic performance…what a masterclass in his craft he gave,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Adeel Akhtar – Showtrial (World Productions for BBC)
• Ben Whishaw – Black Doves (Sister & Noisy Bear for Netflix)
Limited Series and Single Drama
WINNER – This Town (Kudos, Nebulastar, co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Stigma Films for BBC)
“Like nothing else on television,” said the judges. “A multi-layered drama that was supremely well executed.”
Nominees:
• Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV1)
• Breathtaking (HTM Television for ITV1)
Live Event
WINNER – D Day 80: Tribute to the Fallen (BBC Studios Event Productions for BBC)
The winning programme “got everything just right. A masterpiece of assured, high calibre television.”
Nominees:
• Coldplay at Glastonbury 2024 (BBC Studios Music Productions for BBC)
• The Martin Lewis Money Show Live – Budget Special (MultiStory for ITV1)
Presenter
WINNER – Liz Carr – Better Off Dead? (Burning Bright Productions co-produced with the OU for BBC)
The winning presenter “showed tremendous honesty, candour and humour, genuinely immersing the viewer into their world.”
Nominees:
• Joe Tracini – Me And The Voice In My Head (Hungry Bear Media for Channel 4)
• Zuhair Hassan – Big Zuu Goes To Mecca (Acme TV for BBC)
Science & The Natural World
WINNER – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (Silverback Films for National Geographic and Disney+)
The judges called the winning programme “a piece of mesmerising television, which successfully combined epic scale with a sense of intimacy in telling the story of its subject.”
Nominees:
• Silverback (Off the Fence & France Télévisions in association with Featuristic Films for BBC)
• Living With Leopards (A Wild Space Production in association with Natural History Film Unit Botswana and Freeborne Media for Netflix)
Scripted Comedy
WINNER – Things You Should Have Done (Roughcut TV for BBC)
The judges were drawn to what they called “a piece which felt fresh, distinctive and very funny.”
Nominees:
• We Are Lady Parts (Working Title Television, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group for Channel 4)
• Gavin & Stacey: The Finale (Fulwell 73 Productions, Tidy Productions for BBC)
Single Documentary
WINNER – Hell Jumper (Expectation for BBC)
“Viewers were taken on an unforgettable journey through brilliant, immersive storytelling,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Undercover: Exposing The Far Right (Marking Films Inc and Tigerlily Productions for Channel 4)
• Tell Them You Love Me (Mindhouse Productions for Sky Documentaries)
Soap and Continuing Drama
WINNER – Casualty (BBC Studios Drama Productions for BBC)
The winning programme “has its own visual style and tells its stories with beautiful pace and emotional impact.”
Nominees:
• EastEnders (BBC Studios Drama Productions for BBC)
• Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures for Channel 4)
Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit
WINNER – Rose Ayling-Ellis and Clare Balding – Paris 2024 Paralympics (Whisper for Channel 4)
“An incredible level of consummate professionalism combined with utterly unique insight,” said the judges.
Nominees:
• Ian Wright – Euro 2024 (ITV Sport for ITV)
• Michael Johnson – Paris 2024 Olympics (BBC Sport for BBC)
Sports Programme
WINNER – Paris 2024 Paralympics (Whisper for Channel 4)
“The coverage had three standout qualities,” said the judges. “It was innovative, inspirational and extraordinary.”
Nominees:
• Paris 2024 Olympics (BBC Sport for BBC)
• London Marathon 2024 (BBC Sport for BBC)
Supporting Actor – Female
WINNER – Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (Clerkenwell Films for Netflix)
“A spectacular tour-de-force,” said the judges. “A performance that stays with the viewer for a long time.”
Nominees:
• Monica Dolan – Sherwood (House Productions for BBC)
• Katherine Parkinson – Rivals (Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios for Disney+)
Supporting Actor – Male
WINNER – Danny Dyer – Rivals (Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios for Disney+)
The winner “gave a captivating performance of both real heart and vulnerability.”
Nominees:
• McKinley Belcher III – Eric (Sister for Netflix)
• Sonny Walker – The Gathering (World Productions for Channel 4)
Writer – Comedy
WINNER – Sophie Willan – Alma’s Not Normal (Expectation for BBC)
The judges described this work as “laugh-out-loud funny and richly written, where comedy was found in the smallest details.”
Nominees:
• Writing Team – Cunk on Life (Broke and Bones for BBC and Netflix)
• Nida Manzoor – We Are Lady Parts (Working Title Television, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group for Channel 4)
Writer – Drama
WINNER – Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade – Rivals (Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios for Disney+)
The writing was described by judges as “bold and totally assured in its very distinctive tone and style.”
Nominees:
• Will Smith – Slow Horses (See-Saw Films in association with Apple for Apple TV+)
• Peter Straughan – Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (Playground Entertainment & Company Pictures for BBC and Masterpiece)
Pippa Considine
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