Happy Valley has won a trio of Broadcasting Press Guild Awards (BPG) a day after being nominated for six BAFTAs.
The final season of Sally Wainwright’s BBC/AMC+ epic scooped the Best Drama, Best Writer and Best Actress awards. The Sarah Lancashire-starrer ended with a bang as Lancashire’s Catherine Cawood faced off with James Norton’s Tommy Lee Royce, and the show will not be returning.
Elsewhere at the BPGs, which turns 50 this year with a ceremony in London, ITV hit Mr Bates vs the Post Office was given a jury prize and The Crown exec Andy Harries won the coveted Harvey Lee Award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting, a few months after Netflix’s royal saga ended.
Gary Oldman scooped the Best Actor prize for his role in Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, a day after being snubbed by the BAFTAs. The BBC’s Time was Best Drama Mini Series, Ghosts won Best Comedy and Netflix was also successful in the Best Entertainment category with Squid Game: The Challenge.
The awards are voted for by the UK’s broadcasting press. They come a day after The Crown swept up the BAFTA TV noms, picking up eight. Happy Valley managed six.
The awards in full
Best Documentary Mini Series 1-3 episodes
Russell Brand: In Plain Sight – Dispatches (Hardcash Productions for Channel 4’s Dispatches)
Best Documentary Series 4+ episodes
Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland (KEO Films and Walk on Air Films for
BBC. PBS and The Open University)
Best Comedy
Ghosts (Monumental Television in Association with Them There for BBC One)
Best Entertainment
Squid Game: The Challenge (A Studio Lambert and The Garden production for Netflix)
Best Drama Mini Series 1-3 episodes
Time (BBC Studios Drama for BBC One)
Best Drama Series 4+ episodes
Happy Valley (Lookout Point in co-production with AMC for BBC One)
Best Actress
Sarah Lancashire – Happy Valley (Lookout Point in co-production with AMC for BBC One)
Best Actor
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses (A See-Saw Films production for Apple TV+)
Best Writer
Sally Wainwright – Happy Valley (Lookout Point in co-production with AMC for BBC One)
BPG Breakthrough Talent Award
David Jonsson – Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy (BBC One)
BPG Emerging Creators Award
GK Barry
Radio Programme of the Year
The Briefing Room (A BBC production for BBC Radio 4)
Podcast of the Year
Movers and Shakers (A Podot production)
Audio Presenter of the Year
Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio, a production of Bauer Media Audio UK
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BPG Jury Prize for Audio
Goalhanger Podcasts
BPG Jury Prize for Television
Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV)
Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting
Andy Harries