The Royal Television Society Programme Awards, (often referred to as the RTS Awards) seek to recognise programmes or individuals who have made a positive and material contribution to their genre: either because their content or originality in form has in some way moved the genre forward, or perhaps even created a new genre; or because their quality has set standards which other programme-makers can emulate and learn from.
In addition to the national awards and the Craft & Design Awards, the Royal Television Society also hosts a number of regional award ceremonies throughout the UK and Ireland.[1]
Award categories
The original Royal Television Society Programme Awards can be traced back to 1975, when there were just seven categories. In 1989, the categories were revised and awards in these new categories conferred for the award year of 1988. It was also in this year that nominations for some categories were introduced for the very first time. Since 2016, the awards have been primarily focussed on home-grown output, with Fargo, the final winner of the International category in 2015. In 2023, the number of award categories stood at 30.
Controversies
In February 2017 broadcaster Piers Morgan pulled out as host after only three days, citing a public campaign branding him as damaging and inappropriate for the event.[2][3]
Judging
The RTS Programme Awards winners are selected not by public vote but decided via judging panels composed of industry experts and professionals. In 2016 the make up of the judging panels was adjusted to include more women and people from minority backgrounds. From approximately 200 jurors, 52% were now female and 27% from BAME backgrounds. The move towards more diversity came in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.[4] At the time of the 2020 awards, the overall jury composition was 56% female and 32% came from BAME backgrounds.[5]
This year saw the return to a live audience event after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Comedian Graham Norton was presented the outstanding achievement award for 2020 which he had been unable to collect at that time due to having COVID-19.
For the second year running, due to COVID-19 related restrictions the 2021 winners ceremony was held behind closed doors and without a live audience. In 2021 a new award category for comedy entertainment programme was established. A special award was bestowed on John McVay, Sara Geater, Max Rumney, Hakan Kousetta and their team at PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) in this year to recognise the difficulties and challenges for the independent production sector during the pandemic year.
Presented: 16 March 2021 (livestreamed event)[16] – Host: Jonathan Ross
Due to COVID-19 related restrictions the 2020 winners ceremony was held behind closed doors and without a live audience.[19] The outstanding achievement award was not awarded as comedian Graham Norton had COVID-19, (it would be retroactively awarded in 2022 once the ceremony returned as a live audience event).
Presented: 17 March 2020 (livestreamed event)[20] – Host: Paul Merton
In 2016 a single breakthrough award was revived to replace the two awards (behind the scenes and on-screen) that were last bestowed in 2008. The children's fiction award was retired as was the international award.
In 2014 the nations & regions programme award was dropped to make room for two sports-related awards; sports programme and sports presenter, commentator or pundit.
In 2013 the award for live event was revived having been lasted bestowed in 2004. This year was also notable for the RTS television awards in that two judges' awards were bestowed for the very first time.
2011 saw a reversal of the 2009 decision with two documentary categories reinstated and the constructed factual series award removed along with the multi-channel programme award.
In 2009 the two separate awards for documentaries were merged to make room for an award for constructed factual series, created to recognise the growth and popularity of the reality TV series genre.
In 2008 the RTS Gold Medal was superseded by the lifetime achievement award. The two breakthrough awards (behind the scenes and on-screen) were retired in this year as was the award for nations & regions presenter.
In 2006 the two newcomer awards (behind the scenes and on-screen) were each renamed as the breakthrough awards. No RTS Gold Medal recipient is recorded for this year.
In 2005 the event award was once again dropped to make way for a new digital channel programme award and the writing award was split into two awards; writer: comedy, and writer: drama. No RTS Gold Medal recipient is recorded for this year.
In 2004 the acquired award introduced the previous year was redesignated as the international award and the serials & single drama award was once again split back into two separate awards, namely the drama serial award and the single drama award. No RTS Gold Medal recipient is recorded for this year.
2003 saw two completely new categories introduced in the shape of the acquired programme award and the comedy performance award. An event award was also reintroduced, similar to the live event award that had been last bestowed in 1998. The team award was retired in this year.
In 2002 three new awards were introduced; the soap and continuing drama award; the science & natural history award; and the history award. Other changes saw the children's drama and the children's entertainment categories merged to become the children's fictional award; and the drama serial award merged with the single drama award. Awards for documentary strand and regional documentary were retired.
This year saw a special recognition award for the Channel 4 comedy series Father Ted to mark Dermot Morgan's passing in February 1998. The features award was split into two categories: Daytime and Primetime, and the live event award was discontinued.
In 1989 the awards categories underwent a major revision and several new categories were created. These new awards were retrospectively conferred for the award year of 1988. It was also in 1989 that nominations were introduced in certain categories for the very first time.[98]
