Royal Television Society Awards: Shortlist Announced!

The UK’s Royal Television Society has revealed the shortlist for this year’s prestigious TV programme awards.

Due to take place on March 20, the event will be hosted by Welsh funny man Rob Brydon and will seek to “honour excellence in key genres of television programming, from children’s fiction to comedy performance, history to soaps, covering both national and regional outputâ€?… *sheds tear*.

Channel 4 has come out on top in the shortlist stakes with programmes and associated actors/writers/presenters earning the channel an impressive 20 nominations. The documentary series category is composed entirely of Channel 4 projects including Educating Essex, 24 Hours In A&E and Fighting On The Frontline.

Over in the drama serial category, Channel 4’s Top Boy and The Promise will go head to head with BBC Two’s The Crimson Petal & The White.

Vicky McClure (This is England ‘88), Ruth Negga (Shirley) and Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult) will compete to be named best actress, while Daniel Rigby (Eric and Ernie), John Simm (Exile) and Dominic West (Appropriate Adult) will battle it out for the best actor title. Worthy nominees, all of them.

As far as best scripted comedies go, Fresh Meat, Phoneshop and Rev. are all in the running. Not forgetting the talent behind these hit shows, Tom Hollander and his writing partner, James Wood, have been nominated for the best comedy writers award for Rev., while Fresh Meat writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong compete.

In fact, if all his comedy chickens come home to roost, it will be a great night for Tom Hollander. The 44-year-old (who is also set for another Hollywood outing) has also been nominated for the best comedy performance award. Hollander shares the category with Darren Boyd, for Spy, and Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani, who are jointly nominated for Him and Her.

As per usual, Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale will compete for the title of best soap at the ceremony.

Take a peek below for the full list of shortlisted nominee. *SPOILER ALERT – list does include Ant & Dec as best presenters*:

Vicky McClure – This Is England ’88 – Warp Films for Channel 4

Ruth Negga – Shirley – Prospect Cymru for BBC Two

Emily Watson – Appropriate Adult – ITV Studios for ITV1

Daniel Rigby – Eric & Ernie – Blue Door Adventures/BBC Wales for BBC Two

John Simm – Exile – Abbott Vision/Red Production Company for BBC One

Dominic West – Appropriate Adult – ITV Studios for ITV1

Arena: Produced By George Martin – BBC/Grounded Productions for BBC Two

Graffiti Wars – TwoFour for Channel 4

The Impressionists – ZCZ Films for BBC Two

Sarah Jane Adventures (Series 5) – BBC Wales for CBBC

Tracy Beaker – BBC Productions for CBBC

Horrible Histories (Series 3) – Lion Television for CBBC

Newsround – My Autism & Me – BBC Productions for CBBC

The Amazing World Of Gumball – The Quest – Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi for Cartoon Network Europe

Darren Boyd – Spy – Hat Trick Productions for Sky 1 HD

Tom Hollander – Rev. – Big Talk Productions for BBC Two

Russell Tovey & Sarah Solemani – Him & Her – Big Talk Productions for BBC Three

Antiques Road Trip – STV Productions for BBC Two

Deal Or No Deal Live – Endemol Productions for Channel 4

Operation Hospital Food With James Martin – Splash Media for BBC One

24 Hours In A&E – The Garden Productions for Channel 4

Educating Essex – Twofour for Channel 4

Fighting On The Frontline – Minnow Films for Channel 4

The Crimson Petal & The White – Origin Pictures/Cité Amérique for BBC Two

The Promise – Daybreak Pictures for Channel 4

Top Boy – A Cowboy Films/Easter Partisan Production for Channel 4

Luther 2 – BBC Productions/BBC America for BBC One

Scott And Bailey – Red Production Company for ITV1

The Fades – BBC Productions/BBC America for BBC Three

Derren Brown – <strong>The Experiments – Objective Productions for Channel 4

Million Pound Drop – Endemol Productions for Channel 4

The Graham Norton Show – SO Television for BBC One

James Corden – A League Of Their Own – CPL Productions for Sky 1 HD

Keith Lemon – Celebrity Juice – Talkback for ITV2

Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly – I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here; Red Or Black; Push The Button; Britain’s Got Talent ITV Studios/Syco TV/Thames/Gallowgate Studios for ITV1

The Life Of Muhammad – Crescent Films for BBC Two

If Walls Could Talk – The History Of The Home – Silver River Productions for BBC Four

Dambusters: Building The Bouncing Bomb – Windfall Films for Channel 4

Modern Family – Twentieth Century Fox Television/Levitan-Lloyd Productions acquired by Sky 1 HD

The Killing – Series 1 – DR/ZDF Enterprises for BBC Four

The Slap – Matchbox Pictures for BBC Four

Frankenstein’s Wedding…Live in Leeds – BBC Cymru Wales/BBC North for BBC Three

The Scheme – Friel Kean Films for BBC One

Wil a Cêt – Cwmni Da for S4C

An Idiot Abroad 2 – Risk Productions for Sky 1 HD

Hugh’s Big Fish Fight – Keo Films for Channel 4

The Great British Bake Off – Love Productions for BBC Two

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – Hugh’s Big Fish Fight– Keo Films for Channel 4

Gareth Malone – The Choir: Military Wives – Twenty Twenty for BBC Two

Karl Pilkington – An Idiot Abroad 2 – Risk Productions for Sky 1 HD

Frozen Planet – A BBC/Discovery Channel/Antena 3 Television S.A./ZDF/Skai/Open University Co-Production in association with Discovery Canada for BBC One

Mummifying Alan: Eygpt’s Last Secret – Blink Film & Television for Channel 4

Stargazing Live – BBC Productions for BBC Two

Fresh Meat – Objective Productions/Lime Pictures for Channel 4

Phoneshop – Retort for E4

Rev. – Big Talk Productions for BBC Two

Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die – BBC Productions for BBC Two

The Life And Loss Of Karen Woo – Century Films for ITV1

True Stories: Hell And Back Again – Roast Beef Productions for More4

Eric & Ernie – Blue Door Adventures/BBC Wales for BBC Two

Random – Hillbilly Films for Channel 4

United – World Productions for BBC Two

Coronation Street – ITV Studios for ITV1

EastEnders – BBC Productions for BBC One

Emmerdale – ITV Studios for ITV1

Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong – Fresh Meat – Objective Productions/Lime Pictures for Channel 4

Robert Popper – Friday Night Dinner – Popper Pictures/Big Talk Productions for Channel 4

James Wood & Tom Hollander – Rev. – Big Talk Productions for BBC One

Peter Bowker – Eric & Ernie – Blue Door Adventures/BBC Wales for BBC Two

Neil McKay – Appropriate Adult – ITV Studios for ITV1

Steven Moffat – Doctor Who (Series 6) – BBC Wales for BBC One