BBC & Channel 4 Win Big at Edinburgh TV Awards

The TV Awards at the Edinburgh TV Festival brought to you by Screen Scotland saw BBC One honored as the channel of the year, among a slew of other accolades presented.

Further wins for the BBC included the best entertainment category, which went to The Traitors. The award for breakthrough presenter went to Ellie Simmonds (Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism?) and Graham Norton triumphed as the best entertainment TV presenter for The Graham Norton Show.

In the acting categories, Kate Winslet won the best TV actor in a drama for her performance in Channel’s I Am Ruth, while Jamie Demetriou won best TV actor in a comedy for the Netflix series A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou. The breakthrough actor award went to Lewis Gribben for his performance in the Channel 4 hit Somewhere Boy.

In the program categories, Channel 4 won best documentary for Children of the Taliban and best popular factual for Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard. Best drama was awarded to Sally Wainwright’s Happy Valley, best international drama awarded to Jesse Armstrong’s Succession and best comedy series to Channel 4’s Derry Girls.

Dancing Ledge (The Responder, The New Pope, The Salisbury Poisonings) was honored as production company of the year. Scotland’s STV Studios (Screw, Blue Lights) was awarded production group of the year, while Belfast-based Afro-Mic Productions (Adrian Dunbar’s Coastal Ireland, Letters In Lockdown) received the small indie of the year award.

Best on demand service went to ITVX. Guy Martin’s Great British Power Trip was the winner of the climate impact award, which was first launched at last year’s festival.

The outstanding achievement award was presented to Claudia Winkleman in recognition of her contribution to shows such as Channel 4’s The Piano and BBC’s The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing.

In the only award voted for by the public, “Doctor Who Regenerates” was crowned TV moment of the year.