RTS Program Award Nominees Unveiled

The Royal Television Society has revealed the nominees for its RTS Programme Awards 2021, in partnership with Audio Network, with the BBC leading the pack with 40 nominations.

Up for best drama series are Save Me Too (World Productions for Sky Atlantic), I Hate Suzie (Bad Wolf for Sky Atlantic) and In My Skin (Expectation for BBC Three and BBC One Wales).

Miniseries up for the award are Adult Material (Fifty Fathoms for Channel 4), Small Axe (Turbine Studios and Lammas Park for BBC One) and I May Destroy You (Various Artists/FALKNA for BBC One).

The nominees for single drama are Elizabeth is Missing (STV Studios for BBC One), Anthony (LA Productions for BBC One) and Sitting in Limbo (Left Bank Pictures for BBC One).

In the category for soap and continuing drama, featured nominees are Coronation Street (ITV Studios for ITV), Casualty (BBC Studios for BBC One) and Holby City (BBC Studios for BBC One).

The nominated writers for drama are Michaela Coel for I May Destroy You (Various Artists/FALKNA for BBC One), Lucy Prebble for I Hate Suzie (Bad Wolf for Sky Atlantic) and Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons for Small Axe (Turbine Studios and Lammas Park for BBC One).

The best actor (female) nominees are Glenda Jackson for Elizabeth is Missing (STV Studios for BBC One), Michaela Coel for I May Destroy You (Various Artists/FALKNA for BBC One) and Daisy Edgar-Jones for Normal People (Element Pictures for BBC Three).

Best actor (male) nominees are Lennie James for Save Me Too (World Productions for Sky Atlantic), Paul Mescal for Normal People (Element Pictures for BBC Three) and Shaun Parkes for Small Axe (Turbine Studios and Lammas Park for BBC One).

Comedy performance (female) nominees are Gbemisola Ikumelo for Famalam (BBC Studios for BBC Three), Sophie Willan for Alma’s Not Normal (Expectation for BBC Two) and Ruth Jones for Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special (Fulwell 73, Baby Cow and Tidy Productions for BBC One).

Comedy performance (male) nominees are Youssef Kerkour for Home (Jantaculum and Channel X for Channel 4), O-T Fagbenle for Maxxx (Luti Media for Channel 4) and Paul Chahidi for This Country ( BBC Studios for BBC Three).

Scripted comedy nominees are Brassic (Calamity Films for Sky One), Sex Education (Eleven Film for Netflix) and The Young Offenders (Vico Films for BBC Three).

The comedy entertainment nominees are The Big Narstie Show (Expectation/Dice Productions for Channel 4), Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe (Broke and Bones/Endemol Shine Group for BBC Two) and The Ranganation (Zeppotron for BBC Two).

For comedy, the nominated writers are Mae Martin and Joe Hampson for Feel Good (Objective Fiction and Objective Media Group Scotland for Channel 4 and Netflix), Peter Foott for The Young Offenders (Vico Films for BBC Three) and the writing team of Ghosts (Monumental Television for BBC One).

Entertainment nominees are Beat the Chasers (Potato for ITV), The Masked Singer (Bandicoot Scotland for ITV) and Big Zuu’s Big Eats (Boomerang for Dave).

Those nominated for entertainment performance are Big Narstie and Mo Gilligan for The Big Narstie Show (Expectation/Dice Productions for Channel 4), Yung Filly for Hot Property (BBC Three In-House Productions for BBC Three) and Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan for Rob & Romesh Vs (CPL Productions for Sky One).

The nominated formatted popular factual programs are Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace (Wall to Wall Media for ITV), The Rap Game UK (Naked (A Fremantle Label) for BBC Three) and Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back (Rumpus Media for Channel 4).

Documentary series features as nominees Hospital: Fighting Covid-19 (Label1 for BBC Two), Once Upon a Time in Iraq (KEO Films for BBC Two) and The School That Tried to End Racism (Proper Content for Channel 4).

The nominees for single documentary are Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism & Me (Wonder and New Era Global Productions for BBC One), Surviving Covid (Sandpaper Films for Channel 4) and The Family Secret (Candour Productions for Channel 4).

For arts, the nominees are African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power (ClearStory for BBC Four), Keith Haring: Street Art Boy (BBC Studios for BBC Two) and Grayson’s Art Club (Swan Films for Channel 4).

The history category features Lost Home Movies of Nazi Germany (Bright Button Productions for BBC Four), Damilola: The Boy Next Door (Acme Films for Channel 4) and The World’s Biggest Murder Trial: Nuremberg (Middlechild Productions for Channel 5).

In the science and natural history category, contenders are Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me (Little Gem for BBC One), The Surgeon’s Cut (BBC Studios Production for Netflix) and Brain Surgeons: Between Life and Death (Blast! Films for Channel 4).

The programs in the children’s category are JoJo and Gran Gran/It’s Time to Go to the Hairdresser’s (BBC Children’s In-House Productions in collaboration with A Productions for CBeebies), FYI Investigates—Brazil: Children Caught in the Crossfire (Fresh Start Media for Sky News and Sky Kids) and IRL with Team Charlene (ITN Productions for ITV and CITV).

The nominees for daytime program are Loose Women (ITV Studios – Daytime for ITV), The Bidding Room (Ricochet for BBC One) and Junior Bake Off (Love Productions for Channel 4).

The nominated live events are ENO’s Drive & Live: La Bohème (Somethin’ Else for Sky Arts), The Third Day: Autumn (Sky Studios, Plan B Entertainment and Punchdrunk Entertainment for Sky Atlantic in association with HBO) and General Election Live Results: An ITV News Special (ITN Productions for ITV).

Those up for the Breakthrough Award are Big Zuu for Big Zuu’s Big Eats (Boomerang for Dave), Robert Softley Gale for CripTales: Hamish (BBC Studios for BBC Four) and Mae Martin for Feel Good (Objective Fiction and Objective Media Group Scotland for Channel 4 and Netflix).

Presenter nominees feature Joe Lycett for The Great British Sewing Bee (Love Productions for BBC One), Yinka Bokinni for Damilola: The Boy Next Door (Acme Films for Channel 4) and Grayson Perry for Grayson’s Art Club (Swan Films for Channel 4).

The RTS Channel of the Year nominees are ITV, BBC One and Sky Arts.

The awards will be presented on March 16 at 6:30 p.m. and hosted by renowned British television and radio presenter Jonathan Ross.