| The Beckett Award for Outstanding 20th
Century Theatre Radio 4 for The Afternoon Play Welcome to another year's honours. For this first prize we seriously considered BBC2 after their valiant efforts in September, but that tiny little run of plays paled into insignificance when viewed alongside R4, which this year gave us a double bill of Pinter among over things. 2007: B4 2006: R4 2005: C4 2004: C4 |
Best Animated Comedy Family Guy, B3 South Park, internet Wallace & Gromit, B1 This year we've broadened this award's brief to include one-off programming. Not that it helped broaden the field a great deal. Still, we feel we've upped the stakes albeit slightly. 2007: South Park, internet 2006: Family Guy, B3 2005 American Dad!, B2 2004: The Simpsons, C4 2003: South Park, C4 |
Best Art Exhibition / Event (Pennine Region) Exit 08, Psalter Lane Art College Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Music in the Round, Upper Chapel, Sheffield 2008 saw the end of an era with the demise of Psalter Lane. For that reason more than the content of the degree shows and the like this takes the award. 2007: Yasunao Tone at Lovebytes 2006: Joe Columbo 2005: Michael Samuels 2004: Janet Cardiff and Geroge Bures Miller 2003: Chloe Brown 2002: David Shrigley |
Best
Brewer Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield Mighty Oak Brewing Company, Maldon Pictish Brewing Company, Rochdale This year saw a dead-heat, with Abbeydale taking the prize on account of past form. 2007: Dark Star 2006: Rudgate 2005: Acorn 2004: Acorn 2003: Ossett 2002: Roosters |
| Best Comedy Sketch Show Bremner, Bird & Fortune, C4 Peter Serafinowicz put in a good showing this Christmas and could well have won had it not been for the dramatic improvement in all things Bremner as a result of this year's economic entertainments. 2007: Bremner, Bird & Fortune, C4 2006: Time Trumpet, B2 2005: Bremner, Bird & Fortune, C4 2004: Bremner, Bird & Fortune, C4 2003: (no award given) 2002: Noble & Silver, C4 |
Best Fact-Based Radio Show The Archive Hour, R4 Five Live Drive, R5 In Our Time, R4 1968 Day By Day, R4 Simon Mayo, R5 For Kermode's film reviews alone, Mayo can win this slot in most years. And here is such a year. 2007: In Our Time, R4 2006: Five Live Drive, R5 2005: Simon Mayo, R5 2004: Jon Ronson on..., R4 2003: Simon Mayo, R5 2002: Five Live Drive, R5 |
Best Factual TV Programme Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, B4 Inside the Medieval Mind, B4 Jonathan Meades: Magnetic North, B4 Life in Cold Blood, B1 The Qur'an, C4 A good sweep for BBC4, as one might hope. Meades takes his second award in this category, denying Attenborough a hat-trick and Brooker even the narrowest smidgen of glory. One day, Charlie, one day...You've got your whole like ahead of you. 2007: Tim Marlow on... 2006: Planet Earth, B1 2005: Life in the Undergrowth, B1 2004: Light Fantastic, B4 2003: Top Gear, B2 2002: Jonathan Meades' Surreal Film, B2 |
Best Music Album Deerhoof - Offend Maggie Half Man Half Biscuit - C.S.I. Ambleside Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons HMHB came up with their best album in a while, and it was sufficient to keep Josephine Foster out of contention this year. But Deerhoof came up with something almost as wonderful (though not quite) as 2005's The Runner's Four. 2007: Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity 2006: Josephine Foster - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 2005: Deerhoof - The Runners Four 2004: Arcade Fire - Funeral 2003: Pflaphpschoen - Easy Unlistening 2002: Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow (NB. some revisions have been made this year to correct a couple of illegal awardings from the past) |
| Best New Comedy Series Thank God You're Here, I1 Another painfully fallow year for new comedy. 2007: The Dame Edna Treatment, I1 2006: Time Trumpet, B2 2005: American Dad!, B2 2004: Arrested Development, B2 |
Best News and Current Affairs Programme Channel 4 News, C4 Five Live Drive, R5 Today, R4 Anita Anand may not be Garvey, but she has her own approach when it comes to approaching Peter Allen, and she does it almost perfectly well. The Olympics coverage from an electric puddle atop a Chinese chip-shop was truly gripping. 2007: Five Live Drive, R5 2006: Channel 4 News, C4 2005: Five Live Drive, R5 2004: Five Live Drive, R5 2003: Five Live Drive, R5 |
Best Pub in Sheffield The Fat Cat The Kelham Island Tavern The Wellington The shortlived Moon may have stood a chance in this category, let alone the Wellington were they to get their homebrew right. 2007: Kelham Island Tavern 2006: Kelham Island Tavern 2005: Kelham Island Tavern 2004: Fat Cat 2003: Kelham Island Tavern 2002: Kelham Island Tavern 2001: Cask & Cutler |
Best Quiz / Game Show Hole in the Wall, B1 The euphoria was shortlived but for a moment there (just as the wall took off the head of that shapely Blue Peter presenter with the pig-tail plaits) this was the greatest piece of television ever made. 2007: University Challenge, B2 2006: University Challenge, B2 2005: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I1 2004: University Challenge, B2 2003: (no award given) 2002: Treasure Hunt, B2 |
| Best Radio Comedy The News Quiz, R4 And so it came to pass that Humph died. And with Humph gone, and nothing very much to replace him, The News Quiz was the natural benefactor. 2007: ISIHAC, R4 2006: ISIHAC, R4 2005: ISIHAC, R4 2004: Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation, R4 2003: Just a Minute, R4 2002: The News Quiz, R4 |
Best Radio Drama The Cherry Orchard, R3 The Examination, R4 Landscape, R4 Not quite the selection of last year (two of these were broadcast on the same day) but not the worst we've had to cope with. And we can safely expect lashings and lashings of even more Pinter in the next months. 2007: Doctor Faustus, R3 2006: Gilgamesh, R3 2005: No Background Music, R4 2004: Under Milk Wood, R4 |
Best Radio Music Show Hear & Now, R3 Another win for R3. Sadly there is no satisfactory route to new music on analogue radio anymore. The death of Peel, events in Peel, and the slaughter of Mixing It last year put paid to all that. Now we're stuck with LastFM. 2007: Mixing It, R3 2006: Andy Kershaw, R3 2005: Do or DIY, WFMU 2004: Do or DIY, WFMU 2003: Do or DIY, WFMU 2002: John Peel, R1 |
Best Radio Presenter Peter Allen, for "Five Live Drive" Jarvis Cocker, for "Musical Map of Sheffield" Simon Mayo, for "Simon Mayo" With Garvey at Woman's Hour, and Peel and Kershaw well out of the picture, Allen's path to truly deserved glory is finally made clear. Hail Allen. 2007: Jane Garvey 2006: Henry Blofeld 2005: Andy Kershaw 2004: John Peel 2003: Jane Garvey 2002: John Peel |
| Best Radio Station BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 5 Live As ever. 2007: R5 2006: R5 2005: R5 2004: R5 2003: R5 2002: R5 |
Best Regular Newspaper Column Charlie Brooker's Screen Burn, The Guardian George Saunders: American Psyche, The Guardian Claudia Winkleman, The Independent Sadly now gone the way of Ronson, for a while there this was a most welcome oasis of silliness in a sea of Egyptian type. 2007: Jon Ronson: Out of the Ordinary 2006: Charlie Brooker's Screen Burn 2005: Jon Ronson: Out of the Ordinary 2004: Jon Ronson: Out of the Ordinary 2003: Tim Dowling: Chatroom 2002: Tim Dowling: Chatroom |
Best Repeat on Radio Charles Wheeler documentaries, R4 Doctor Faustus, R3 The Mark Steel Revolution, B7 This year too many of our favourite people died. But even a run of old Charlie Wheeler's couldn't prevent last year's Best Radio Drama from taking this prize. 2007: The Mark Steel Revolution, B7 2006: The Mark Steel Solution, B7 2005: On the Hour, B7 2004: Armando Iannucci, B7 |
Best Repeat on Terrestrial TV Blue Remembered Hills, B4 McKellan Shakespeare Season, M4 The Shock of the New, B4 Steptoe & Son, B4 Washes Whiter, B4 Some fairly decent stuff getting a fresh airing, not least this wonderful documentary from 1991, outperforming by far its flimsy modern equivalent in the same season. 2007: Channel 4 Season, M4 2006: Our Friends in the North, B4 2005: Dennis Potter Season, B4 2004: Dennis Potter Season, B4 2003: Threads, B4 2002: The Day Today, B2 |
| Best Spin-Off Show Ashes to Ashes, B1 The Sarah Jane Adventures, B1 Strictly... It Takes Two, B2 It wasn't as good as last year, but its heart's in the right place. 2007: The Sarah Jane Adventures, B1 2006: Strictly... It Takes Two, B2 2005: (no award given) 2004: Angel, C5 2003: (no award given) 2002: Angel, C4 |
Best Sporting Event Formula One World Championship, I1 Masters Snooker, BBC TV Olympic Cycling, BBC TV and R5 ...If only for momentarily confusing everyone. 2007: Formula 1 World Championship 2006: Football World Cup 2005: The Ashes 2004: Poker 2003: Brazillian Grand Prix 2002: Winter Olympic Curling |
Best TV Channel BBC Two BBC 2 secures its televisual hegemony. The highlight of the year was its brief run of one-off dramas in September. 2007: B2 2006: B4 2005: B4 2004: B4 2003: B4 2002: B4 |
Best TV Drama Series Ashes to Ashes, B1 Dead Set, E4 Doctor Who, B1 The Sarah Jane Adventures, B1 Ten Days to War, B2 This Newsnight-sponsored run of shorts on the subject of the run-up to the Iraq war was nothing amazing but sufficiently adequate to scrape this award. 2007: Doctor Who, B1 2006: House, C5 2005: Doctor Who, B1 2004: Angel, C5 2003: State of Play, B1 2002: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, B2 |
| Best TV Music Show Gergiev Conducts, B4 What better entertainment than a stubbly man, sodden in his own sweat, jerking about in front of some of the most rivetting sounds ever committed to orchestra? 2007, Glastonbury, Bi 2006: Popworld, C4 2005: Popworld, C4 2004: The Early Music Show, B4 |
Best TV Play A Number, B2 Crooked House, B4 God on Trial, B2 Hughie Green: Most Sincerely, B4 King Lear, M4 A spot of Shakespeare to round off a fairly good year. 2007, Krapp's Last Tape, B4 2006: Stan, B4 2005: Blue/Orange, B4 2004: Happy Days, C4 |
Best TV Presenter Simon Amstell for "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Robert Bartlett for "Inside the Medieval Mind" Charlie Brooker for "Screenwipe" Jonathan Meades for "Magnetic North" Claudia Winkleman for "Strictly... It Takes Two" It's taken a long time, but finally Meades has got the Best Presenter award. It wasn't his best work but it was his best work in a long time. 2007: Barry Humphries 2006: Simon Amstell 2005: Simon Amstell 2004: Mark Steel 2003: Matthew Collings 2002: Jeremy Clarkson |
Best TV Sitcom Family Guy, B3 What else could we choose? Lab Rats? 2007: Family Guy, B3 2006: Arrested Development, B2 2005: Arrested Development, B2/4 2004: Peep Show, C4 2003: Peep Show, C4 2002: Coupling, B2 |
| Best Use of BBCi Channels Olympics Wedged full of medals. 2007: Glastonbury 2006: World Championship Snooker 2005: Glastonbury 2004: World Championship Snooker |
Best Website BBC iPlayer A revolution in television has occurred and its name is iPlayer. It'd be even better if we could be sure of every programme being on it. It is this more than DVD that will destroy the VCR. 2007: South Park Zone 2006: UbuWeb 2005: Seabrook Crisps 2004: Wikipedia 2003: Wikipedia 2002: Wikipedia |
Biggest News Smokescreen Collapse of Capitalism Rise and Rise of Barack Obama Sachsgate While it's true that both Obama and the economic crisis got more than their fair share of column inches in one way or another, they were at least of some monumental significance. The trials and tribulations of Jonathan Sachs's answerphone stands a little lower on the scale of Earthshattering Importance, however naughty Ross and/or Brand may have been. 2007: The McCanns homecoming 2006: Veils 2005: Bird Flu 2004: US Election build-up 2003: Soham Trial |
The Buffy Award for the most pointless first showing of a programme that is repeated later in the week The Culture Show, B2 This year, Later... got a new live slot in addition to its Friday position as a way of taking advantage of the studio recording session. It scarecely made sense but you could see the reasoning. But then this inheritted that part of the schedule and what residual sense existed flew firmly out of the window. Why on earth would anyone watch an edited programme when a full length programme follows a few days later? 2007: Life on Mars, B4/1 2006: Torchwood, B3/3/3/2/3/3 2005: QI, B4/2/4 2004: Arrested Development, B2/4 2003: Have I Got Even More News for You, B2 |
| Most Disappointing Return Series Crimewatch, B1 Family Guy, B3 Grand Designs, C4 Have I Got News For You, B1 Top Gear, B2 All of these programmes have been in decline for a while and so none would be a great surprise. But the level of depravity plumbed by the revamped Crimewatch was too much to stand. It ceased to be a public service vehicle and became instead some despicable salacious bullshit. 2007: Never Mind the Buzzcocks, B2 2006: The Simpsons, C4 2005: Peep Show, C4 2004: Coupling, B3 2003: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, B2 2002: League of Gentlemen, B2 |
Most Improved Series Bremner, Bird & Fortune, C4 Sometimes there is just no contest in a field, and here is such a time. The special series on the economic crisis was truly special, with more than a hint of Adam Curtis to it. 2007: Never Mind the Buzzcocks, B2 2006: The News Quiz, R4 2005: Formula 1, I1 2004: QI, B2/4 2003: The Simpsons, B2 2002: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, B2 |
Most Over-Rated Talent Michael McIntyre What could be more repulsive than a smug Mike Read lookalike who laughs while delivering other peoples' jokes? Well genocide perhaps, but within the scope of television celebrity... And what is worse is his inexorable rise to mass villainy like some unstoppable antichrist. Can nobody see the truth but us and David Icke? 2007: Marcus Brigstock 2006: Justin Lee Collins 2005: Peter Kay 2004: Howard Goodall 2003: Julie Walters |
Most Sorely Missed Show The Adventure Game Horizon The Mole We really do miss Horizon. There's a programme on BBC2 at the moment that calls itself Horizon but it's clearly an imposter. And we miss The Mole: the only truly entertaining "reality"-era elimination-based gameshow. But we really really miss The Adventure Game because nothing can top Johnny Ball or Fred Harris being pushed about a deadly floor-puzzle by Moira Stewart dressed as a lizard. 2007: After Dark 2006: Angel (final series) 2005: Angel (final series) 2004: The Mole 2003: Twin Peaks series 2 2002: Twin Peaks series 2 |