From Bristol 24-7 www.bristol247.com
Veteran BBC Points West presenter Chris Vacher has received a prestigious award for his record-breaking service to regional television.
At the annual awards ceremony of the Bristol centre of the Royal Television Society, Mr Vacher received the Sir Ambrose Fleming Award, whose first winner in 1960 was Johnny Morris.
Mr Vacher retired late last year as the BBC’s longest running regional news presenter having fronted the BBC’s local news show Points West for 28 years.
Event producer Andy Batten-Foster said the award was a special prize in recognition of an outstanding contribution to television in the West of England region.
“It’s a special award,” he said. “We don’t give it out every year. We only give it to people who’ve done something very, very special in television.
“People have to serve less than 28 years for murder so the very least he deserves is a proper send off.”
The ceremony at Bristol’s Showcase Cinema de Lux in Cabot Circus brought together the cream of British television, as well as honouring smaller, independent production companies based in the region.
Hosted by the “Vet off the telly” star Steve Leonard – who made his name in the Bristol produced Vets in Practice series before becoming ITV’s Wildlife Vet - the event was a sell-out with more than 300 guests attending.
“Marathon Boy” – an originally self-financed film that was five years in the making by a team led by Bristol director Gemma Atwal – picked up three top prizes. It won Best International Documentary, Best Editing, and Best Director for Gemma herself.
It tells the story of Budhia, an Indian Slum urchin who, from the age of four, became famous for running marathons. Before these local awards the film has already received many accolades at film festivals around the world, as well as being shown in American cinemas.
Another unexpected success was “Who’s Lenny”, a short film commissioned by Bristol City Council and produced by Hurricane Media, which won the Best Short category as well as the Community Media Award.
Hairy Biker David Myers was a guest celebrity, Fiona Bruce won Best On-Screen Female Talent, while Best New On-Screen Talent was taken by food writer and Chef Simon Hopkinson for The Good Cook.
Best Male On-Screen talent was won by something of an outsider. In “The Bear Family and Me” wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan lived for a year with a family of wild black bears in the spectacular American wilderness. Mr Buchanan said in his acceptance speech: “It was the bears themselves – particularly the little cubs – that were the true stars of the series.”
There were also big successes for the multi-million pound blockbuster series made by Bristol’s Natural History Unit. Frozen Planet won Best Photography and Best Music while Human Planet took the Best Specialist Factual gong.
BBC Bristol Factual won Best Documentary for “Wootton Bassett: the Town That Remembers”, a behind-the-scenes story of the Wiltshire town whose tributes to fallen soldiers have earned the community the first royal title awarded in more than a hundred years, while their similarly respectful “ Antiques Roadshow; Remembrance Special” won the Best Entertainment or Factual Entertainment category.
The Bristol-set youth drama Skins also scored well with the judges. It won Best Drama series and a Best Writer award for Daniel Lovett while Will Merrick was named Best Actor.
Full list of winners and nominees:
Best Television Drama
Winner: Skins (Series 5) Company Pictures/Stormdog Pictures/E4
Also nominated: Dirk Gently ITV Studios in Association with The Welded Tandem Picture Company
Best Short Film
Winner: Who’s Lenny? Hurricane Media UK Ltd.
Also nominated: Little White Lies 123 Media Ltd Paper Hearts Jake Hume Productions
Best Actor
Winner: Will Merrick (Skins, Series 5)
Also Nominated: Dakota Blue Richards (Skins, Series 5)
Male On-screen Talent
Winner: Gordon Buchanan, The Bear Family and me – episode 2
Also nominated Steve Backshall Live ‘n ‘ Deadly Jeremy Wade River Monsters 3 – Flesh Ripper David Myers & Simon King Hairy Bikers: Best of British Nigel Slater Nigel Slater’s Simple cooking
Female On-screen Talent Winner Fiona Bruce Antiques Roadshow
Also nominated Naomi Wilkinson Live ‘n’ Deadly Dr Lucy Worsley Elegance & Decadence
New On-screen Talent Winner Simon Hopkinson The Good Cook
Also nominated Shaun Foggett Crock Man James Alexandrou Cannabis: What’s the Harm?
Best Digital Innovation Winner “Who do you think you really are?” Shadow Industries Ltd Also nominated Misfits: Community Service Mobile Pie Hippo: Wild Feast Live Rubber Republic
Best On-Screen Game Winner Shaun the Sheep- Championsheeps Aardman Digital Also nominated CBBC Deadly Planet BBC Natural History Unit / Aardman Animation My Star Mobile Pie
Media Effectiveness Winner Hippo: Wild Feast Live Rubber Republic
Also nominated Something Special ‘Out and About’ Aardman Digital Little Thor Rubber Republic
Best Natural History Winner My Life as a Turkey – Natural world Special BBC Natural History Unit / Passion Pictures Also nominated Madagascar BBC Natural History Unit Frozen Planet – To the ends of the Earth BBC / Discovery Channel / Antena 3 Television S.A / ZDF/ Skai / Open University In association with Discovery Canada
Best Specialist Factual Winner Human Planet BBC Natural History Unit
Also nominated Bomber Boys: Revealed Testimony Films 9/11 The Firemen’s Story Testimony Films Britain’s Secret Schindler: Revealed Testimony Films 23 Weeks: The Price of Life BBC Bristol Factual
Best Documentary Winner Wootton Bassett: The Town that remembers BBC Bristol Factual
Also nominated My Brother the Islamist GRACE Productions The Prison Restaurant BBC Bristol Factual The Boarding School Bomber Omni Productions Sandhurst Icon Films
Best International Documentary or Series Winner Marathon Boy One Horse Town Productions/Renegade Pictures/ HBO Documentary Films/BBC Storyville In association with Touch Productions
Also nominated 9/11 and the American Dream Testimony Films Taking on Tyson Touch Productions
Best Entertainment & Factual Entertainment Winner Antiques Roadshow – Remembrance Special BBC
Also nominated Hairy Bikers BBC Bristol Factual Deal or No Deal Remarkable Television West – Part of Endemol UK
Producer / Director Winner Gemma Atwal Marathon Boy – One Horse Town Productions/Renegade Pictures/ HBO Documentary Films/BBC Storyville In association with Touch Productions
Also nominated Robb Leech / Ray Tostevin My Brother the Islamist – GRACE Productions David Johnson Natural world Special: Miracle in the Marshes of Iraq BBC Natural History Unit / BBC Worldwide / Aqua Vita Films David Pearson Fisherman’s Friends – Twofour Jack Clough Skins ( Series 5) – Company Pictures / Stormdog Pictures / E4
Best Writer Drama, Factual or Entertainment Winner – Factual Michael Gunton One Life BBC Earth / Magic Light Pictures
Winner – Drama Daniel Lovett Skins (Series 5) Company Pictures Stormdog Pictures / E4
Also nominated Simon Bell The Natural World: Butterflies – A very British Obsession BBC Natural History Unit / BBC Worldwide Richard Penfold The Boarding School Bomber Omni Productions Jamie Brittain Skins ( Series 5) Company Pictures / Stormdog Pictures / E4
Best Photography Winner The Frozen Planet Camera Team Frozen Planet – Winter BBC / Discovery Channel / Antena 3 Television S.A / ZDF/ Skai / Open University In association with Discovery Canada Also nominated John Brown Natural World: Empire of the Desert Ants BBC Natural History Unit / BBC Worldwide / Animal Planet The Camera Team Human Planet – Oceans BBC Best Sound Winner Keith Rodgerson & Jeremy Lock Fisherman’s Friends – Twofour
Also nominated Matt Skilton, Paul Paragon, Ben Stark and the rest of the Sound Team. Wootton Bassett: The town that remembers BBC Bristol Factual Kate Hopkins & Tim Owens Frozen Planet – To the ends of the Earth BBC
Best Music Winner George Fenton Frozen Planet – To the Ends of the Earth BBC / Discovery Channel / Antena 3 Television S.A / ZDF/ Skai / Open University In association with Discovery Canada Also nominated Al Lethbridge Natural World: Empire of Desert Ants BBC Natural History Unit / BBC Worldwide / Animal Planet Garry Hughes Marathon Boy One Horse Town Productions/Renegade Pictures/ HBO Documentary Films/BBC Storyville In association with Touch Productions
Special Effects and Graphics Winner Wonders of the Universe Burrell Durrant Hifle Also nominated Pythagasaurus Aardman Animations Deadly 360 BBC
Titles, Promos and Branding Winner Miki Cash, Daniel Binns and Ben Newman Life and Fate – WONKY Films and Devilfish Creative Also nominated Shadow Industries A Tiger called Broken Tail – Crossing The Line Films & Shadow Industries Ltd Burrell Durrant Hifle Frozen Planet – To the Ends of the Earth BBC / Discovery Channel / Antena 3 Television S.A / ZDF/ Skai / Open University In association with Discovery Canada
Editing Winner Peter Haddon Marathon Boy – One Horse Town Productions/Renegade Pictures/ HBO Documentary Films/BBC Storyville In association with Touch Productions Also nominated Peter Fisher Stansted : The Inside Story / Seeking Salvage / Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar RDF Television West Angela Maddick Human Planet – Deserts: Life in the Furnace BBC Sam Rogers River Monsters 3- Electric Executioner Icon Films The Frozen Planet Edit Team Frozen Planet – Summer BBC / Discovery Channel / Antena 3 Television S.A / ZDF/ Skai / Open University in association with Discovery Canada
Community Media Award Winner Who’s Lenny Hurricane Media UK Ltd
Also nominated Family Companion Films Calling The Shots Films Ltd
What If? Bristol Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
