Ant and Dec, Emmerdale, Julie Walters and Robbie Coltrane were among the winners at last night's Royal Television Society Awards in central London.
TV’s Ant and Dec have said they would love to see singer Adele make a guest appearance on their Saturday Night Takeaway show.
The pair revealed their dream for the prime time programme as it picked up the prize for best entertainment at the RTS Awards in central London last night, seeing off competition from Strictly Come Dancing.
As the pair accepted the award, presented by incoming Great British Bake Off presenter Sandi Toksvig, they told reporters: “Adele – we’ve never quite made it work because of all her tours and albums and stuff, but we could have a lot of fun with her. If you all put the pressure on from your end and we put the pressure on from our end, maybe we can make it happen.”
The popular duo, who have a legion of fans said they would stay in the job for “as long as people are watching”.
They continued: “We always try to make the show a special treat every week so we are really thrilled to be recognised with this award.”
Meanwhile Emmerdale were delighted to be triumphant in the Soap and Continuing Drama category for the second year running. Producer Iain MacLeod said he was pleased the show was finally receiving “the recognition it deserves”.
Hard-hitting BBC drama Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire, scooped the gong for best Drama Series with the show’s writer Sally Wainwright who has created huge TV hits including Scott & Bailey and Last Tango In Halifax as well as Happy Valley collecting two awards - including the Judges’ Award for being a writer of outstanding distinction.
Meanwhile, Grayson Perry picked up both best presenter and best arts programme prizes for his Channel 4 show Grayson Perry All Man. “In your face, David Attenborough!” he joked.
Speaking of the show, which saw him explore the modern view of masculinity, he said:
“Good television should have that water cooler effect of starting conversations – I have had taxi drivers talk to me about it and that’s lovely.
“It’s not my day job so I feel pretty good that I’ve just wandered unexpectedly into television and we’ve struck a nerve. But I think it would alter my relationship with television if I went full time – I quite like being the artist who just rocks up in front of the camera, so I don’t get too up myself.”
BBC Three, which recently became an online only service, won the channel of the year award, while Sophie Okonedo and Robbie Coltrane were named best actors.
Harry Potter star Julie Walters, 67, picked up a lifetime achievement award recognising her career across film and television genres that has already spanned more than 40 years. After joking that it was the “old people’s award”, she said: “It’s absolutely gorgeous, I’m thrilled.
“I always get excited at things like this, being surrounded by people I know, I’m like a Jack Russell dog.”
Her busy timetable this year includes work on the new Mary Poppins film, a second Paddington movie and a documentary on train lines around Britain’s coastlines.
She dismissed rumours that she had her eye on a role in Coronation Street, but confessed she loved watching the ITV soap.
SEE THE LIST OF WINNERS BELOW
Actor - Female
Sophie Okonedo - Undercover, BBC One
Nominees:
Jodie Comer - Thirteen, BBC Three
Julie Walters - National Treasure, Channel 4
Actor - Male
Robbie Coltrane - National Treasure, Channel 4
Nominees:
Adeel Akhtar - Murdered By My Father. BBC Three
James Nesbitt - The Secret, ITV
Soap and Continuing Drama
Emmerdale, ITV
Nominees:
EastEnders, BBC One
Hollyoaks, Channel Four
Daytime Programme
Find it, Fix it, Flog it, Channel 4
Nominees:
Matron, Medicine and Me: 70 Years of the NHS, BBC One
The Question Jury, Channel 4
Documentary Series
Exodus: Our Journey to Europe, BBC Two
Nominees:
Inside Obama’s White House Brook Lapping Productions in association with Les Films d’Ici 2 for BBC Two in co-production with Al Jazeera America and Arte France
The Murder Detectives Films of Record for Channel 4
Drama Series
Happy Valley, BBC One
Nominees:
Line of Duty 3, BBC Two
The Durrells, ITV
Entertainment
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, ITV
Nominees:
Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One
Taskmaster, UKTV & Dave
Entertainment Performance
Adam Hills, Alex Brooker & Josh Widdicombe - The Last Leg Open, Channel 4
Nominees:
Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly - I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! ITV
Romesh Ranganathan - Asian Provocateur: Mum’s American Dream, BBC Three Arts
Grayson Perry All Man, Channel 4
Nominees:
Bricks! BBC Four
One Night In 2012: An Imagine Special, BBC One
Breakthrough
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag, BBC Three
Nominees:
Nadiya Hussain - The Chronicles of Nadiya, BBC One
Phillip Wood - Chasing Dad: A Lifelong Addiction, BBC Three
Children's Programme
CBeebies A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CBeebies
Nominees:
Lily's Driftwood Bay, Nick Jr.
My Life: The Boy on the Bicycle, CBBC
Comedy Performance
Asim Chaudhry - People Just Do Nothing, BBC Three
Nominees:
Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney - Catastrophe, Channel 4
Steve Coogan - Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle, Sky Atlantic
History
The Aberfan Young Wives' Club, ITV
Nominees:
Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes 1895, National Geographic
Saddam goes to Hollywood, Channel 4
Mini-Series
National Treasure, Channel 4
Nominees:
London Spy, BBC Two
Thirteen, BBC Three
Popular Factual and Features
Employable Me, BBC Two
Nominees:
First Dates, Channel 4
SAS Who Dares Wins, Channel 4
Presenter
Grayson Perry - Grayson Perry All Man, Channel 4
Nominees:
Sir David Attenborough - Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur BBC Natural History Unit and PBS for BBC One
Richard Ayoade - Travel Man 48 Hours In Vienna North One Television for Channel 4
RTS Channel of the Year
BBC Three
Nominees:
BBC One
Channel 4
Science and Natural History
First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon, Channel 4
Nominees:
The Hunt: The Hardest Challenge, BBC One
The Secret Life of 4, 5 & 6 Year Olds, Channel 4
Scripted Comedy
People Just Do Nothing, BBC Three
Nominees:
Catastrophe, Channel 4
The Windsors, Channel 4
Single Documentary
The Murder of Sadie Hartley, ITV
Nominees:
Hillsborough, BBC Two
The Forgotten Children, ITV
Single Drama
Murdered By My Father, BBC Three
Nominees:
A Midsummer Night's Dream BBC Wales & BBC Studios for BBC One
Reg L.A. Productions for BBC One
Writer - Drama
Sally Wainwright - Happy Valley, BBC One
Nominees:
Jed Mercurio - Line of Duty 3, BBC Two
Jack Thorne - National Treasure. Channel 4
Judges’ Award
Sally Wainwright
