Vera and I Fought the Law lead region's Royal Television Society shortlist
Stars are expected to come out for the awards at the end of February
While the nominations for the Oscars and the BAFTAs have been grabbing the national and international headlines, the shortlists for the upcoming Royal Television Society Awards for North East and the Borders have also been unveiled.
A star-studded audience is expected at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on February 28 to celebrate the work of the region’s programme makers who create TV shows and other screen content.
Talent from both in front and behind the camera, delivering drama, news, comedy and factual programmes will be recognised across 17 categories.
The Drama/Comedy award looks set to be hotly contested with I Fought the Law, The Feud, Vera and Transaction all making the final stage.
Meanwhile Sheridan Smith, Daniel York Loh (both I Fought the Law) and Brenda Blethyn (Vera) are all up for the Performance award.
Elsewhere Robson Green and Sara Davies find themselves on the same shortlist (Broadcast Factual Entertainment) with Weekend Escapes and Christmas Craft Off up against Signpost Entertainment’s See Hear; while The Dumping Ground is up against My Life: Top Dog for Drama/Children’s.
In the Non Broadcast Scripted and Unscripted category, Morning Sir Productions will be hoping to build on their recent success at the UK Film Awards with their short, Gan Canny, which is nominated and up against Two Yanks and a Brits’ Poised; Objectiv Pictures Ltd’s My Thyroid and Me - A Young Person’s Cancer Story; and Meerkat Films’ County Lines which was produced with Northern Stage.
Awards will also be given out in categories including TV Personality of the Year, Sports Programme, News Programme, Breakthrough and Production Company of the Year.
The ceremony will be presented by award winning BBC correspondent and Today Programme presenter Anna Foster.
In related news, the RTS North East and the Borders Student Awards will take place at the Sir Tom Cowie Lecture Theatre at the University of Sunderland on February 5.
A record number of entries have been recorded with awards being given out across seven categories: Animation, Entertainment and Comedy Drama, Drama, Factual - Long Form, Factual - Short Form, Journalism and Saving The Planet.
Fantastic breakdown of the regional talent landscape here! The depth of competition in Drama/Comedy, especially with Vera and I Fought the Law going head-to-head, really underscores how much the North East produces nuanced storyteling that goes beyond just "regional interest." I remmember watching The Feud and thinking it captured something pretty specific about British tensions that national broadcasters often overlook.