RTS Announces East Centre's Television Award Winners

The Royal Television Society (RTS) East Centre has announced the winners for the RTS East Centre Awards 2017 with a ceremony hosted by BBC Look East presenter, Stewart White and ITV Anglia presenter, Becky Jago at Norwich University of the Arts.

David Whiteley, presenter of the BBC East TV documentary programme Inside Out East, was named Best On Screen Personality; while BBC Look East - Norwich reporters Nikki Fox and Leigh Milner picked-up gongs for Television Journalist of the Year and Best New Talent respectively. The Best Production Craft Skills award was taken home by Martin Giles from BBC East.

Giles Duley - #MoreThanAnImage, a series of three short films, produced by Forward, which explore the power of photography for three inspirational photographers won the Diversity Award. The series also collected the Best Short Film award.

In the News and Current Affairs categories, The Murder of Arek Jozwik (BBC Look East - Norwich) won the Best News Programme award; while Sarah Cooper from ITV News Anglia received the Best Current Affairs Feature award. The Best Factual Programme award went to The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich (Tin Can Island).

Other awards handed out on the night include: Laurence Cawley, who picked-up the Best Digital Content award for his work on BBC East's Treasure Capitals and Leighton Park School (Eye Film) which collected the award for Best Promotional Programme.

The Winners:
Best Current Affairs Feature
Sarah Cooper - ITV News Anglia ITV News Anglia
"This was a very interesting and well researched item. The personal touches in the story made it stand out from all the entries."

• Nominees:
Inside Out East (Series 30, programme 6) BBC East
Malcolm Robertson - ITV News Anglia ITV News Anglia

Best Digital Content
Laurence Cawley - Treasure Capitals Laurence Cawley for BBC East
"The judges liked how Treasure Capitals started as a digital concept and was developed for TV rather than the other way round. They also liked the way it tells the story in different ways across a range of platforms." 

• Nominees:
Miranda's Australian Adventure Tin Can Island
The Letter Ember Films

Best Factual Programme
The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich Tin Can Island
"A well-produced, well executed documentary, with rich and well shot content and a strong, clear and engaging narrative."

• Nominees:
Alderney The Evacuation Eye Film
Capability Brown's Unfinished Garden BBC East
Plane Resurrection Nik Coleman Television

Best New Talent
Leigh Milner BBC Look East (Norwich)
"A very engaging journalist. Leigh tells her stories with a clear narrative and obviously has a good rapport with the people she interviews. The contrast in her style between stories showed her skills…investigative, encouraging and at home with all the topics about which she reported. A great new talent.

• Nominees:
Mousumi Bakshi BBC Look East (Cambridge)
Simon Dedman BBC East

Best News Programme
The Murder of Arek Jozwik BBC Look East (Norwich)
"A superb programme. A thoughtful and comprehensive follow-up to the random killing of a Polish immigrant in Harlow… overall it kept interest and raised important questions about community relations."

• Nominees:
Brexit Programme BBC Look East (Cambridge)
ITV News Anglia East ITV News Anglia

Best On Screen Personality
David Whiteley - Inside Out East BBC East
"David Whiteley shows the range of skills needed as a presenter and can do everything from diving to playing the guitar."

• Nominees:
Abz Love - Abz on the Christmas Farm Tin Can Island

Best Production Craft Skills
Martin Giles BBC East
"…of a very high standard; with creative use of filters; spotless composition and high quality pictures with perfect focussing and colour control." 

• Nominees:
David Wernham BBC East
Rebellion Ember Films
The Letter Ember Films
We Stand Out - West Suffolk College Lambda Films
Wild France with Ray Mears Tin Can Island

Best Promotional Programme
Leighton Park School Eye Film
"Technically excellent; slickly put together and nice editing."

• Nominees:
Giles Duley - #MoreThanAnImage Forward
Happiness Guaranteed Ember Films

Best Short Film
Giles Duley - #MoreThanAnImage Forward
"An elegant and beautifully shot film. It is personal and inspirational; well produced and entrancing to watch." 

• Nominees:
Inside Out: Mini Monet BBC East
The Letter Ember Films
The Warreners' Tales: A History of Thetford Warren Lodge Ember Films

Television Journalist of the Year
Nikki Fox BBC Look East (Norwich)
"Nikki's pieces were really comprehensive; really engaging and showed her empathy and tenacity as a journalist. In all the reports, she dug deep into the subject matter without confusing the story or losing the viewer. The jury also found her warmer in her interviewing skills, which inevitably brings out the best in her contributors."

• Nominees:
Jo Taylor BBC East
Tom Barton BBC Look East (Cambridge)

The Diversity Award
Giles Duley - #MoreThanAnImage Forward          
This film was selected from the nominated films by the jury as they felt "it was personal an inspirational." 

• Nominees:
BBC Look East (Norwich) BBC Look East

rts.org.uk/award/rts-east-centre-awards-2017