RTS honours for Graber and 'Byker Grove'

The makers of children’s television series 'Byker Grove' won top honours at this year’s prestigious Royal Television Society North East & The Border Regional Awards.
There was also a Lifetime Achievement Award for international animation expert Sheila Graber, whose studio is based in South Shields.
The RTS Centre Award was presented to Zenith North for two decades of support for the North East television industry. Hundreds of people have begun their on and off-screen careers with Byker Grove, including award winners Ant & Dec and Jill Halfpenny (who recently carried off the BBC’s 'Strictly Come Dancing' prize). Zenith has also created more jobs by bringing other programmes to the region, most recently '55 Degrees North', which has been commissioned for a second BBC prime time series.
More than 400 people at the Lancastrian Suite in Gateshead heard ITV’s Nicholas Owen praise Sheila Graber’s originality, which has won awards around the world, when he said: “Perhaps an even prouder legacy is the multitude of young people who have experienced her direct encouragement”.
The moving life and death story of Northumberland’s Jonny Kennedy won two honours for independent producer Patrick Collerton. His YIPP film for Channel Four, 'The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off', won both the Network and the Independent trophies – the first time this has been achieved.
There was a fourth Best Journalism Award for BBC 'Look North'’s Chris Stewart – but this year it was shared with ITV Border’s Nick Martin. The BBC also won the Best Craft Award, for the picture editing work of John Scott Paterson.
ITV Tyne Tees carried off the Best Factual Production for 'Past Crimes', produced by Sue Drummond. Best Non-Factual was won by ITV Border for 'Raw Chefs'.
Both entries in the Non-Broadcast categories emerged from schemes created by the regional screen agency Northern Film & Media. The Best Factual Production was 'Metroland', part of the 'Film in a Week' project at Newcastle’s Live Theatre. The Best Non-Factual Production was 'I Am Dead', from Kerri Hayden & Richard Lawson, with Superkrush Productions.
Best Director was Steve Salam of Dene Films in Tyneside, which also won Most Promising Newcomer for Steven Boyle. In addition, Salam received a special trophy – the Andrea Wonfor Trophy, to commemorate the former RTS Chair and founder of Newcastle-based TV production company Liberty Bell, who died recently.
The trophy was created by glass artist Jane Charles.
(GB)