BBC One drama Three Girls, which told the story of the Rochdale sex abuse scandal, picked up two awards at the RTS Awards last night.
The drama, which examined the way girls were groomed, ignored by authorities and how their abuse story eventually came out, won best mini-series and best writer in the drama categories.
Three Girls was made by BBC Studios in association with Studio Lambert and starred Maxine Peake, Lisa Riley and Lesley Sharp
Elsewhere, screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, who started his TV career on the soap Brookside, won a lifetime achievement award for a body of work that includes the drama-documentaries Hillsborough and Accused.
Coronation Street picked up the Best Soap prize, beating off competition from EastEnders and Holby City. The soap has presented a number of dark, hard-hitting storylines in recent months and received praise from critics and viewers.
The RTS judges congratulated the soap’s team for making a “grounded, confident and utterly believable drama”.
BBC Three’s This Country, a sitcom following the lives of two young people in a small Cotswolds village, was the big winner of the night, with creators and stars Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper picking up the Best Scripted Comedy, Best Comedy Performance and Best Writer – Comedy awards.
All in all, the BBC scooped 17 awards for its programmes and talent, and won the coveted RTS Channel of the Year award. BBC Sport’s Michael Johnson took the title of Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit for his work on the World Athletics Championships, BBC One and BBC Two.
