Sir Michael Palin, Anna Friel and David Morrissey are among the talent shortlisted for the RTS North West Awards 2026, with Brassic, G’wed, Small Prophets and Unforgivable among the programmes recognised.
The Royal Television Society’s regional awards span 24 categories, covering drama, comedy, factual, entertainment, children’s programming, news and sport, alongside writing, performance and post-production.
Visual podcasts have been eligible for Best Digital Content for the first time this year, with Stick to Football shortlisted alongside I’d Do Anything for Hollyoaks, Solve The Story and Truth or Dare.
READ MORE: Beleaguered BBC told to rethink overseas TV bidding wars as MPs warn of ‘managed decline’
Small Prophets has nominations for Best Comedy Programme and Best Script Writer for Mackenzie Crook, while Palin, Pearce Quigley and Lauren Patel are all shortlisted for Best Performance in a Comedy.
Patel also features in the Caroline Aherne Award for Best Breakthrough Talent category, alongside Austin Haynes for Unforgivable, Evie Ward-Drummond for G’wed and Jackson Connor for Tip Toe.
LA Productions’ Unforgivable is nominated for Best Drama, with Anna Friel and Bobby Schofield recognised in the performance category and Jimmy McGovern shortlisted for Best Script Writer.
It faces competition for Best Drama from Special Measures, Tip Toe and Waiting for the Out. David Morrissey is nominated for his performance in Tip Toe, while Josh Finan is recognised for Waiting for the Out and Sue Johnston for Big Winners.
The writing shortlist also includes Russell T Davies for Tip Toe, Lee Thompson for Special Measures and Martha Watson Allpress for Big Winners.
Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Waterloo Road feature in the continuing drama categories, while BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports will compete for Best Regional News Programme.
Cameron Roach, chair of RTS North West, said: “The strength and breadth of this year’s nominations is a brilliant reflection of the television being made across the North West and the extraordinary talent behind it. From some of the UK’s most established names to the next generation of breakthrough talent, these Awards are about celebrating the people and productions that make this region such an important part of our television industry.
“We’re particularly pleased to recognise visual podcasts for the first time this year, reflecting how quickly our industry continues to evolve and the exciting new forms of content being created here.”
Pam Cavannagh, chair of judges for the RTS North West Awards, added: “The quality of entries this year made judging no easy task. What really stood out was the range of work being produced across the region, from powerful drama and current affairs to comedy, children’s programming, digital content and exceptional craft.
“Congratulations to everyone nominated. Reaching the shortlist is a fantastic achievement and testament to the creativity and talent working across the North West.”
The winners will be announced on Friday, November 20 at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, with more than 600 figures from across the television industry expected to attend.
The full shortlist is below.
RTS North West Awards 2026 nominations
Best Audio Post Production
- Brassic — Post Production Audio Team, Core Post
- Lazarus — Mark Briscoe, Home Post Production
- My Brother the Minotaur — Neil Haggerty, Home Post Production
- Tip Toe — Mark Briscoe and Home Post Production Sound Team
The Caroline Aherne Award for Best Breakthrough Talent
- Austin Haynes — Unforgivable, LA Productions
- Evie Ward-Drummond — G’wed, Golden Path Productions
- Jackson Connor — Tip Toe, Quay Street Productions
- Lauren Patel — Small Prophets, Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
Best Comedy Programme
- Brassic — Calamity Films
- Daddy Issues — Fudge Park Productions
- G’wed — Golden Path Productions
- Small Prophets — Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
Best Continuing Drama Storyline
- Cleo’s Postpartum Psychosis — Hollyoaks
- Diane’s Ovarian Cancer — Hollyoaks
- The Grooming of Portia Weever — Waterloo Road
- Theo’s Abuse of Todd — Coronation Street
Best Current Affairs Programme
- Our Girls: The Southport Families — BBC Breakfast
- Panorama: Undercover Estate Agent — Nine Lives Media
- Shock Treatment: The Gay Therapy Scandal — BBC England Longform Investigations Unit
Best Daytime Programme
- Countdown — Lifted Entertainment
- Lost and Found in the Lakes — Tŷ’r Ddraig
- Riddiculous — Whisper North
- Rip Off Britain — BBC Studios
- The Film I’ll Never See — ITV Signpost / Untruth
Best Digital Content
- I’d Do Anything for Hollyoaks — Lime Pictures for Channel 4 / 4Studio
- Solve The Story — Brickwall / BBC
- Stick to Football — The Overlap
- Truth or Dare — Twins Incorporated
Best Drama
- Special Measures — LA Productions
- Tip Toe — Quay Street Productions
- Unforgivable — LA Productions
- Waiting for the Out — Sister Pictures
Best Entertainment and Reality Programme
- 22 Kids and Counting — Lion Television
- Christmas University Challenge — Lifted Entertainment
- Teen Mom UK — True North Productions
- The Real Housewives of Cheshire — Monkey Kingdom
Best Factual Entertainment and Features Programme
- Four in a Bed — Studio Lambert North
- Morning Live, Wild About Nature — BBC Studios
- Rob Brydon’s Honky Tonk Road Trip — Salamanda Media
Best Factual Series
- Ambulance — Dragonfly Film and Television Production
- Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures — Dragonfly Film and Television Production
- Sandi Toksvig’s Hidden Wonders — Salamanda Media
- Trauma Room One — Renegade Stories
Best Inclusive Practice: For Programmes with DDN Contribution
- Countdown — Lifted Entertainment
- Hollyoaks — Lime Pictures
- The Film I’ll Never See — ITV Signpost / Untruth
- Waterloo Road — Rope Ladder Fiction / Wall To Wall
Best Journalist in the North West
- Emma Sweeney — ITV Granada Reports
- Mike Hall — ITV Granada Reports
- Phil McCann — BBC North West Tonight
- Victoria Grimes — ITV Granada Reports
Best Performance in a Comedy
- Dylan Thomas-Smith — G’wed, Golden Path Productions
- Lauren Patel — Small Prophets, Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
- Pearce Quigley — Small Prophets, Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
- Sir Michael Palin — Small Prophets, Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
Best Performance in a Continuing Drama
- Alex Fletcher — Hollyoaks, Lime Pictures
- Jon Richardson — Waterloo Road, Rope Ladder Fiction / Wall To Wall
- Lindsey Coulson — Waterloo Road, Rope Ladder Fiction / Wall To Wall
- Nadine Mulkerrin — Hollyoaks, Lime Pictures
Best Performance in a Drama
- Anna Friel — Unforgivable, LA Productions
- Bobby Schofield — Unforgivable, LA Productions
- David Morrissey — Tip Toe, Quay Street Productions
- Josh Finan — Waiting for the Out, Sister Pictures
- Sue Johnston — Big Winners, LA Productions
Best Pre-School Children’s Programme
- BooSnoo! Halloween — Visionality & Mackinnon and Saunders
- CBeebies Musical: The Great Ice Cream Hunt — BBC Studios
- CBeebies Panto: Cinderella — BBC Studios
- Hey AJ! – Knot Today — Surfing Giant Europe
- I Spy, You Spy — Tiny House / Nest Productions
Best Presenter
- Caroline Whitmore — ITV Granada Reports
- Helen Skelton — Morning Live
- Roger Johnson — BBC North West Tonight
- Sally Nugent — BBC Breakfast
Best Regional News Programme
- BBC North West Tonight
- ITV Granada Reports
Best School-Age Children’s Programme
- BBC Live Lessons – Safer Internet Day — CTVC / BBC
- Blue Peter – Racing Challenge — BBC Studios
- Dexter Procter: The 10-Year-Old Doctor — Various Artists Limited
- Girl Troop vs Aliens — Lime Pictures
Best Script Writer
- Jimmy McGovern — Unforgivable, LA Productions
- Lee Thompson — Special Measures, LA Productions
- Mackenzie Crook — Small Prophets, Treasure Trove Productions & Blue House Productions
- Martha Watson Allpress — Big Winners, LA Productions
- Russell T Davies — Tip Toe, Quay Street Productions
Best Single Documentary
- Our Girls: The Southport Families — BBC Breakfast
- The Corinthians: We Were the Champions — Films Not Words
- The Film I’ll Never See — ITV Signpost / Untruth
- The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son — Workerbee
Best Sports Programme
- Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage and Me — BBC Breakfast & BBC Sport
- The Corinthians: We Were the Champions — Films Not Words
- The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son — Workerbee
- The Vault – Treasures of the Olympics — BBC Studios Documentary Unit for Olympic Channel
Best Visual Post Production
- Brassic — Core Post & Digital Imaging Effects
- Lazarus — Editor, David Fisher
- Tip Toe — Editor, Tim Hodges
- Tip Toe — VFX Team, Space Digital
