Best Scripted Programme Shortlisted


Him & Her Big Talk Productions for BBC Three Him & Her has quickly established itself as one of BBC Three’s flagship shows. With brilliant cen- tral performances by Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani, it was a huge hit once the HD simul- cast, BBC Three late-night repeat and digital views via iPlayer were added together, topping 2.1 million across the week for the first episode.


PhoneShop Retort for E4 E4’s urban comedy is set on the less-than- glamorous Sutton High Street – and sounds like very little else on TV as a result. Phil Bow- ker’s razor-sharp ear for dialogue and improvi- sation from the cast helped deliver an even more distinctive show, which attracted more than 21,000 tweets and peaked with a youth- ful audience of almost half a million.


Stella Tidy Productions for Sky 1


“ I


love it,” said one judge of the first series of Ruth Jones’ acclaimed comedy drama. “It’s touching and


warm, it’s entirely believable, it’s hilari- ous and it features a very strong cast. In short, it does everything that a comedy drama should do.” The judges applauded the fact that it


manages to be “both very funny and very real”, and praised the “seamless transition between its darker scenes and its more outrageously funny ones”, suggesting it shares the best elements of comedy hits including Modern Family and Shameless. They also noted Jones’ strong central


performance. “What I particularly like is I forgot I was watching Ruth Jones,” said one. “It’s brilliantly written and all the characters are so well drawn that it had me convinced this place really does exist.” Jones conceived Stella as a sitcom but


was encouraged to broaden it by Sky director of programmes Stuart Murphy, with whom she had worked on BBC Three breakthrough hit Gavin And Stacey, which she co-wrote with James Corden.


18 | Broadcast Digital Awards | 22 June 2012 Shot in the Welsh Valleys over 20


weeks last year, and post-produced at Cardiff-based post house Gorilla, Stella’s production employed more than 100 local people and featured appear- ances from Welsh celebrities such as rugby stars Shane Williams and Mike


‘It’s touching and warm, it’s believable, it’s hilarious… in short, it does everything


a comedy drama should do’ Awards judge


Phillips – and even former Labour leader Neil Kinnock. But Jones’ writing has a universal


appeal. Stella debuted on 1.4 million – the second-biggest multichannel comedy launch to date, according to Sky – and pulled in an average consolidated audience of 1.2 million over its 10-part run, more than half of which came from catch-up viewing. Jones is now hard at work on series two following a swift recommission.


www.broadcastnow.co.uk


Pramface BBC Three “Charming and genuinely funny,” said our judges of this new BBC Three sitcom, noting strong lead performances from Scarlett Alice Johnson and Sean Verey. They also admired its visuals, with one pointing out “the palette of bright colours it dips into”.


Strike Back Left Bank Pictures for Sky 1/HBO An injection of US cash helped take this action drama to the next level. “It knows what its audience wants and delivers every time,” said our judges. One added: “Compared with a lot of British drama, this looks top-end. It has a movie quality.”


Highly Commended


Holy Flying Circus Hillbilly Films/Talkback Thames for BBC Four BBC Four departed from its standard approach to showbiz biopics with this everything-but-the- kitchen-sink take on the controversy over Monty Python’s Life Of Brian. Self-consciously using Pythonesque techniques, it succeeded fabulously, with strong performances all round. “Didn’t put a foot wrong,” said one judge.


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