Whilst the news cycle was filled with stories emanating from the slap that was apparently felt worldwide, on Monday, in Britain, we were handing out a few awards of our own. BAFTA award-winning comedian Mo Gilligan and Munya Chawawa, two of my favourite comedians, came away winners on the night.
RTS Programme Awards 2022
Whilst not as fancy as the Oscars, the RTS Awards are the gold standard of achievement in the television industry. From drama to history, children’s fiction to comedy, RTS programme awards span all genres of TV programming. The awards recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, and the programmes themselves.
Award for Entertainment Programme
The Award for Entertainment Programme went to Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast hosted by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The show was a one-off special edition as part of Channel 4’s Black to Front day, which saw the channel broadcast Black lead programmes for 24 hours.
The judges said the show “felt both joyful and timely, with a special chemistry all of its own.”
Entertainment Performance Award
The Big Breakfast stars also won awards for Entertainment Performance. The judges said Mo and AJ were: “Playful and generous, funny and warm.”
In his acceptance speech, Mo praised co-host AJ, saying AJ was one of the best in the business and that if she didn’t get her own show, he would have to go into some offices and start Will Smithing people. Watch the clip below.
Comedy Entertainment Award
Mo won his third award of the night for The Lateish Show, with Mo Gilligan in the Comedy Entertainment category.
Presented by Mo, the late-night chat show is a mix of free flowing conversation with celebrity guests and performances by Mo and guests.
The judges said the show “has a real sense of occasion, and is full of brilliantly entertaining format beats.”
Presenter Award
Comedian Munya Chawawa won an award for his YouTube original series, Race Around Britain. In the series, Munya goes on a road trip around Britain with guests to highlight racial ignorance.
The judges said Munya “skilfully unpacks serious points with a light and mischievous touch, making tricky subject matter really accessible.”
Watch the video below where Munya accepts his award.
If you haven’t seen Munya’s race around Britain series, you can watch it below or check it out on YouTube.
Leave a Reply