Edinburgh TV Awards 2019 open for entries

Mo Gilligan has been announced as the host of the Edinburgh TV Awards 2019.

The awards, which take place at the end of the Edinburgh TV Festival in August, has been running for 18 years. They aim to "recognise outstanding talent, and celebrate the incredible breadth of genres and creativity that broadcasters and production companies produce year after year."

At the TV Awards ceremony on Thursday 22nd August, Gilligan will announce to delegates the winners of categories including Channel of the Year and Production Company of the Year. This year, for the first time, there will be additional categories to recognise the importance of online content as well as smaller production companies. Categories include Small Indie of the Year, UK Broadcaster VOD of the Year, and Online Channel of the Year.

Gilligan, who was recently named as the funniest man in Britain by The Times, has now co-hosted two series of The Big Narstie Show for Channel 4 (produced by Expectation Entertainment and Dice Entertainment), which recently won an RTS award for Entertainment Performance and has also been nominated in the Best Comedy Entertainment Programme category at BAFTA.

This summer will see him front Mo's Show a new six-part Channel 4 series built around his stand-up, strands and sketches, in front of a studio audience. The show is being created with Expectation Entertainment, alongside his own company Momo G.

Talking about being announced as the host of the Edinburgh TV Awards, the comedian says: "I'm proud to host the Edinburgh TV Awards this year and excited to help celebrate the industry's exceptional talent."

The deadline for first round entries for all categories is midday on Friday 10th May 2019. Production companies can enter at thetvfestival.com

Advisory Chair, and Deputy Director of Programmes, Channel 4, Kelly Webb-Lamb comments: "Mo's the funniest man around - a breakthrough talent with quick-fire wit, buckets of charisma and skinny jeans to boot. There's no-one better to host this year's awards. Prepare for a gentle roasting and not-so-gentle rib ache."

As a Festival and a charity, the Edinburgh Television Festival is committed to helping young people from all backgrounds gain access to the TV Industry. It runs two young talent schemes, Ones to Watch and The Network. Both schemes aim to ensure that the people working in television are as diverse as the audience watching it.