Chewing Gum, Murder In Successville and Spencer Jones win awards
- Murder In Successville won Best Entertainment Programme at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2016
- Michaela Coel's E4 sitcom Chewing Gum was named Best Scripted Programme
- Sky Arts comedy Spencer Jones's Christmas won in the Scripted Online Short category
E4 sitcom Chewing Gum, BBC Three's unique comedy format Murder In Successville and Sky Arts comedy short Spencer Jones's Christmas have won industry awards.
The results of the Broadcast Digital Awards 2016, which are organised by trade magazine Broadcast and focus on programmes broadcast on 'digital' TV channels, were announced at a ceremony in London last night.
Best Scripted Programme: Chewing Gum
Chewing Gum has already won a number of notable awards, and it has now also triumphed over Thirteen, The Aliens, Behold The Monkey, The Enfield Haunting and Alan Partridge: Mid Morning Matters to take home the Broadcast Digital Award for scripted programming.
Broadcast noted "rarely does a comedy arrive so fresh, funny and fully formed, with real swagger and confidence about what it wants to be and say."
The judges also praised creator Michaela Coel, saying: "As writer, lead performer and co-writer and singer of the theme tune, Coel's imprint was all over the series, her fourth-wall turns to camera engaging the viewer directly in every unflinching detail of a story that warmly celebrated the ups and downs of modern life. Amid all the laughs, it touched on issues of faith with rare candour and thoughtfulness, and its depiction of life on a London estate never wallowed in poverty or looked down on its characters."
The programme, which was produced by Retort, was also praised by Broadcast for acting as a "great showcase for new talent" and for attracting a diverse audience, with 24% of viewers coming from 'minority groups'.
A second series of Chewing Gum is currently in production.
Best Entertainment Programme: Murder In Successville
The hybrid BBC Three series, produced by Tiger Aspect, beat Release The Hounds, Celebrity Juice, Drunk History, Tattoo Fixers and The Moaning Of Life 2 to be named best digital entertainment programme.
The judges labelled the programme a "fantastically innovative comedy", noting the first series "generated a massive Twitter buzz and unanimously impressed the judges with its originality."
A second series is currently being released by BBC Three via the iPlayer, but talking about the first series on which the award was presented Broadcast says: "At its heart was a sterling performance from Tom Davis as DI Sleet, who perfectly married a witty script with glorious improvisation. Despite its sombre subject matter and faux-noir tone, this show was a riot and each week's celebrity sidekick would invariably break down laughing.
"That sense of fun was contagious and passed on seamlessly to the viewers - and our judges, who were unanimously impressed by its originality. One branded it the 'absolute standout programme - brave, witty and funny'."
Best Scripted Online Short: Spencer Jones's Christmas
Spencer Jones's Christmas, which was one of the Sky Comedy Christmas Shorts, won in this category ahead of fellow nominees Extemists, Nick Helm: Elephant, Is This Thing On?, Lolly Adefope's Christmas and Sleeping Lions.
The 10 minute short, which was written by and stars Spencer Jones, tells the story of a man who must improvise some festive decorations and presents from purchases made last minute at a hardware store.
The judges said "Most notable was the project's quirky reliance on almost silent, physical comedy, which gave the short a distinctive feel. The project was shot in two days with a stripped-back crew, using innovative production techniques."
Judges described the "warm-hearted farce" as "utterly hilarious and brilliantly executed."
Broadcast reports: "Our judges were convinced that Spencer Jones's warm-hearted farce was the strongest [nominee], and it prompted effusive praise."