Media release: The BBC, RTÉ, TG4, France 3 and S4C among Celtic Media Festival winners

THE winners of the annual Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for excellence were announced last night in a special broadcast from Glasgow.

The 2020 Celtic Media Festival was due to take place in Quimper, France, from the 4th-6th of June, but, in line with current restrictions, the event’s ceremonial centrepiece went virtual, as the coveted Torc Awards were announced live on the Celtic Media Festival Facebook page.

Comedian, writer and presenter, Sanjeev Kohli, star of Still Game, was joined by festival director, Catriona Logan, and festival manager, Naomi Wright, in Glasgow for the first-ever live streamed ceremony in the festival’s 41-year history. BBC Two’s Two Doors Down was named best comedy, while RTÉ’s searing analysis of the Irish greyhound industry took the award for best current affairs. TG4’s Finné Sophia Murphy won for best factual series, and RTÉ Radio 1 was named, for the first time since CMF 2008, as Radio Station of the Year.

The winner of the Drama Series category, Guilt, is the first drama commission of the new BBC Scotland channel and beat off big hitters, like past winner Line of Duty. The new BBC Scotland Channel had further success with their programme, Jockey Wilson Says, winning best Sports Documentary. Stardust, a six-part podcast about the 1981 Stardust fire was the first podcast in Celtic Media Festival’s history to win best Radio Documentary.

In a brand-new category, Radio Drama, Near FM’s Petals won the coveted Torc, with judges proclaiming it one if the best things they’ve heard on radio in a very long time.

It was a particularly strong year for Celtic languages, with five winners in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, as well as strong representation for Breton, Welsh and Cornish. In a first for the event, the coveted Spirit of the Festival was won by Brittany, with France 3 Bretagne’s Yann-Fañch Kemener, Tremen En Ur Ganañ.

Celtic Media festival director, Catriona Logan, says: “The quality of the nominees and winners leaves us in no doubt as to the strength of the media sector across Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Galicia, Brittany and the Isle of Man, and the huge contribution our sector makes in defining who we are as individual nations.

“The Celtic Media Festival truly lets that individuality sing, but it also shows us much of what unites us. We look forward to sharing it all in person once again in 2021, as we prepare for Quimper and what will undoubtedly be our most eagerly awaited festival in years. Warmest congratulations to this year’s nominees and winners.”

For more, visit www.celticmediafestival.co.uk

Category- Winner- Country – Company – Broadcaster

Animation – Mémorable – BRITTANY – Vivement Lundi

Arts – Slán leis an gCeol – IRELAND – Rúnda Productions – RTÉ

Children’s – The Girl at the End of the Garden – IRELAND -Dyehouse Films

Comedy – Two Doors Down – SCOTLAND – BBC Studios BBC Two

Current affairs – Greyhounds, Running For Their Lives – IRELAND – RTÉ Investigations Unit – RTÉ

Drama series – Guilt – SCOTLAND – Happy Tramp North and Expectation – BBC Scotland and BBC Two

Entertainment – Prosiect Pum Mil – WALES – Boom Cymru – S4C

Factual entertainment – Cân i Gymru: Dathlu’r 50 – WALES – Avanti – S4C

Factual series – Finné Sophia Murphy – IRELAND – Tua Films – TG4

History – 39-45, La Bretagne Sous l’Occupation – BRITTANY – Carrément à l’Ouest Tébéo, TébéSud, TVR

Radio comedy – A Perforated Ulster – IRELAND – Hole In The Wall Productions – BBC Radio Ulster

Radio documentary – Stardust – IRELAND -TheJournal.ie Podcast – Journal.ie

Radio drama – Petals – IRELAND – Near FM – Near FM

Radio magazine show – Bladhaire – IRELAND – RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta – RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

Radio nusic – Sruth na Maoile – IRELAND -RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta / BBC Radio nan Gàidheal -RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta / BBC Radio nan Gàidheal

Radio presenter of the year – Tudur Owen – WALES – BBC Radio Cymru – BBC Radio Cymru

Radio sport – Super G: How Geraint Won the Yellow Jersey – WALES – BBC Sport Wales – BBC Radio Wales and 5Live

Radio station of the year – RTÉ Radio 1 – IRELAND – RTÉ Radio 1 – RTÉ

Short drama- Yn Mor – CORNWALL – Zoe Alker

Short form – Tremble – SCOTLAND – Scottish Ballet/Hopscotch Films

Single documentary – Nae Pasaran – SCOTLAND – Debasers Filums – BBC Scotland

Single drama – BAIT – CORNWALL – Early Day Films

Spirit of the festival – Yann-Fañch Kemener, Tremen En Ur Ganañ – BRITTANY – France 3 Bretagne – France 3 Bretagne

Sports documentary – Jocky Wilson Said – SCOTLAND – BBC Scotland Multiplatform Productions – BBC Scotland and BBC One Scotland

Notes for editors:

ABOUT THE CELTIC MEDIA FESTIVAL

* The Celtic Media Festival is supported by broadcast, film, cultural and economic development organisations throughout the Celtic countries
* The festival is an annual three-day celebration of broadcasting, film talent and excellence from Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia
* The 2020 festival was due to take place in Quimper but was postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings
* The Torc Awards for Excellence categories include Factual Series, Arts, Drama Series, Sport, Current Affairs and Radio Station of the Year. For further details, please see www.celticmediafestival.co.uk
* For more details on the history of the festival, nominees and awards categories please visit
www.celticmediafestival.co.uk
* The festival is core funded by: BBC Wales, BBC Northern Ireland, RTÉ, TG4, MG ALBA, Northern Ireland Screen, BBC Scotland, S4C, Television de Galicia, BAI, Screen Scotland.
* For enquiries email catriona@celticmediafestival.co.uk

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Contact: Celtic Media Festival

Email: catriona@celticmediafestival.co.uk