Category: TV Ent; BBC THREE
Date: 07.05.2005
Printable version
The BBC swept the board at the prestigious Rose D'Or television festival in Lucerne, Switzerland this weekend with the comedy Little Britain scoring a double success.
Matt Lucas and David Walliams were awarded Golden Roses for Best Comedy and Best Male Comedy Performance, hard on the heels of two TV Baftas last month.
And there were more triumphs for a raft of BBC entertainment and comedy shows.
The dark comedy drama Nighty Night won a Golden Rose for Best Sitcom. Nighty Night was written for BBC THREE and BBC TWO by Julia Davis, who also heads the cast, and made by production company Baby Cow.
BBC ONE's Saturday night hit Strictly Come Dancing beat off stiff competition to take the Golden Rose in the Variety category.
Karen Smith is Executive Producer for the show, a BBC Format Entertainment production.
BBC THREE's Flashmob - The Opera, the first time ever that opera came live to the channel and performed at London's Paddington station, won the Music category.
Zoe Wanamaker picked up a Golden Rose award for Best Female Performance - Sitcom for her role as Susan Harper in the BBC1 comedy My Family, produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions.
Test the Nation: The Great British Test, a Talent Television Production for BBC ONE with Eyeworks, won the top award in the Game Show category. The show also won the FRAPA Game Show Format Award.
Jana Bennett, Director, BBC Television, said: "It's wonderful to see some of the BBC's new breakthrough shows in comedy and entertainment and the totally original Flashmob - The Opera getting international recognition as outstanding programmes.
"It truly demonstrates the value of backing new ideas, whether on BBC THREE or Saturday nights on BBC ONE.
"Congratulations to all the talented presenters, writers and producers who created these shows."
Stuart Murphy, Controller, BBC THREE, said: "We're delighted that BBC THREE has come up smelling of roses with prestigious international recognition for Flashmob, Nighty Night and Little Britain.
"You can't get more of an eclectic mix of success than a show featuring an evil surburban murderess, a live surprise opera in a London train station and two blokes in funny women's dresses.
"It's great that our constant drive for creativity has paid off handsomely."
Jane Lush, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning, said: "This was a fantastic night for the BBC - our best result in years with an incredible range of shows from both entertainment and comedy.
"We enjoyed an unprecedented number of nominations this year, demonstrating the innovative range of our programming and outstanding quality of our output.
"We are returning home weighed down with awards thanks to brilliant talent and skills both on and off screen."
