Nominations announced for the RTS Programme Awards 2024, in partnership with Cast & Crew

The nominations have this week been announced for the RTS Programme Awards 2024, which is this year headline sponsored for the first time by Cast & Crew, the leading global provider of software and payroll services for the entertainment industry and parent company of Sargent-Disc.


Shortlisted nominees across all 30 categories were revealed by presenter Gaby Roslin on Thursday 7th March 2024, via a broadcast on the RTS website and YouTube channel.


Watch again here.


The BBC leads the charge this year with 51 nominations, in particular dominating with its drama output. Four nominations apiece have gone to hard-hitting true crime story The Sixth Commandment and comedy thriller series Black Ops, and the PSB has also scored three nominations in the Limited Series category for Best Interests, Boiling Point and The Sixth Commandment.


The BBC also owns all three nominations for the Breakthrough Award: Ashley Thomas (Great Expectations), Hamza Yassin (Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey) and Lucy Edwards (Japan – The Way I See It – The Travel Show).


Channel 4 received a total of 17 nominations, with popular comedy drama Big Boys recognised across Comedy Drama, Comedy Performance – Male (Jon Pointing) and Writer – Comedy (Jack Rooke).


Meanwhile, Disney+ has scored its first RTS Programme Award nominations with superhero comedy Extraordinary featured in both the Scripted Comedy and Comedy Performance – Female (Máiréad Tyers) categories.


The Leading Actor – Female category sees Jodie Whittaker and Tamara Lawrance nominated for Time (BBC), alongside Sarah Lancashire for Happy Valley (BBC). In the Leading Actor – Male category, Kane Robinson is nominated for Top Boy (Netflix), Gary Oldman for Slow Horses (Apple TV+) and Timothy Spall for The Sixth Commandment (BBC).


Laurence Sargent, Co-Head International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Director says: “After eight years as an RTS Major Patron, Sargent-Disc is extremely proud that 2024 marks the new chapter of headline sponsorship from our parent company Cast & Crew, a global business with established links to companies across the UK industry who are producing world-class content. We congratulate all the 2024 nominees and look forward to celebrating their excellence on the night.”


Kenton Allen, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards, said: “2023 was an outstanding year for UK creativity, and the nominations we have announced today highlight the breadth of genre-defining, exceptional programming that British audiences have enjoyed over the last 12 months. Despite the unpredictable times our industry currently faces, we at the RTS welcome the opportunity to come together as a creative community and celebrate the hard work and incredible talent, on and off camera, that makes sensational shows for audiences here and on the global stage.”


The RTS Programme Awards in partnership with Cast & Crew will take place on Tuesday 26th March at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London, hosted by comedian Tom Allen.


View the full list of nominations here.

2024 NFTS Graduation – celebrating the achievements of up and coming filmmakers

The annual National Film and Television School (NFTS) Graduation ceremony, sponsored by BBC Studios, took place on Friday 23rd February at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square. The celebration not only recognises and celebrates the successes of the graduating students, but also offers them the chance to forge connections for their future careers with screen industry members.  

Emma Wilford, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sargent-Disc, attended the ceremony as a proud sponsor of three NFTS students (two Production Management Diploma students and one Production Accounting student [John Sargent Scholarship]). These serve as a key element of Sargent-Disc’s work to recognise the efforts of the NFTS and its students in achieving excellence.

Sargent-Disc Award winners

Each year at the ceremony, a number of students are chosen by key NFTS industry partners Sargent-Disc, Avid, Christie, IOSH and Panalux to recognise outstanding levels of achievement.  

The 2024 Sargent-Disc Awards went to two Production Management Diploma graduates. Helena Hunt and Carl Mason received a Final Draft software licence as well as £500 each.

Helena production managed a large and very diverse set of projects ranging from a Documentary shot in America, to Animation projects and a Children’s TV musical extravaganza. She also took on a demanding Fiction project called Resort, filmed in Spain and which required weeks of budget preparation with the Producer and meetings with crew members.

Carl showed a high level of commitment to production management throughout the course, working on over eight graduation films across a wide range of genres from animation to international documentaries filmed in Australia, California and across the USA, as well as a challenging period fiction film shot on location. Carl stepped up to every challenge with conviction and courage to ensure his teams had the resources and support needed to make the best possible films safely, on budget and on schedule.

Dr. Laurence Sargent commented, “The students graduating from the NFTS today are the future of our industry. Their hard work, skill and creativity are critical to its ongoing success. Sargent-Disc is proud to support this year’s Production Managers with awards in addition to providing an annual scholarship for two Production Management students. We wish them every success as they embark on their careers.” 

Left to Right: Carl Mason, Emma Wilford and Helena Hunt
Photo Credit: National Film and Television School

NFTS Honorary Fellowship

In recognition of the exceptional contribution they have made to the film industry, Production Design legends Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer were awarded the impressive Honorary Fellowship. Not only have the pair been nominated for a total of seven Oscars, most recently for their work on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, they were also celebrated for their efforts to nurture emerging filmmakers.

Honorary Fellowship recipients Katie Spencer and Sarah Greenwood
Photo Credit: National Film and Television School

For more information about the NFTS, click here.

Sargent-Disc celebrates International Men’s Day

This November, Sargent-Disc celebrated International Men’s Day, an occasion celebrating the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. Positive role models and awareness of men’s well-being is highlighted with the theme for 2023 being “ZERO MALE SUICIDE”. Together we can stop male suicide.

To mark the occasion, the team held a table tennis competition at the office over several days with the ‘best-of-three’ full games played (each game the first to reach a score of 21 points) to be the winner.

Winners

  • 1st place: Logan – won the first game 21-12 and the third game 21-8.
  • 2nd place: Scott – won the second game 21-17.
  • Runners-up: Paul & Deborah.
Left to right: Scott and Logan

Alongside the competition, there was some information displayed in the communal areas around the theme and celebrated male figures such as Winston Churchill, David Beckham and the creator of penicillin, Alexander Flemming. An array of doughnuts were also put out for the team to enjoy!

Cast & Crew named new headline sponsor of RTS Programme Awards

Cast & Crew, the international provider of software and tech-driven services to the entertainment production industry, has been named the new headline sponsor of the RTS Programme Awards.


The company has signed a three-year deal with the Royal Television Society to become lead sponsor for the annual event in 2024, 2025 and 2026, as part of its increased support for the UK television sector.


“Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company, has been a Major Patron of the Royal Television Society for eight years now,” says Dr Laurence Sargent, Co-Head International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Director.


“During that time, we’ve provided long-term support for the Society’s important work, including its excellent awards ceremonies and other important events connected to its new industry entrants schemes, including RTS Futures and RTS Bursary Scholarships.


“We are delighted to now be able to significantly elevate our relationship with the RTS by confirming Cast & Crew as the new headline sponsor of the RTS Programme Awards.


“This annual ceremony is one of the most prestigious awards events in the UK television industry. It has maintained consistent respect within the British production community throughout its long heritage. For almost 50 years, it has recognised the best in television talent, starting out with just seven categories in 1975 and growing to encompass 30 categories today.


“As a global company with established business links across the UK television industry, Cast & Crew is extremely proud to be the new headline sponsor of the RTS Programme Awards for the coming three years. We’re particularly excited that this period will include the Awards’ half-centenary milestone in 2025. We look forward to this new chapter of Cast & Crew supporting the celebration of UK television industry talent.”


“We’re delighted to welcome Cast & Crew on board as the new headline sponsor for the RTS Programme Awards in 2024, 2025 and 2026,” says Theresa Wise, CEO of the Royal Television Society.


“Their support will enable us to continue to deliver our prestigious awards ceremony and dinner each year, ensuring that we continue to do justice to the outstanding work of future nominees and winners being recognised. We thank Cast & Crew for coming on board; we couldn’t do it without their support.”


An educational charity promoting the art and science of television, the Royal Television Society (RTS) is the oldest television society in the world. It was originally founded in 1927 before being granted Royal status in 1966. The RTS Programme Awards span all genres of television programming, from drama to music, soaps to natural history, children’s fiction to comedy performance.


They recognise exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as the programmes themselves.


The awards are attended by more than 1,000 senior UK and international industry professionals each year, including leading UK broadcasters BBC, ITV and C4, international streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV, major studios including NBC Universal and Sony and top production companies such as All3Media, Shine Group, Endemol UK, IMG Sports Media and Fremantle Media.


The 2023 RTS Programme Awards hosted by Tom Allen took place on 28 March. Winners included Kate Winslet, (Leading Actor – Female for I Am Ruth, Channel 4), Kit Connor (Leading Actor – Male for Heartstopper, Netflix), Sherwood (Drama Series Award, House Production for the BBC), Dodger (Children’s Drama Award, Universal International Studios for CBBC) and Brassic (Comedy Drama, Calamity Films for Sky Max).


The Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2024 in partnership with Cast & Crew will take place at Grosvenor House, London, on 26 March 2024.

BBC and Channel 4 Reign Supreme at Edinburgh TV Awards

The Edinburgh TV Awards, sponsored by Cast & Crew, took place yesterday on the final evening of the 2023 Edinburgh TV Festival with the BBC and Channel 4 leading the wins. Hosted by stand-up comedian, actor, writer and musician Jordan Gray, the awards celebrated the incredible range of creativity and excellence of the UK and international TV industry. In a year that saw huge drama launches, big farewells and welcomed genre busting non-scripted formats, it has definitely been a year of TV to remember and the awards last night reflected that.

Dr Laurence Sargent, Co Head International, Cast & Cast and Director Sargent-Disc, presented the Best Drama Award to the BBC for Happy Valley, created, written and directed by the phenomenally talented Sally Wainright.

Dr Laurence Sargent presents the Best Drama Award
Sally Wainwright received the Best Drama Award

BBC COO, Charlotte Moore, was presented with the Channel of the Year award by Jury President, Mobeen Azhar. The BBC had a successful night with additional wins including Best Entertainment Series which went to The Traitors, Breakthrough Presenter to Ellie Simmonds (Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism?), and Best Entertainment TV Presenter for Graham Norton (The Graham Norton Show).

Claudia Winkleman was presented with this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award for her contribution to some of the most popular TV shows. These include non-scripted hits The Piano from Channel 4 and the BBC’s The Traitors alongside the hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing from the BBC.

Claudia Winkleman receives the Outstanding Achievement Award

2023 Edinburgh TV Awards Winners:

CATEGORY
WINNER
Best TV Actor – Comedy
Jamie Demetriou
Best TV Actor – Drama
Kate Winslet
Best TV Presenter – Factual
Ramita Navai
Best TV Presenter – Entertainment
Graham Norton
Breakthrough Actor
Lewis Gribben
Breakthrough Presenter
Ellie Simmonds
Best Comedy Series
Derry Girls
Best Documentary
Children of the Taliban
Best Drama
Happy Valley
Best Entertainment Series
The Traitors
Best International Drama
Succession
Best Popular Factual Series
Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard
Climate Impact Award
Guy Martin’s Great British Power Trip
Production Company of the Year
Dancing Ledge Productions
Production Group of the Year
STV Studios
Small Indie of the Year
Afro-Mic Production
Best On Demand Service
ITVX
Channel of the Year
BBC One
Ones to Watch Random Acts Live Pitch
TBC
Outstanding Achievement Award
Claudia Winkleman
TV Moment of the Year
Dr Who Regenerates

 For the full list of nominees and more information about the awards, visit the Edinburgh TV Festival website.