Cast & Crew backs British TV excellence at 2024 RTS Programme Awards

It was a glittering evening for the Sargent-Disc team on 26th March at the 2024 RTS Programme Awards, the first edition of the prestigious event to be presented in partnership with Cast & Crew, its new headline sponsor.

Hosted by comedian Tom Allen, the illustrious ceremony took place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London. A host of notable screen talent was in attendance including Hannah Waddingham, Bella Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker, Gabby Roslin, Noel Fielding, Chris Packham, Stacey Solomon, Joe Swash, Mark Gatiss, Susanna Reid, Romesh Ranganathan, Kane Robinson and Siobhán McSweeney.

Laurence and Lara Sargent (Co Heads of International and Co Directors Sargent-Disc), John Berkley (CEO, Cast & Crew), Jeff Caruso (SVP and Head of Sales & Marketing FTVS, Cast & Crew) and Andrew Jablonski (VP East Coast and International Sales, Cast & Crew) were joined on the Cast & Crew table by a number of close colleagues and partners from across the UK industry.

Yet again the Awards showcased the world-class talent evident across all genres in British television. The BBC took home the most accolades overall, scoring 21 wins across the 30 categories. Hard-hitting drama The Sixth Commandment (Wild Mercury Productions and True Vision) was the most successful programme of the night, taking home awards for Limited Series, Supporting Actor – Male (Éanna Hardwicke) and Writer – Drama (Sarah Phelps). Judges describe the series as “pitch perfect, with exquisite performances and first-class writing.”

The team behind The Sixth Commandment
Photo credit: RTS/Richard Kendal

In the Drama series category, Happy Valley (Lookout Point/AMC for BBC) took home the award with Judges describing it as “game changing, top-of-the-class drama…sometimes operatic in scale, but attentive to the tiniest detail.” Meanwhile, Partygate(Halcyons Heart Films for Channel 4) took home the award for Single Drama.

Leading Actor awards went to Tamara Lawrance for the BBC’s Time and Kane Robinson for Netflix’s Top Boy. Elsewhere Netflix also picked up the Entertainment award for Squid Game: The Challenge and the Science & the Natural World award for Chimp Empire. Disney+ won its first RTS Programme Award in the Scripted Comedy category for Extraordinary, produced by Sid Gentle Films.

The 2024 Judges’ Award went to ITV’s ground-breaking series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, “for shining a light on the human stories of the real people caught in a living nightmare, and the incredible audience reaction to the series which provoked the government to take action.” Earlier this month, ITV Studios’ Director of Production, Drama, Julie Clark spoke about the success of the show in a special interview with Sargent-Disc to mark International Women’s Day (add link).

The team behind Mr Bates vs The Post Office - winners of the 2024 Judges' Award
Photo credit: RTS/Richard Kendal

The 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award went to renowned producer Stephen Lambert, whose career was recognised for “creating genre-defining formats that have travelled and been reproduced all over the world”. 

Stephen Lambert, winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award
Photo credit: RTS/Richard Kendal

Finally, the RTS also presented the Gold Medal, one of its most prestigious accolades, to broadcaster and producer Dame Esther Rantzen, whose daughter collected the award on her behalf, relaying Dame Rantzen’s words of acceptance that were delivered in her distinctive, inimitable style.

Dame Esther Rantzen, winner of the Gold Medal
Photo credit: RTS/Richard Kendal

Lara Sargent, Co-Head International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Co-Director says: “What an incredible evening! To see such sensitively made and powerful dramas as Mr Bates Versus the Post Office and The Sixth Commandment recognised by the Judges particularly underlines the power of programme-making, in terms of accountability and creating change in today’s society.

“We are delighted that our parent company Cast & Crew is the new headline sponsor for the RTS Programme Awards. Sargent-Disc is proud to play its part in this increased support for the UK television sector. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees who had a hand in producing the world-class content showcased tonight.”

Kenton Allen, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards, said: “Amidst rigorous deliberations by the juries, the winners stand as testament to their unwavering merit. Here’s to acknowledging the achievements of all involved – a reflection of an industry poised for continued innovation and impact in the UK and around the world.”

View the full list of winners and awards gallery here

Header image photo credit: Photo credit: RTS/Richard Kendal

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.