UTV shortlisted in prestigious RTS awards

UTV Live with Paul Clark and Rose Neill.
UTV Live has been shortlisted

UTV has been shortlisted in the prestigious Royal Television Society awards.

Four programmes have been nominated in two categories.

In the current affairs category Up Close: Minority Report has been shortlisted. Presented by Ali Fleming, the programme investigated the challenges faced by ethnic communities in Northern Ireland.

Also shortlisted in the same category is Up Close: An Island's Shame. For that programme Sharon O'Neill looked at the human cost behind the mother and baby homes scandal.

In the news coverage category, UTV Live and the special programme on the Ballymurphy massacre inquest ruling have been shortlisted.

Announcing the shortlist, Fiona Campbell, chair of RTS NI said: “We are delighted that our industry will once again come together in person to celebrate the amazing wealth of high-quality content that has been produced in Northern Ireland over the past 18 months, often in very challenging circumstances.

"Every year the standard gets higher and I wish all those shortlisted every success at our awards ceremony next month, where we look forward to showcasing the best programmes and the best people making a positive contribution to Northern Ireland’s creative industries.”

Zach Willis, co-founder, Ka-Boom, headline sponsor of the RTS NI Awards added: “Once again Ka-Boom is delighted to support the RTS NI Awards. It has been amazing to see the industry pull together to produce so many amazing programmes over the past two years and we look forward to recognising the best of the best at the Awards ceremony next month.”

Richard Williams, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Screen added: “Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to once again support the RTS NI Awards. The RTS is a long standing and prestigious organisation which we are proud to work alongside. The real joy of this event is that it is a rare, if not unique, opportunity for hugely diverse people and companies that make up the screen industry to celebrate their collective creative output and to see the full scale of the industry.”

Maeve McLoughlin, Chair of RTS NI Awards said: “The RTS is an educational charity dedicated to promoting the art of television. This year has seen more entries than ever before, so much so that after many happy years celebrating at the MAC, we will be moving to the spectacular Great Hall at Belfast City Hall for this awards ceremony, to recognise the extraordinary talent that is so evident in Northern Ireland’s creative industries.”

The RTS NI Programme Awards 2022 with headline sponsor Ka-Boom are delivered in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Channel 4. The Awards Ceremony will be held in Belfast City Hall on Thursday 26 May. The Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Programme Awards 2022 Finalists are: Entertainment - sponsored by NEP UK & Ireland · Nice One Productions & Fizz TV: Lightning · BBC Northern Ireland: Music Collaborations · Stellify Media: Celebrity Snoop Dogs Documentary - sponsored by Ulster Screen Academy · Alleycats: Unspoken · Fired Up Films: DeLorean: Back from the Future · Dragonfly Productions: Patrick Kielty: One Hundred Years of Union Children’s and / or Animation - sponsored by Millar McCall Wylie · Paper Owl Films: Sol · Tyrone Productions: My Life: Made to Measure · Zodiak Kids Studios: Secret Life of Boys Features and / or Factual Entertainment - sponsored by Performance Film & Media Insurance · Big Mountain Productions: Peataí · BBC Northern Ireland: Ulster by the Sea · Green Inc Film and Television: High Road, Low Road On Screen Talent in a Production · Stellify Media: Josh Jones: Fast Food Face Off · Dragonfly Film and Television & Open University: Patrick Kielty: One Hundred Years of Union · BBC Northern Ireland: Stephen Nolan Specialist Factual · Below the Radar Ltd: Colm Tóibín – On Memory’s Shore · State of Grace Films / Stray Bear Films: Different League: The Derry City Story · Fired Up Films: DeLorean: Back from the Future Scripted Comedy - sponsored by City Air Express · Green Inc Film and Television: Free Gaff · The Hole in the Wall Gang: Give My Head Peace: Christmas Special · Nice One Productions: The Paddy Raff Show Current Affairs · UTV: Up Close: Minority Report · BBC Northern Ireland: Spotlight: Undercover: Pups for Sale · UTV: Up Close: An Island's Shame Original Music Score · New Pictures Ltd: Hannah Peel: The Deceived · Studio Lambert: Three Families · World Productions: Carly Paradis: Line of Duty News Coverage · UTV: UTV Live · BBC Northern Ireland’s Political Unit: The View · UTV: UTV Live: Ballymurphy News Special Drama - sponsored by Yellowmoon · World Productions: Line of Duty · Studio Lambert: Three Families · New Pictures Ltd: Dalgliesh The Brian Waddell Award for Outstanding Contribution (to the local television and film industry in NI) sponsored by Ka-Boom will be announced on the night.