Guild Award winners
The winners of the 2008 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at BAFTA in London hosted by Jeremy Hardy. A packed auditorium saw thirteen awards presented by guests including Leslie Phillips, Rita Tushingham, James Fox and Timothy West.
The loudest ovation of the night came when keyboard legend and devoted Dad's Army fan Rick Wakeman handed the Lifetime Achievement Award to long-standing Guild Members David Croft and Jimmy Perry.
Best Short Form TV Drama - Gwyneth Hughes (Miss Austen Regrets)
Also shortisted:
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Tony Basgallop - Hughie Green, Most Sincerely
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Sarah Williams - Poppy Shakespeare (based on a novel by Clare Allan)
Best Soap / Continuing Drama Series - The writers of The Bill, season 23
Geoff McQueen (series deviser), Richard Ommanney, Neil Clarke, Steve Griffiths, Emma Goodwin, Julian Perkins, Steve Attridge, Clive Dawson, Peter G. Morgan, Andrew Taft, Chris Murray, Tom Higgins, Julia Wall, Maxwell Young, Jane Marlow, Sally Tatchell, Si Spencer, Matthew Bardsley, Jonathan Rich, Matthew Leys, James Hall, Chris Murray, Stuart Morris, Nicholas McInerny, Chris Ould, Alan Pollock, Simon Moss, Nicholas Martin, Scott Cherry, Doug Milburn, Steve Trafford, Stephanie Lloyd Jones, Steve Baillie, Frank Rickarby, Andrew Alty, Will Shindler, Chris Dunn, Sarah-Louise Hawkins, Len Collin, Gregory Evans, Tom Needham, Patrick Homes
Also shortlisted:
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The writers of Holby City
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The writers of Hollyoaks
Best TV Drama Series - Heidi Thomas (Cranford)
Also shortlisted:
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Clive Bradley and Peter Harness - City of Vice
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Mick Ford, Matthew Graham, Mark Greig, Ashley Pharoah and Julie Rutterford - Ashes to Ashes
Best TV Comedy / Light Entertainment - James Corden and Ruth Jones (Gavin and Stacey, Series 2)
Also shortlisted:
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Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin - Outnumbered
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Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain – Peep Show, Series 5
Best Play (Theatre) - Lucinda Coxon (Happy Now?)
Also shortlisted:
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Levi David Addai - Oxford Street
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Martin Crimp - The City
Best Play for Children and Young People (Theatre) - Mike Kenny (Electric Darkness)
Also shortlisted:
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John Moorhouse - Fly Away Peter
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Neil Duffield – Small Fry
Best Screenplay (Feature Film) - Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, based on the book by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Also shortlisted:
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Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
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Matt Greenhalgh - Control (based on Deborah Curtis’ autobiography ‘Touching from a Distance’)
Best Radio Comedy / Light Entertainment - Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary (Fags, Mags and Bags)
Also shortlisted:
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Mark Evans – Bleak Expectations
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Nigel Smith - Vent
Best Radio Play - Chris Harrald (Mr Larkin's Awkward Day)
Also shortlisted:
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Dan Rebellato - Cavalry
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Jennie Buckman and Ulises Rodriguez Febles - Cuba
Best Book - Kate Clanchy (What Is She Doing Here?)
Also shortlisted:
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Tim Butcher - Blood River
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Owen Sheers – Resistance
Best Videogame Script - Rhianna Pratchett (Overlord)
Also shortlisted:
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Tom Jubert - Penumbra Black Plague
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Rhianna Pratchett, Tameem Antoniades and Andy Serkis - Heavenly Sword
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Steve Ince - So Blonde
Also presented at the ceremony on Sunday 23 November were:
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An Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Writing - Tony Collingwood
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A Lifetime Achievement Award - David Croft and Jimmy Perry
Eligibility
Writers must be British or work in Britain. Eligible programmes / plays / games etc. must have been first released, published, performed or broadcast during the period 1 June 2007 - 31 May 2008 inclusive. The shortlists and winners in each category are chosen by the relevant Guild Craft Committee or an appropriate jury appointed by the Guild's Executive Council.
Gallery
Gwyneth Hughes; James Corden; Ronald Harwood
Mike Kenny; Kate Clanchy; Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary
Tony Collingwood; writers on The Bill
Heidi Thomas; Rhianna Pratchett; Lucinda Coxon
Chris Harrald; award presenters Leslie Thomas, Rita Tushingham and James Fox
All photos by Simon Denton
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