THE controversial BBC Scotland documentary series, The Scheme, was among the winners at the British Academy Scotland Awards.
Made by Friel Kean Films for BBC Scotland, the programme followed a group of familes living in a housing scheme in Kilmarnock and came in for criticism, from some quarters, as ‘poverty porn’.
And accepting the award, Julian Kean made reference to the ‘pasting’ received by some of the press, seeing the award – aka a Scottish BAFTA – as “vindication”.
Elsewhere during the ceremony, hosted by comedian, Kevin Bridges, actor, writer and director, Peter Mullan, took two awards – the writer and director prizes – for his work on the feature film, NEDS. During his acceptance speech, he reflected on the boost he received, in the mid-1990s, when his short film, Fridge, picked up a Scottish BAFTA.
In a similar vein, Shed Productions’ chief executive, Eileen Gallagher, her receipt of the Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award mattered not because it was a BAFTA, but because it was a Scottish BAFTA.
Her award was introduced by former STV colleague, Lord Gus Macdonald. Said Macdonald, when Gallagher was director of broadcasting at STV during the early ’90s, she was instrumental in the company being able to hold on to its broadcasting licence, not least because of some 1,000 hours of Scottish programming per year.
Among the stars helping to present the awards were actors Richard Wilson, Peter Capaldi, Kate Dickie, Daniela Nardini and John Michie; comedian, Karen Dunbar; presenters Kaye Adams and Kirsty Young; actor and comedian, John Sessions; and Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, in the Scottish Government, Fiona Hyslop.
The BBC Scotland drama about an aspiring newspaper reporter in Glasgow during the 1980s, Field of Blood, provided all three nominations in the Actor/Actress (Television) award, with the prize going to Jayd Johnson.
In the new category, Live Event Coverage, the winner was Triple Echo’s The Great Climb, a live rock climb broadcast from the daunting overhanging cliff face at Sron Uladail on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.
Meanwhile, the Outstanding Contribution to Craft award went to cinematographer, photographer and director, Dave Peat, while the Outstanding Contribution Film award went to Robbie Coltrane.
The awards were not held last year. Welcoming them back, Jude MacLaverty, director of BAFTA Scotland, said: “We’re thrilled to see the British Academy Scotland Awards return for such a fantastic night. The strength of nominations in the categories demonstrates the wealth of talent we have within our country.
“The British Academy Scotland Awards has produced some truly deserving winners and my congratulations goes out to them and all the nominees.”
The winners’ list reads:
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME
Winner: Big City Park
Directed by Richard Bradley
Produced by Dougie Napier
BBC Scotland for Cbeebies
Nominated: All Over the Place
Directed by Natalie Moss
Produced by Traci Burns and Maria Stewart
BBC Scotland for BBC1
Nominated: Calum Dongle
Directed by Douglas MacKinnon
Produced by Patsi MacKenzie
Sorbier Productions for BBC ALBA
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Winner: The Walking Wounded
Directed and Produced by Stephen Bennett
Clarity Productions for BBC Scotland
Nominated: BBC Scotland Investigates: Surgery’s Dirty Secret
Directed and Produced by Liam McDougall
BBC1 Scotland
Nominated: The Lockerbie Bomber: Sent Home to Die
Produced by Donald John MacDonald and David Cowan
STV
ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
Winner: Limmy’s Show
Directed by Brian Limond
Produced by Jacqueline Sinclair
The Comedy Unit for BBC Scotland
Nominated: Burnistoun
Directed and Produced by Iain Davidson
The Comedy Unit for BBC Scotland
Nominated: Rab C Nesbitt
Directed and Produced by Colin Gilbert
The Comedy Unit for BBC Scotland
SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die
Directed by Charlie Russell
Produced by Craig Hunter
KEO North and Warner Bros. for BBC2
Nominated: The First Movie
Directed by Mark Cousins
Produced by Gill Parry & Trish Dolman
Connectfilm & Screen Siren for More4
Nominated: Jig
Directed and Produced by Sue Bourne
BBC Scotland & Arrow Films
FACTUAL SERIES
Winner: The Scheme
Directed and Produced by Michelle Friel and Julian Kean
Friel Kean Films for BBC Scotland
Nominated: The Football Years: 1974 The Golden Generation
Directed and Produced by Brendan O’Hara
STV
Nominated: Neil Morrissey: Care Home Kid
Directed and Produced by Gabe Solomon
BBC Scotland
LIVE EVENT COVERAGE
Winner: The Great Climb
Directed by Ian Russell
Produced by James Else, Richard Else, Laura Hill & Margaret Wicks
Triple Echo Productions for BBC2 Scotland
Nominated: BBC Scotland: Release of Abdul Baset-Al Megrahi
Directed and Produced by James Crook
BBC Scotland
Nominated: Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Directed and Produced by John Smith
BBC Scotland
TELEVISION DRAMA
Winner: Case Histories
Directed by Dan Zeff
Produced by Helen Gregory
BBC Scotland for BBC1
Nominated: Garrow’s Law
Directed by Ashley Pearce
Produced by Nick Pitt
Shed Media Scotland & Twenty Twenty Productions for BBC Scotland
Nominated: Hattie
Directed by Dan Zeff
Produced by Richard Osborne & Seb Barwell
Angel Eye Media Productions for BBC Scotland
ACTOR/ACTRESS – TELEVISION
Winner: Jayd Johnson
Field of Blood
Directed by David Kane
Produced by Alan J Wands
Slate Films North for BBC1 Scotland
Nominated: Peter Capaldi
Field of Blood
Directed by David Kane
Produced by Alan J Wands
Slate Films North for BBC1 Scotland
Nominated: Ford Kiernan
Field of Blood
Directed by David Kane
Produced by Alan J Wands
Slate Films North for BBC1 Scotland
GAME
Winner: Quarrel
Denki
Nominated: iBomber Defense
Cobra Mobile
Noninated: Me Monstar: Hear Me Roar!
Cohort Studios
ANIMATION
Winner: Fixing Luka
Directed by Jessica Ashman
Produced by Anna Odell
Digicult
Nominated: Battenberg
Directed by Stewart Comrie
Produced by Anna Odell
Digicult
Nominated: The Tannery
Directed by Iain Gardner
Produced by Ricahrd Scott & Anke Hilt
Axis Animation
SHORT FILM
Winner: I Love Luci
Directed by Colin Kennedy
Produced by Brian Coffey
Sigma Films
Nominated: The Shutdown
Directed by Adam Stafford
Produced by Peter Gerard, Andy Green & Leo Bruges
Accidental Media
Nominated: Soltice
Directed by David Stoddart
Produced by Justine Watson
WRITER
Winner: Peter Mullan
NEDS
Blue Light & Entertainment One
Nominated: David Kane
The Field of Blood
Slate Films North for BBC1 Scotland
Nominated: Colin McLaren
Donkeys
Sigma Films
ACTOR/ACTRESS – FILM
Winner: James Cosmo
Donkeys
Sigma Films
Nominated: Conor McCarron
NEDS
Blue Light & Entertainment One
Nominated: Brian Pettifer
Donkeys
Sigma Films
DIRECTOR
Winner: Peter Mullan
NEDS
Blue Light & Entertainment One
Nominated: David Mackenzie
Perfect Sense
Sigma Films
Nominated: Morag McKinnon
Donkeys
Sigma Films
FEATURE FILM
Winner: Donkeys
Directed by Morag McKinnon
Produced by Anna Duffield
Sigma Films
Nominated: NEDS
Directed by Peter Mullan
Produced by Alain de la Mata, Marc Missonier & Olivier Delbosc
Blue Light & Entertainment One
Nominated: Perfect Sense
Directed by David Mackenzie
Produced by Gillian Berrie
Sigma Films
The Cineworld Audience Award for Best Scottish Film 2011
Winner: Fast Romance
Nominated: Donkeys
Nominated: The Illusionist
Nominated: NEDS
Nominated: Outcast
Nominated: Perfect Sense
Nominated: You Instead
