Bill Nighy and Sara Cox were among the audio winners at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in London.
The annual ceremony returned for its 52nd year at The Barbican, with podcast and radio recognised alongside television and streaming across 18 categories.
Bill Nighy won Best Podcast for his series ill-Advised by Bill Nighy, while Stewart Lee was awarded Audio Programme of the Year for Radio 4’s What Happened to Counter-Culture?.
Sara Cox was named Audio Presenter of the Year following her marathon fundraising challenge for BBC Children in Need, which raised more than £10.2 million.
The awards were hosted by Rhianna Dhillon and voted for by media journalists, with industry figures from across broadcasting in attendance.
In television categories, Adolescence on Netflix received the most recognition, winning five awards including Best Single Drama or Mini-Series. Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty took Best Actor and Best Actress for their performances, while Jack Thorne won Best Writer.
The Celebrity Traitors on BBC One was named Best Entertainment, with Amandaland winning Best Comedy and Blue Lights awarded Best Drama Series.
In documentary, Louis Theroux’s The Settlers on BBC Two won Best Single Documentary or Mini-Series, while Educating Yorkshire on Channel 4 was named Best Documentary Series.
Special awards were also presented on the night. Sally Wainwright received the Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, recognising her work across dramas including Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax.
The BPG Innovation Award went to WSQK ‘The Squawk’, a pop-up 1980s themed radio station created by Global to promote the final series of Stranger Things.
Matt Deegan, Chair of the Broadcasting Press Guild, said: “This year’s winners show just how powerful British broadcasting can be when it combines ambition with authenticity.
“From bold drama and fearless documentary to inventive entertainment and audio storytelling, these programmes and creators have captured the imagination of audiences and critics alike.”
The Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2026 was supported by BBC Studios, Pact, Prime Video, Netflix, TiVo and Warner Bros. Discovery.
FULL LIST 2026 WINNERS:
TELEVISION AND STREAMING AWARDS
BEST SINGLE DRAMA OR MINI-SERIES (1-4 EPISODES)WINNER: Adolescence (Netflix)
BEST DRAMA SERIES (5+ EPISODES)
WINNER: Blue Lights (BBC One)
BEST SINGLE DOCUMENTARY OR MINI-SERIES (1-3 EPISODES)
WINNER: Louis Theroux, The Settlers (BBC Two)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SERIES (4+ EPISODES)
WINNER: Educating Yorkshire (2025) (C4)
BEST COMEDY supported by TiVo
WINNER: Amandaland (BBC One)
BEST ENTERTAINMENT supported by TiVo
WINNER: The Celebrity Traitors (BBC One)
BEST ACRESS supported by Netflix
WINNER: Erin Doherty (Adolescence, A Thousand Blows)
BEST ACTOR supported by Netflix
WINNER: Stephen Graham (Adolescence, A Thousand Blows)
BEST WRITER
WINNER: Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Toxic Town,The Hack)
BPG BREAKTHROUGH TALENT AWARD supported by Prime Video
WINNER: Owen Cooper (Adolescence, Film Club)
AUDIO AWARDS
AUDIO PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR
WINNER: What Happened to Counter-Culture? (Radio 4)
AUDIO PRESENTER OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Sara Cox (Radio 2)
PODCAST OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Ill-Advised by Bill Nighy (Eyepod Studios)
SPECIAL AWARDS
HARVEY LEE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BROADCASTING supported by Warner Bros. Discovery
WINNER: Sally Wainwright OBE
BPG INNOVATION AWARD
WINNER: WSQK The Squack – Global for Netflix
BPG EMERGING CREATOR AWARD supported by Prime Video
WINNER: Specs Gonzalez
BPG MEMBERS SPECIAL AWARD
WINNER: Melvyn Bragg
BPG MEMBERS SPECIAL AWARD
WINNER: Adeel Amini – TV Mindset
