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C4 named Channel of the Year

EITF: Channel 4 has been crowned the C21 Media Channel of the Year at the Edinburgh International Television Festival this evening.

Jay Hunt collects C4's Channel of the Year Award

Jay Hunt collects C4’s Channel of the Year Award

The broadcaster shrugged off general erosion of terrestrial viewing to increase its audience across all its channels last year despite ongoing speculation that the government wants to privatise the commercially funded pubcaster.

It marks a remarkable turnaround for chief creative officer Jay Hunt in particular, who faced a barrage of criticism earlier in her five-year reign as she attempted to restock the channel’s schedule following the decision to end Big Brother.

The channel has since become known for hit factual entertainment formats such as First Dates and Gogglebox, drama like Humans and comedies including Catastrophe.
Humans producer Kudos Film and Television, part of the Endemol Shine Group, took the Production Company of the Year award.

Elsewhere, the Best New Programme prize went to Peter Kay’s Car Share, which was produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions for BBC1, while the Best International Coproduction award was won by Sky’s The Last Panthers from Haut et Court and Warp Films.

Reggie Yates’ Extreme Russia on BBC3 was the ITN Source Factual Programme of the Year, a first for producer Sundog Pictures.

Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright picked up this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

Festival director Lisa Campbell said: “Congratulations to all of our winners. This year’s competition was tough, but it is testament to the quality of not only the series produced but the people and their creativity, passion and determination that make the decision so hard.

“We were also delighted to open up entries to our international counterparts in our New Programme of the Year category, and to introduce Best International Coproduction. Another great year in global TV, we look forward to the next.”

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