Andy Gray and Richard Keys win Sony Radio Academy award for Best Sports Programme

The disgraced former Sky Sports broadcasters Andy Gray and Richard Keys celebrated a comeback as unlikely as Manchester City’s last night after winning the Sony Radio Academy award for Best Sports Programme.

The duo accepted the honour for their talkSPORT football chat show months after Gray, the former Everton and Scotland striker, admitted that he considered suicide after losing his job as a Sky Sports commentator last year.

Gray was dismissed after being caught on camera making sexist remarks about a female assistant referee. Video footage also showed him making a suggestive comment to a female colleague. Keys resigned after being caught making sexist remarks about a former girlfriend of Jamie Redknapp.

Ostracised after dominating Sky’s Premiership coverage for nearly 20 years, the duo were given a shot at radio rehabilitation by talkSPORT. Their contacts book ensured guest appearances by leading players and managers.

The Sony judges said “their knowledge and professionalism was second to none and in their debut year of broadcasting on British radio they have become a must listen for serious sports fans every morning.”

Gray described the talkSPORT opportunity as "a lifeline". Asked if he had considered taking his life after the Sky scandal he said: “I would be lying if I said I didn't." Gray denied that he was sexist and described the offending comments about assistant referee Sian Massey as “a light-hearted quip”.

Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, considered taking action against Gray and Keys following comments made during their talkSPORT show about Harry Redknapp during the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s tax evasion court case.