Political satire scoops hat-trick of awards

Political satire The Thick Of It scooped a hat-trick at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, it was announced today.

The BBC2 comedy landed three gongs at today's ceremony, which also honours veteran broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan with a lifetime achievement award.

The programme was named best comedy/entertainment programme while Peter Capaldi won Best Actor for his portrayal of sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed government spin doctor Malcolm Tucker.

Its second series, which charted the incompetence of fictional Labour MP Nicola Murray (played by Rebecca Front) and her political team, also clinched the Writers' Award.

Writers Armando Iannucci and Jesse Armstrong were nominated for an Oscar this year for the satire's big screen adaptation In The Loop.

The writing prize also acknowledges the cast, which includes Joanna Scanlan, Chris Addison and James Smith, for their improvised lines.

Veteran broadcaster Sir Terry will pick up the Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting. He retired from his hugely popular breakfast show, Wake up to Wogan, on BBC Radio 2 in December, and was replaced by Chris Evans.

BBC Two's The Choir: Unsung Town was also a big winner, taking two awards. The programme, which attempts to bring together a community by setting up a choir, was named best factual entertainment programme and its star, choirmaster Gareth Malone, won best TV performer in a non-acting role

In good results for the BBC, Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain was named best documentary series and Enid, a BBC Four drama starring Helena Bonham Carter as children's author Enid Blyton, was named best single drama.

Desert Island Discs was named radio programme of the year.

Other winners at the awards included new channel Sky Arts, which won the award for innovation, and the multichannel programme award for Sky Arts Theatre Live!

The winners were announced in advance of the ceremony which takes place today at the Theatre Royal in London.