‘BBC1 did its primary job last year to perfection: uniting, entertaining and inspiring a nation’
With a powerful combination of brilliant shows and outstanding moments, BBC1 did its primary job last year to perfection: uniting, entertaining and inspiring a nation.
The channel did not have a monopoly on outstanding coverage of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral – the feed was pooled across all the broadcasters and the likes of ITV and Sky News also did a fantastic job – but it was where, inevitably, the majority of viewers turned to watch a momentous day, weaving television into the fabric of British history.
On happier occasions earlier in the year, Party At The Palace delivered an iconic sketch in which the late Queen drank tea and swapped tips on marmalade sandwiches with Paddington Bear, and the Lionesses secured a Euro 2022 victory that the likes of Gabby Logan helped turn into a transformative moment for women’s sport.
Other moments that will stick in the memory include Mo Farah detailing how he was trafficked as a child in Best Documentary Programme winner The Real Mo Farah from Atomised Studios, and Rose and Gio performing their silent dance to an audience of more than 12 million on Strictly.
In 2022, BBC One made a compelling case for the power of public service broadcasting and the corporation itself.
SHORTLISTED
The majestic Mood, Ellie And Nastasia and The Fast And The Farmer-ish are great examples of the breadth of BBC Three’s evolving output. The debate about its linear presence may rage on, but shows such as Zara McDermott: Uncovering Rape Culture, Red Rose and Brickies helped it secure its place on the shortlist.
Blue-chip factual programmes such as House Of Maxwell, Our Falkland’s War and Surgeons: At the Edge Of Life have been a recent hallmark of BBC Two, which has excelled with programmes on serious subjects, such as football child abuse drama Footlights and Two Daughters, a Stacey Dooley doc exploring grief.
As the political argument about its future played out, Channel 4 delivered shows in its best traditions: Open House: The Great Sex Experiment was a noisy, sexy format that pushed boundaries, while Jeremy Kyle Show: Death On Daytime investigated the toxic culture at the heart of one of the industry’s daytime staples. The channel’s guerrilla sports strategy, including winning rights to England men’s football matches, was also a success.
ITV ushered in a new generation of entertainment formats, with Limitless Win, Starstruck and the double Broadcast Award-winning 1% Club all landing recommissions, and continued its run of bumper-rating dramas with the likes of The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe and Trigger Point.
There have been many highlights for Sky News over the past 12 months, including Boris Johnson hanging his head when challenged by Beth Rigby over his lockdown breaches and Alex Crawford securing the first face-to-face UK interview with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his bunker.
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