BBC3 and Firecracker win big at Broadcast Digital Awards

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BBC3 has scooped a clutch of gongs including Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Digital Awards, as Firecracker picked up the inaugural Multichannel Production Company of the Year prize.

The BBC’s youth-skewing online-channel triumphed in the Channel of the Year category after Cave Bear / Tiger Aspect’s Man Like Mobeen was named Best Comedy Programme and Naked TV’s The Rap Game UK was awarded best Entertainment Programme.

World of Wonder’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK won in the Best Digital Support for a Programme category.

The trio of prizes helped controller Fiona Campbell to clinch the Channel of the Year prize, fending off competition from last year’s winner BBC4, as well as CBeebies, E4, More 4 and Sky News.

Meanwhile Firecracker was named the first Multichannel Production Company of the Year, ahead of CTVC, Fulwell 73, Merman Television, Strawberry Blond TV and Workerbee.

It was responsible for W’s Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, which came out on top in the Best Popular Factual Programme category for the second year running, as well as two other shows on the shortlist in the same category: Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over for W and The Sex Clinic for E4.

BBC Scotland made a triumphant debut, winning Best Documentary Programme and Best Drama Programme categories for Matchlight / Bodhi’s football doc Real Kashmir FC and Happy Tramp North / Expectation’s thriller Guilt.

BBC4 was named Best Factual Channel, with Cartoon Network emerging victorious in the Best Specialist Channel category.

Other kids winners included CBBC’s The Worst Witch in Best Digital Children’s Content and CBeebies Grown Ups in Best Digital Support for a Strand, Channel or Genre.

The three short-form categories turned up a trio of different winners. Comedy Central International’s Transaction was named Best Short-Form Scripted, with Peninsula Films’ #FML - Most Racist Uber Ride Ever for Pulped.com landing Best Short-Form Format. The winner in Best Short-Form Documentary was BBC Studios;’ Life After Death: How Seven Kids Came Back from the Dead.

East City Films’ Common Ground, a documentary about Southwark’s Aylesbury Estate, picked up the nod in Best VR Experience, while BT Sport’s coverage of epic heavyweight boxing rematch Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder was crowned Best Sports or Live Event Coverage.

Sky Atlantic’s screening of HBO’s dynastic drama Succession was awarded Best Programme Acquisition.