Entertainment

Samira Ahmed wins broadcasting award after BBC equal pay victory

The presenter and journalist beat George The Poet and Roman Kemp to the prize.
The presenter and journalist beat George The Poet and Roman Kemp to the prize. The presenter and journalist beat George The Poet and Roman Kemp to the prize.

Samira Ahmed has won an award for audio broadcaster of the year, months after claiming victory in her sex discrimination equal pay claim against the BBC.

The Front Row presenter beat Radio 4’s Paddy O’Connell, podcaster George The Poet, and radio DJs Roman Kemp and Dave Berry to the prize at the Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) awards on Friday.

A London employment tribunal found in January that Ahmed should have been paid the same as fellow presenter Jeremy Vine for their work on Newswatch and Points Of View respectively.

Graham Norton Show – London
Graham Norton Show – London Stephen Graham (David Parry/PA)

Stephen Graham and Glenda Jackson were also among the winners at the 46th annual awards.

Graham scooped best actor for his performances in three dramas – Line Of Duty series five and A Christmas Carol on BBC One, and Shane Meadows’s The Virtues on Channel 4.

Double Oscar winner Jackson, 83, was named best actress for her turn as a dementia sufferer in Elizabeth Is Missing – her first TV role in more than 25 years.

Series two of Fleabag secured the gong for best comedy, with three times as many votes as the runner-up.

Elsewhere, director Michael Apted was awarded the BPG jury prize for the Up Series, The Virtues was named best single drama or mini-series and Chernobyl won best drama series.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge comments
Phoebe Waller-Bridge comments Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Matt Crossick/PA)

Moira Stuart received the Harvey Lee award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting.

The gong, which was announced ahead of the ceremony, recognises her five decades in broadcasting.

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa won the breakthrough award for his part in the Netflix drama.

BPG chairman Jake Kanter said: “I’m proud to say that, for the second year in a row, a record number of votes were cast for the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, which is testament to the enduring qualities of the BPG and the continued vibrancy of British television. Congratulations to all the winners.”

The awards are voted for by journalists who write about television and radio, and the winners were announced during a ceremony at Banking Hall, central London.