Scotland’s vibrant television industry was celebrated at an awards ceremony in Glasgow on Friday 6th June, as the Royal Television Society (RTS) Scotland announced the winners of its prestigious 2025 Programme Awards.
Presenters Shereen Cutkelvin and Sanjeev Kohli handed out 27 awards to winners at Glasgow’s iconic Old Fruitmarket, while Laura Boyd carried out interviews with thrilled winners behind-the-scenes.
Drama triumphed with Rebus leading the charge, securing three coveted awards for Best Drama, Director: Scripted, and Writer. A standout success of the evening, My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan, showcased exceptional Scottish technical artistry by sweeping the craft categories with three wins for Camera, Editing, and Sound.
On-screen talent was highly praised. Peter Capaldi received the Actor – Male award for his powerful performance in Criminal Record, and Ashley Jensen was honoured as Actor – Female for her compelling role in Shetland. Michelle McManus was also recognised as On-Screen Personality.
In Comedy, Dinosaur took home the top award. Scottish comedians were also celebrated with awards for Janey in Documentary and Rikki in Entertainment categories. Sky News (Scotland Bureau) won the News award and Sky Sports Scotland was celebrated in the Sport category for their Celtic’s Trophy Day match coverage and content.
Revenant & Stuart Langfield impressed with a double award for their Synthetic Pleasures production, winning in both the Short Form and Post Production Motion Design and Animation categories.
Composer James Gray became the first-ever winner of the RTS Scotland Original Music Score category for his work on All Aboard! Scotland’s Poshest Train.
The night also paid tribute to significant contributions to the industry. Veteran Scottish broadcast journalist and recently retired STV Political Editor, Bernard Ponsonby, received the prestigious RTS Scotland Outstanding Achievement Award. Additionally, Margaret Cameron, Director of Content at MG ALBA, was honoured with the RTS Scotland Special Recognition Award.
Dan Twist, Chair of RTS Scotland,: “The RTS Scotland Awards stand as a definitive celebration of the finest talent in Scottish television. This year’s outstanding nominees and winners reflect the strength and resilience of a thriving Scottish TV industry, even in the face of widespread sector challenges. RTS Scotland is proud to continue its unwavering commitment to supporting, educating, and championing talent across all areas of the industry—both on screen and behind the scenes.”
Presenter Shereen Cutkelvin: “What an absolutely electric night! Hosting the RTS Scotland Awards is always such a privilege, and this year was no exception. The sheer talent on display has been truly inspiring, and it’s fantastic to see the incredible work being produced right here in Scotland.”
The RTS is an educational charity promoting the art and science of television. It organises informative and entertaining events, fostering connections with professionals across the industry and those hoping to break into television. The RTS Scotland Awards 2025 were proudly sponsored by Screen Scotland, Channel 4, ScreenSkills HETV Skills Fund, BBC Studioworks, No Drama, and The Nerve. They were also supported by Blazing Griffin.
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Actor – Female
- Ashley Jensen, Shetland (Silverprint Pictures for BBC One)
Actor – Male
- Peter Capaldi, Criminal Record (Tod Productions and STV Studios in association with Apple for Apple TV+)
Camera (Sponsored by No Drama)
- Jack Warrender, Jim Incledon & Gordon Buchanan, My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan (Hello Halo Productions for BBC Scotland & BBC Two)
Children’s
- The Primrose Railway Children (BBC Studios Kids & Family for BBC One)
Comedy
- Dinosaur (Two Brothers Pictures for BBC & Hulu)
Current Affairs
- Disclosure: Catching A Killer: The Murder of Emma Caldwell (BBC Scotland/Disclosure for BBC Scotland)
Daytime & Features
- Scam Interceptors (BBC Studios for BBC)
Director: Non-Scripted
- Colin Murray, The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince (Rogan Productions for BBC Two)
Director: Scripted (Sponsored by ScreenSkills HETV Fund)
- Niall MacCormick, Rebus (Eleventh Hour Films for BBC Scotland & BBC One)
Documentary
- Janey (Hopscotch Films for BBC Scotland)
Drama (Sponsored by Blazing Griffin)
- Rebus (Eleventh Hour Films for BBC Scotland & BBC One)
Entertainment (Sponsored by BBC Studioworks)
- Rikki (Hopscotch Films for BBC Scotland)
Live Event
- Up Late with Nicola Benedetti (IWC Media for Sky Arts)
News
- Sky News (Scotland Bureau) (SKY)
On-Screen Personality (Sponsored by Screen Scotland)
- Michelle McManus
Original Music Score (Sponsored by The Nerve)
- James Gray for All Aboard! Scotland’s Poshest Train (14th Floor Productions for Channel 4)
Post Production: Editing (Sponsored by Screen Scotland)
- Simon Hamilton for My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan (Hello Halo for BBC Scotland & BBC Two)
Post Production: Motion Design and Animation
- Synthetic Pleasures (Revenant & Stuart Langfield for OFFF Barcelona)
Short Form
- Synthetic Pleasures (Revenant & Stuart Langfield for OFFF Barcelona)
Sound
- Jack Creith & Tom Forbes for My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan (Serious Facilities for Hello Halo for BBC Scotland & BBC Two)
Specialist Factual
- In My Own Words: Jackie Kay (BBC Studios for BBC)
Sport
- Celtic 3-2 St Mirren – Celtic’s Trophy Day (Sky Sports Scotland for Sky Sports)
Student Award (Sponsored by Channel 4)
- On The Red List (Mathilde van Ooijen, Andrea Costa, Carla Basu & Sean Burns from University of the West of Scotland)
Writer (Sponsored by Screen Scotland)
- Gregory Burke, Rebus (Eleventh Hour Films for BBC Scotland & BBC One)
Young Journalist
- Selena Jackson, STV
RTS Scotland Outstanding Achievement Award
- Bernard Ponsonby
RTS Scotland Special Recognition Award
- Margaret Cameron
