Doctor Who wins best programme award

[Pip Madeley]

BBC One wins channel of the year

BBC One has scooped two awards at the Edinburgh TV Festival, being named terrestrial channel of the year and taking best programme for Doctor Who. ITV2 received the prize for top non-terrestrial service, beating five rivals which had also been nominated.

BBC One's success was described as "the best thing that's happened to me all month" by controller Peter Fincham. He has had to apologise for recent scandals including the misleading editing of a film clip of the Queen. Mr Fincham has also had to face criticism over rigged competitions on shows such as Blue Peter, but said he was "very lucky to be running BBC One" and said it was a job he "loved". "I hope I'll be doing it for a good while yet," he told delegates at the annual festival, which attracts about 2,000 industry figures.

The shortlists for the three categories were compiled from public votes by polling company YouGov. The winner of the best programme prize was chosen from the shortlist by almost 200 young people who were invited to attend the festival as a way of showcasing the next generation of TV talent.

Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson paid tribute to those delegates, saying that to receive his award "from young people coming into this industry is a particular honour". He also praised the BBC, saying that without it, "Doctor Who would never be made, would never be so good and would never be so well supported".

Who the best thing on TV? Damn right.

[Larry]

[Milky Tears]

Jeremy Paxman also mentioned Who during his big MacTaggart Lecture the other day:

The James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture 2007 (worth a read)

BBC Report

Guardian Report

As far as the big broadcasters are concerned, the sad truth is that, apart from soap-operas, there is now hardly a programme with which a broad audience has a regular date. Dr Who is a glorious exception, as is the cleverly produced new series of the X factor. But the reason beleaguered bosses at the BBC, for example, keep trotting out the example of Planet Earth as a reason for the organisation’s existence is precisely that it is so rare.

Paxman watches Doctor Who!!??

[Paul Hayes]

That'll be him lined up for a cameo then...

Actually I once got him to do an intro for the student TV station I was a part of, so he's clearly up for a laugh!

[Perry Vale]

ITV2 received the prize for top non-terrestrial service, beating five rivals which had also been nominated.

[Dave Tudor]

Yeah, I couldn't believe that either! ITV 2 better than BBC Four!? They must be joking....