The winners of The Writers' Guild Awards 2017 were announced this week at a ceremony in London.
Recognising exceptional UK talent across a number of media, there is also an Outstanding Contribution to Writing Award which this year went to Sir Tom Stoppard who said, “for a writer, no award can compare to an award from other writers. The Writers’ Guild is a bright spot in a dark world, and I feel very grateful to it.”
Stoppard's writing credits include Shakespeare in Love, Anna Karenina and Empire of the Sun.
Celia Imrie gave a touching tribute to Victoria Wood and Charles Garland remembered Jimmy Perry, both of whom passed away in 2016.
The Writers’ Guild Awards 2017 winners are:
- Outstanding Contribution to Writing – Sir Tom Stoppard
- Best Play – Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill
- Best Play for Young Audiences – (Joint winners) What The Thunder Said by Ed Harris and Rise Up by Lisa Evans
- Best Long Running TV Series – Doctors, series 18, episode 29, “There is No Place” by Claire Bennett
- Best Long Form TV Drama – Trapped by Clive Bradley
- Best Short Form TV Drama – Ellen by Sarah Quintrell
- Best TV Situation Comedy – Fleabag, episode 1 by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Best Children’s TV Episode – The Dumping Ground, Season 3, episode 20, “Refuge” by Emma Reeves
- Best Radio Comedy – John Finnemore’s Double Acts – series 1, episode 5, “English for Pony Lovers” by John Finnemore
- Best Radio Drama – Fat Little Thing by Lucy Gannon
- Best First Screenplay – Adult Life Skills by Rachel Tunnard
- Best Screenplay – Eye in the Sky by Guy Hibbert
- Best Writing in a Video Game – Virginia by Jonathan Burroughs, Lyndon Holland and Terry Kenny
Live coverage of the Writers’ Guild Awards 2017 is available on Twitter at @TheWritersGuild.