Cast & Crew Celebrates the Best of British Television at the 2026 RTS Programme Awards

Cast & Crew proudly returned for the third time as headline sponsor of the 2026 RTS Programme Awards, held on 24 March 2026 at London’s JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel. The ceremony, hosted once again by comedian and presenter Tom Allen, celebrated excellence in storytelling, performance, and production across the UK television industry.

A Night Celebrating Craft, Courage & Creativity

The 2026 ceremony reflected the industry’s ongoing commitment to championing authentic stories, under‑represented voices, and innovative production.

The awards continue to underline television’s power to influence, inform, and inspire – values that resonate strongly with Cast & Crew’s mission to support world‑class creative production.

Sargent-Disc (a Cast & Crew company) Team: Jamika Sutton, Lara Sargent and Laurence Sargent. Credit: RTS/Tim Whitby

BBC leads the awards

The BBC led the awards collected 16 wins across major categories:

  • Entertainment & Reality for The Celebrity Traitors
  • Leading Actor – Male for Bobby Schofield (Unforgivable)
  • Supporting Actor – Female for Anna Friel (Unforgivable)
  • Drama Series win for the acclaimed Blue Lights
  • Presenter Award for Hamza Yassin (Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles)
  • Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit for Gabby Logan (Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025)

The BBC’s broad recognition reflected both its storytelling strength and its continued investment in nurturing standout on‑screen talent.

Netflix Follows with Five Wins

Netflix secured five wins, fours of which went to its breakout limited series Adolescence:

  • Limited Series & Single Drama
  • Writer – Drama
  • Breakthrough Award for Owen Cooper
  • Supporting Actor – Male for Owen Cooper

Adolescence was celebrated for its fresh perspective, bold narrative, and standout performances, with its cast and creators also being central to this year’s Judges’ Award moment.

Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Credit: RTS/Tim Whitby

Honouring a Legend: Sir Michael Palin

Founding member of Monty Python, Sir Michael Palin received the Outstanding Achievement Award – a tribute to an incredible career spanning seven decades.

Palin’s work continues to resonate with audiences with an unparalleled influence on British culture.

Sir Michael Palin. Credit: RTS/Tim Whitby

Championing Excellence Across the Industry

Cast & Crew is proud to stand alongside the RTS in celebrating the talent that makes British television a world‑leading creative force. As the industry evolves, our commitment to supporting excellence across all areas of production remains stronger than ever.

2026 NFTS Graduation: Celebrating the Next Generation of Industry Talent

Friday 6 March 2026 marked this year’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) Graduation ceremony, following an incredible four-day showcase at BFI Southbank celebrating the achievements of the graduates and the exceptional body of work they have produced over the past year.

Honouring Industry Leaders

During the graduation ceremony, held at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, esteemed Casting Directors Jina Jay and Shaheen Baig were awarded NFTS Honorary Fellowships in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the screen industry and their long-standing support of the school. Both have played a transformative role in developing the NFTS Casting Certificate course, which they co‑founded in 2020.

The honours were presented by NFTS Chair Sophie Turner Laing, with additional remarks from NFTS President Lord David Puttnam and NFTS Director Jon Wardle, who collectively applauded the graduates’ achievements and the school’s ongoing commitment to nurturing new talent.

Casting Directors Shaheen Baig and Jina Jay

Sargent-Disc: Supporting emerging industry talent

Sargent-Disc is proud to play a part in supporting the next generation of production talent through our long-standing relationship with the NFTS Production Management Diploma.

Our scholarship support helps remove financial barriers for aspiring Production Managers, enabling students to focus fully on developing the essential skills required for careers in film and television. This year’s graduates continue to demonstrate why such support is so critical: their work reflects resilience, innovation and an exceptional standard of professionalism.

Recognising Outstanding Student Achievement

At the graduation ceremony, students were honoured for their accomplishments across multiple disciplines. Amongst these, Sargent-Disc was delighted to present two awards, recognising excellence in budgeting, cost control and reporting: core skills for any successful production professional.

The Best All-Round Production Management Award went to Shannon de Kempe – a PM who consistently worked above and beyond her remit, across a wide range of productions and genres, including the Science & Natural History film ‘Ghost in your Eyes‘ shot in the USA across a wide geographical area.

Her Fiction film, ‘Rice‘ was complicated and involved significant location challenges, including taking a large crew to North Wales on a residential shoot where she resolved some complex problems whilst staying calm and focussed to keep the production on track.

Shreya Desai was presented with the Best Budgeting award, having shown an exceptional standard in her budgeting and cost reporting work as Production Manager on the beautiful Documentary film ‘Corps à Coeur‘. She worked closely with her director throughout pre-production and was instrumental in setting up a complicated film shoot in France with sensitive contributor access. Her fiction film ‘Small One’ involved taking a full crew to Denmark shooting over a wide area with multiple locations and unit moves. 

From an early stage Shreya’s budget breakdowns showed an informed and detailed approach; she worked closely with her Producers and Directors to fully embrace the budget’s limitations of filming overseas. She was critical to her team’s established strong communication and maintained an accurate cost report, allowing them plenty of flexibility to maximise filming opportunities and make the best possible films on tight budgets.

Both graduates received £500 and Final Draft software as part of the awards – congratulations Shreya and Shannon!

Sargent-Disc Director, Dr. Laurence Sargent commented:

“This year’s Best Budgeting Skills Award and Best All-Round Production Management Award went to two exceptional Production Management students who went above and beyond, demonstrating outstanding work. Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company, is delighted to support them and our Production Management scholars and to recognise their hard work and success.”

Left to right: Bex Hopkins, Head of the NFTS Production Management diploma; Shreya Desai; Dr Laurence Sargent; Shannon de Kempe; Emma Wilford, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sargent-Disc

Looking Ahead

The NFTS Graduate Showcase 2026 stands as a testament to the creativity, dedication and talent emerging from the school each year. Sargent-Disc is proud to champion these graduates through our scholarship support and ongoing partnership with the NFTS, encouraging the next generation of behind‑the‑camera professionals as they begin their careers across the screen industries.

Photo copyright: National Film and Television School