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British Academy Children's Awards Winners Announced

20 November 2016
Children's Awards Logo

The winners of the British Academy Children's Awards have been announced at the ceremony hosted by Doc Brown at the Roundhouse, London, on Sunday 20 November 2016.

  • Two wins for THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
  • IAIN STIRLING and NICK JAMES win first BAFTAs
  • PETER WESTERN presented with Special Award

The winners of the 2016 British Academy Children’s Awards have been announced at the Roundhouse, London, where presenters included Gordon Ramsay, Steve Backshall, Ore Oduba, Ashley Kendall, Emma Willis, Tom & Giovanna Fletcher and Laura Whitmore.

The Amazing World of Gumball, the animated series about the young cat Gumball Watterson, took home two BAFTAs  and repeated previous successes for both Animation and Writer.  Tonight’s wins take the show’s BAFTA tally to eight since its first wins at the 2011 ceremony in the same categories.   

Horrible Histories also reached a total of eight as its special episode to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death was rewarded for Comedy, which was its fifth BAFTA in this category and eighth overall. 

Winning for Drama, Refugee follows the lives of one young refugee and her family in an unknown land. Commissioned by educational platform TrueTube, this is the first time the category has been won by an online channel. Staying with current events, the Factual category was won by The Boy on the Bicycle (My Life). The documentary follows a 16-year-old Syrian boy as he gives a guided tour of his home, a refugee camp in Jordan. 

Nick James won his first BAFTA for his portrayal as the title character in Hank Zipzer. The series, following the misadventures of the dyslexic schoolboy, is based on the original books by Henry Winkler, who also stars in the show. Also winning a BAFTA for the first time is Iain Stirling, the comedian who won the Presenter category for gameshow The Dog Ate My Homework

Sixteen South, the company behind Lily’s Driftwood Bay, triumphed as the winners of Independent Production Company of the Year while CBeebies won the prestigious Channel of the Year category for the fifth time. 

The Interactive: Adapted category was won by Get Well Soon Hospital App, which is based on the preschool show Get Well Soon that lets children explore health and hospitals with Dr Ranj and his puppet friends. Interactive comedy drama Secret Life of Boys won in Interactive: Original. 

Animated adventure-comedy Zootropolis fought off stiff competition from The Good Dinosaur, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Jungle Book to triumph in Feature Film. The Game category was won by Lego: Dimensions. Animated short Good as Goaled won the Short Form category, while Sam & Mark’s Big Friday Wind-Up won for Entertainment

Other winners on the night were: I Can’t Go to School Today for Learning: Primary; Ten Pieces II for Learning: Secondary; Topsy and Tim for Preschool Live Action; Hey Duggee for Preschool Animation and We Bare Bears for International.

Peter Western received the Special Award for his outstanding contribution to children’s media. The esteemed animator and storyboard artist was presented the Award by children’s laurate, Chris Riddell.   

The results of the BAFTA Kids’ Vote were also announced at the ceremony by young Into Film reporters Jack and Maya and BAFTA’s Young Presenter, Tianna. Thousands of votes were cast by children who had their say in a nationwide poll to choose their favourite film, television programme, and game. The Next Step proved its ongoing popularity, winning in the TV category for a second year in the row. Minecraft also repeated last year’s success in the Game vote, while the Film category was also won by Zootropolis, consolidating its success with industry and kids alike. 

Earlier in the day, children took part in an afternoon of activities, including a TV presenting workshop as part of the BAFTA Kids Red Carpet Masterclass. The children later lined the red carpet to collect autographs from their favourite celebrities arriving for the ceremony.


Download winners list (pdf)

Download winners release (pdf)



For further information:
Amanda Hearn at freuds        
T 020 3003 6456                
E [email protected]          

Hephzibah Kwakye-Saka at freuds
T 020 3003 6482
E [email protected]

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – featuring workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes – in the UK, USA and Asia; it offers unique access to the world’s most inspiring talent and connects with a global audience of all ages and backgrounds. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. To access the best creative minds in film, television and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.

About BAFTA Kids


BAFTA Kids is a programme of events and initiatives for families across the UK run by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, offering insight into creative excellence within film, television and games. The programme features behind-the-scenes roadshows, workshops and masterclasses with BAFTA-winning talent, online challenges and competitions, and special hospice screenings. Whereas BAFTA’s annual British Academy Children’s Awards recognise and celebrate excellence within these industries, BAFTA Kids is a trusted and accessible brand for families to explore and discover new, innovative and non-mainstream work, helping them deepen their appreciation of the films, television programmes and games they enjoy. www.baftakids.org