Thursday 2 April 2009

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts today announced the shortlist of nominated shows for the Philips Audience Award for the Best Programme of 2008 at this year’s British Academy Television Awards.

The Philips Audience Award is open to all genres and is the only award at the BAFTA ceremony voted for by the public. It honours the programmes that captured the public’s imagination, got people talking, and were the most loved and admired of 2008. An esteemed panel of TV experts convened to compile the shortlist which comprises a variety of genres, including light entertainment, situation comedy, soap and drama:-

The Apprentice*
Coronation Street*
Outnumbered*
Skins*
Wallander*
X Factor*

Between 1200hrs on 2nd April and 1800hrs on Saturday 25th April, members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for the Philips Audience Award:–
Voting can be done by any of the following means: Telephone, SMS or Online.

Paul Hobden, Marketing Director at Philips is impressed with the nominations. “These are all great quality nominations that have had audiences glued to their screens. That’s a vision shared by Philips through our continued innovation in TV technology; we aim to bring viewers ever closer to the on-screen action and truly enhance their viewing experience”.

Anne Marie Flynn, Head of Awards at BAFTA said: “The shortlist reflects the diversity of programmes to which audiences have really responded this year. There is something there for everyone and it will be very interesting to see which emerges victorious on the night.”

Hosted by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC One, the Awards will be held for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday April 26, 2009.

To vote for the Philips Audience Award for the Programme of the Year, either

Telephone:* 09011221201
SMS:* 82058 (include the word BAFTA followed by a short space, then the name of the show you wish to vote for – “APPRENTICE”, “STREET”, “SKINS”, “OUTNUMBERED”, “WALLANDER”, “XFACTOR”.
Online:* bafta.org/philipsaudienceaward

For further information on the Philips Audience Award please contact:

Sal James/Mary Williams
Freud Communications
0203 003 6300
[email protected]
[email protected]

Philips Audience Award Press Release (252.2 KB)

Notes to editors

About BAFTA:
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.

About the programmes

THE APPRENTICE
Burning ambition meets the school of hard knocks when sixteen young entrepreneurs battle it out for a six-figure salary and a job with self-made millionaire Sir Alan Sugar. The series tests the candidates’ business wits, competitiveness and ambition and unmasked the cut-throat world of business.

CORONATION STREET
Set in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Manchester, the country’s longest running soap opera is a compelling blend of drama, romance and, of course, humour. The past year has seen the devastating consequences of Liam and Carla Connor’s affair, Rosie Webster’s kidnap and Peter’s alcoholism alongside the comedy of Becky and Steve’s on-off relationship, Tyrone and Molly’s wedding, the arrival of Graeme Proctor and the rivalry between the Platts and Windasses.

OUTNUMBERED
Outnumbered depicts the chaos of family life and is a funny celebration of parental incompetence, as beleaguered Mum and Dad are locked in unequal combat with their three young children; a regal six-year-old with a talent for interrogation, an eight-year-old boy with a penchant for lying, and a lovelorn 12-year-old.

SKINS
Sometimes light, sometimes dark, always funny, Skins is an ambitious, emotionally-charged television drama, portraying the complex and vivid lives of a group of characters on the edge of adulthood, as they grow and develop.

WALLANDER
Set in the unusual and stunning, visual landscape of Sweden and adapted from the novels of Swedish author Henning Mankell, Kenneth Branagh plays the flawed, complex and compelling detective Kurt Wallandar, solving crimes with his Ystad police team.

X FACTOR
In this fifth series, tens of thousands of auditionees were whittled down to the final 12, who battled it out through the live shows to win a million pound recording contract, with new judge Cheryl Cole making a stunning debut. The winner of the series was Alexandra Burke and featured performances from Beyoncé, Maraiah Carey and Britney Spears.

*Full Terms and Conditions
*View the Philips Audience Award online