Who are the winners of the RTS Northern Ireland Awards?

Northern Ireland’s television industry was celebrated at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Northern Ireland’s 10th Awards in the Titanic Belfast tonight (Tuesday 11 November) 2025, hosted by Christine Lampard.

The Brian Waddell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Industry was awarded to Louise Gallagher, founder of Gallagher Films. Her debut feature, "A Bump Along the Way", won multiple awards, including Best Irish First Feature and her short film Rough won an IFTA. She is also the co-creator and executive producer behind the award-winning "Blue Lights" and Hat Trick NI’s Business Development Executive and part of the team which picked up the RTS NI Comedy Award for their short film Spinster. Louise Gallagher said: “I am delighted and really surprised to receive this honour. I would like to thank the RTS NI Committee for this prestigious award. I couldn’t do what I do without the hugely talented teams I work with at Gallagher Films and Hat Trick NI who bring their passion and enthusiasm to make each project a success - creating great content which reflects modern life in all our communities.”

Sarah McCaffrey, Chair of the RTS NI said “It is a real pleasure to acknowledge the incredible talent of Louise Gallagher who is an amazing role model for women working in our industry and a passionate champion of emerging talent. Her work reflects a commitment to both creative excellence and public value, making her a key figure in Northern Ireland’s screen sector evolution and a well-deserved winner of our Brian Waddell Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry. This year’s outstanding nominees and winners reflect the strength and resilience of Northern Ireland’s screen industry. The RTS Northern Ireland is proud to continue its unwavering commitment to supporting, educating, and championing talent across all areas of the industry—both on screen and behind the scenes.”

The Best Actor - Female and Best Actor - Male Awards went to Disney’s "Say Nothing" stars Lola Petticrew and Anthony Boyle.

The Drama Award went to ITV1’s "Malpractice" Series 2 filmed in Northern Ireland, while BBC Three and BBC Northern Ireland’s "Funboys" made by Mayhay Studios won two awards with Breakthrough On-Screen going to Ele McKenzie for her role as Gemma and the Best Writer Award going to co-creators Rian Lennon and Ryan Dylan.

King Banana TV & Paper Owl Films’ "Nikhil & Jay" for CBeebies won the Children’s / Animation Award for its gentle portrayal of celebrating cultural diversity and the Entertainment trophy went to "The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In" produced by Green Inc Film & TV for RTÉ for the second year running.

The Comedy Award went to Hat Trick NI for its short film "Spinster" about a single, broke poet named Ruby who returns home for her sister's perfect engagement party, which was executive produced by Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee.

Waddell Media picked up the Best Factual Entertainment Award for its long running series "At Your Service" with Francis and John Brennan for RTÉ and the Lifestyle and Features award for "We Built A Zoo" for BBC Three which follows the ups and downs of one of the UK’s most popular TikTokers Kyle Thomas who has over 34 million followers as he attempts to build a zoo in Lisburn for his exotic animals.

BBC’s hard hitting documentary "On Drugs" by Blair Black Films which explored the hidden lives of drug users in Northern Ireland won the Documentary – Series Award. Fine Point Film’s "Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing" for Paramount+ which chronicled Cyndi’s meteoric accent to stardom and her profound impact on generations won the Documentary – Single award.

The Specialist Factual Award went to Little Ease Films for their film "Burkitt" about the life of Irish surgeon Denis Burkitt who discovered Burkitt’s lymphoma as told by Éanna Mac Cana, a survivor of this cancer for TG4.

BBC Newsline’s extensive reporting of the Northern Ireland Race Riots in Ballymena secured the News Coverage Award and Spotlight’s "I Am Not Okay" programme about mothers struggling to cope with their autistic sons’ aggressive outbursts won the Best Current Affairs award for BBC Northern Ireland.