RIMA Awards 2006 - Goodness Gracious! They’ve done it again!
The comedy duo, Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhashkar, famed for their highly successful spoof family chat show The Kumars at No. 42, have walked away with the award for Best TV Drama for Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee.
The two, who have worked together for many years - most famously in Goodness Gracious Me - shared the limelight with a host of other winners, including James Peries and Majabeen Salim who scooped Best Broadcast Soap for the BBC Asian Network's Silver Street and none other than Sir Trevor MacDonald who picked up the coveted Media Personality of the Year award.
The glittering ceremony took place last week at the Royal Opera House and was organised by the Commission for Racial Equality. Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission said: "The UK's first black news anchor, Sir Trevor McDonald, is an integral part of British broadcasting establishment and is a talented author, presenter and award show compere. In addition, he has been an inspiration and role model for many ethnic minorities and has demonstrated that the glass ceiling really can be smashed."
Other winners, in categories covering national and regional television, radio, newspapers and magazines and new media, included the BBC (Media Organisation of the Year), Kidulthood (Film Features) and the Guardian (National Newspaper).
RIMA 2006 - Full List of Winners
Media Personality sponsored by ITV
Sir Trevor MacDonald
Media Organisation sponsored by FA Premier League
BBC
Sport sponsored by Football Foundation
The Guardian for "The Shame In Spain"
International
The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age for "Muslims In Europe" - James Button and May Lam
Broadcast Soap
BBC Asian Network "Silver Street" - James Peries and Majabeen Salim
TV Drama
BBC1 "Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee" - Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhashkar
TV News
BBC London News for a body of work - Dr Kurt Barling and Michael McFarlane
TV Factual
ITV1 "Tonight with Trevor MacDonald - Poles Apart" - Linda Duberley and Ruth Gray
Film Features sponsored by UK Film Council
Revolver Entertainment "Kidulthood" - Justin Marciano and Tom Clark
Film Documentary sponsored by UK Film Council
BBC "Who do you think you're talking to?" - Minoo Bhatia and Nichola Dean
Film Shorts sponsored by UK Film Council
London Film School "Zohra" - Kemal Akhtar, Zohra Nasseem, Akhtar Bem, Sheikh Bem and Masood Ahmed
National Newspapers
Leo Benedictus and Michael Robinson - The Guardian
Local Newspapers sponsored by Ethnic Media Group
Rebecca Stephens and Nigel Thornton - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Radio News
BBC Radio Five "Breakfast Hamza Viyana interviews" - Leila Butterick and Hamza Viyana
Radio Drama
BBC Radio 4 Drama "Exiled from Paradise" - Anita Sullivan and Claudine Toutoungi
Radio Factual
BBC Radio Leicester "Rupal's Ugandan Journey" - Rupal Rajani and Kate Squire
Youth sponsored by Department for Communities and Local Government
BBC2 "Race - Changing Attitudes" - Andrea Gauld and Lubna Malik
Specialist Magazine
Nursing Standard - Sharon Dennis and Linda Thomas
Consumer magazine
London Time Out - Michael Hodges and Rebecca Taylor
New Media sponsored by BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass - Virginia Crompton and Ruth Gardiner
Full report on the RIMA Awards here.