BPG Awards: Mr Bates vs The Post Office wins two

The 51st Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards celebrated outstanding achievements in television, streaming, and audio, with Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, and Rivals emerging as the night’s biggest winners.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV Studios and Little Gem for ITV1) earned top honours in two major categories, securing Best Drama Series and Best Writer for Gwyneth Hughes. Best Single Drama or Miniseries went to Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Aardman Animations for BBC One/Netflix).

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale (Tidy and Fulwell73 for BBC1) won Best Comedy, for the heartfelt conclusion to one of the UK’s favourite comedies. Creators and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones were present to accept the award. Best Entertainment went to The Traitors (Studio Lambert for BBC1), with the hit competition series winning for the second consecutive year.

In acting, Danny Dyer beat an strong field to take home the Best Actor trophy for his career-best performance as Freddie Jones in Rivals (Happy Prince for Disney+). Best Actress was awarded to Jessica Gunning for her chilling portrayal of Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer (Clerkenwell Films for Netflix).

Best Documentary Series went to Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams on Tour (South Shore Productions for BBC1), following Flintoff’s return to Preston to take his team of unlikely lads on a cricket tour of India. Best Single Documentary or Miniseries was awarded to Boybands Forever (Mindhouse Productions for BBC2).

Each year, the BPG Executive Committee also honours outstanding emerging talent. This year’s BPG Breakthrough Award went to Bella Maclean for her standout performance as Agatha ‘Taggie’ O’Hara in Rivals. The BPG Emerging Creator Award was given to TikTok sensation Big Manny. Both awards are sponsored by Prime Video.

Additionally, three previously announced special awards were presented. The BPG Jury Award for Excellence in British Drama was awarded to the team behind Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light (Playground and Company Pictures for BBC1) for their captivating drama series. Honouring their services to the British TV industry, Anne Mensah, Vice President of Content at Netflix, received the BPG Jury Prize for Outstanding TV Executive, and Jane Featherstone, co-founder and executive producer of Sister Pictures, was honoured with the Harvey Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, sponsored by Warner Bros. Discovery.

BPG Chair Manori Ravindran said: “As a journalist, I know firsthand how much passion and expertise go into covering this industry, which is why the BPG Awards are so special. Coveted by the industry, these awards stand apart because they are chosen independently by the critics, correspondents, and writers who live and breathe TV and audio. This year’s winners represent the very best of British storytelling—bold dramas, captivating documentaries, and groundbreaking entertainment that reflect the richness of our industry. These awards celebrate the talent, creativity, and impact of television, streaming, and audio in shaping conversations and inspiring audiences. A huge thank you to our sponsors for making this celebration possible.”

THE BPG AWARDS 2025 WINNERS IN FULL ARE:

BEST SINGLE DRAMA / MINI-SERIES