At London's Grosvenor House Hotel, the Royal Television Society gathered to honour the year's finest television craft, and two productions with Irish roots rose above the field. Irish actress Philippa Dunne claimed the Comedy Performance award for her role in Amandaland, while the Belfast-set police drama Blue Lights took the Drama Series prize — each recognised not merely for entertainment, but for the rarer quality of sustained artistic command. With both now shortlisted for the BAFTA Television Awards in May, the evening marks a moment where Irish creative talent finds itself firmly at the
Philippa Dunne and Blue Lights triumph at RTS Awards
She makes an immediate impact the moment she arrives on screen.
Mark
So Philippa Dunne won for a spinoff show—does that make the achievement less significant, or is she essentially carrying a new series on her own?
Mimi
The judges' language suggests they saw her as genuinely transformative in the role. They didn't say "she fits well into an established format." They said she makes an immediate impact and brings extraordinary comedic ability. A spinoff can be a vehicle, but it can also be a platform where a performer distinguishes themselves.
Luke
Fair, but we should note that the judges' praise is their interpretation. We don't have audience data or critical consensus beyond the RTS panel itself. One prestigious award body's view is meaningful, but it's not the same as saying the industry broadly agrees.
Mark
And Blue Lights—is that show new, or has it been running for a while?
Mimi
It's a Belfast-set police drama on BBC One. The RTS judges called it tense and beautifully paced, which suggests it's sustained that quality across multiple episodes. That's harder to do than a single strong performance.
Luke
The source doesn't tell us how many seasons it's had or how long it's been on air. We know it won the Drama Series award and that it's now shortlisted for BAFTA, but we don't have context on whether this is a breakout year for the show or a continuation of earlier success.
Mark
Both are now in the running for BAFTA in May. What are the odds they actually win there?
Mimi
The RTS win is a strong signal, but BAFTA is a different judging body with different priorities. It's not automatic. But being shortlisted at both ceremonies in the same week does suggest both productions are being taken seriously across the industry.
Luke
Right—shortlisted is the operative word. Shortlisted means they made a cut, not that they're favorites. We don't know how many other shows are in contention or how competitive the categories are.
Der Puls
- Philippa Dunne's win was unequivocal — judges described her screen presence as immediate and her comedic ability as extraordinary, setting her apart in a competitive field.
- Blue Lights brought the tension of Belfast's streets to a national audience, earning its Drama Series award through writing and pacing that judges said never let the viewer breathe easy.
- Within hours of the RTS ceremony, both Dunne and Blue Lights received BAFTA shortlist confirmations, compressing what is usually a season of waiting into a single afternoon of cascading recognition.
- The wider ceremony saw Adolescence dominate with four awards, signalling a broader moment of strength across British and Irish television production rather than a single outlier success.
- Both productions are now available on the RTÉ Player, meaning Irish audiences can weigh the judges' verdicts against their own experience — the conversation is open.
At London's Grosvenor House Hotel, the Royal Television Society gathered to honour the year's finest television craft, and two productions with Irish roots rose above the field. Irish actress Philippa Dunne claimed the Comedy Performance award for her role in Amandaland, while the Belfast-set police drama Blue Lights took the Drama Series prize — each recognised not merely for entertainment, but for the rarer quality of sustained artistic command. With both now shortlisted for the BAFTA Television Awards in May, the evening marks a moment where Irish creative talent finds itself firmly at the centre of British television's most prestigious conversations.
On a Tuesday evening at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, the Royal Television Society handed out its annual awards, and two productions with Irish connections claimed some of the night's most significant prizes.
Philippa Dunne, the Irish actress who plays Anne Flynn in the BBC sitcom Amandaland, won Comedy Performance - Female. The judges left little room for ambiguity: from the moment she appears on screen, she commands it. Her comedic skill, they said, is extraordinary. Amandaland is a spinoff of the earlier hit Motherland, but Dunne's performance has given it something distinctly her own — and the RTS, a respected industry body, has now placed her among the year's finest comic performers in British television.
The other major Irish-connected winner was Blue Lights, the Belfast-set police drama on BBC One, which took the Drama Series award. Judges praised it as tense, nail-biting, and immaculately written — a series that sustains its momentum across episodes in a way that television drama often struggles to achieve.
The timing added further weight to both wins. That same afternoon, Dunne and Blue Lights each learned they had been shortlisted for the BAFTA Television Awards, set for May 10 in London. For Dunne, it was back-to-back validation within hours. For Blue Lights, it confirmed that its impact had registered well beyond a single judging body.
Elsewhere in the ceremony, the limited series Adolescence proved the evening's dominant force, claiming four awards including Writer - Drama for Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and a double win for young co-star Owen Cooper. Both Amandaland and Blue Lights are available on the RTÉ Player for Irish audiences eager to see what all the recognition is about.
The Royal Television Society gathered its annual awards ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Tuesday evening, and two productions with Irish connections emerged as standout winners. Philippa Dunne, the Irish actress known for her role as Anne Flynn in the BBC sitcom Amandaland, took home the award for Comedy Performance - Female. The judges' citation was unambiguous about what they saw in her work: the moment she appears on screen, she commands attention. They noted that the comedic skill she brings to the show transcends the ordinary—it is, by their assessment, extraordinary.
Amandaland itself is a spinoff of the earlier award-winning sitcom Motherland, which means Dunne was already working within an established comedic universe when she joined the cast. Her performance, however, appears to have given the show something distinctly her own. The recognition from the RTS, one of the industry's most respected judging bodies, places her among the year's most accomplished comic performers working in British television.
The other major Irish-connected winner of the evening was Blue Lights, the Belfast-set police drama that airs on BBC One. The series won the Drama Series award, a recognition that speaks to the full architecture of the show—its writing, pacing, direction, and performance working in concert. The judges described it as a tense, nail-biting experience for viewers, a series so carefully constructed in its rhythm and so precisely written that it sustains that tension across multiple episodes. In an era when television drama often struggles to maintain momentum, Blue Lights appears to have cracked that particular problem.
The timing of these wins carries additional weight. On the same Tuesday afternoon, both Dunne and Blue Lights learned they had been shortlisted for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Television Awards, the BAFTA ceremony that will take place in London on May 10. This means both are now positioned for further recognition at one of the year's most prestigious television honors. For Dunne, it represents back-to-back validation within hours. For Blue Lights, it suggests the show's impact extends well beyond a single awards body's judgment.
The broader RTS Awards ceremony revealed a dominant winner in the limited series Adolescence, which claimed four awards across the evening. Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for Writer - Drama, while Graham's young co-star Owen Cooper took both the Supporting Actor - Male award and the Breakthrough Award, a recognition of emerging talent. The full slate of winners spanned the breadth of British television production: documentary, entertainment, sports coverage, soap opera, children's programming, and live events all received recognition.
Both Amandaland and Blue Lights are available to watch on the RTÉ Player, making them accessible to Irish audiences who may want to see what the judges found so compelling. The RTS Awards, held annually, serve as an important barometer of quality in British and Irish television production, and this year's selections suggest a year of strong work across multiple genres and formats.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
She makes an immediate impact the moment she arrives on screen. The comedic ability she brings to this show is extraordinary.— RTS judges on Philippa Dunne's performance in Amandaland
A tense, nail-biting watch—a series so beautifully paced and immaculately written.— RTS judges on Blue Lights
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