Ghanaian-British actress, Michaela Coel was a big winner at the 2021 Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards.

She won two individual awards: ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Best Writer.’ ‘I May Destroy You,’ the series Coel created, wrote, co-directed and executive produced won ‘Best Drama’ award.

The awards scheme recognises “outstanding UK programmes and performances seen or heard in the preceding year.”

The series follows Arabella (played by Coel) who is forced to reassess everything, including her career, friends and family after being sexually assaulted in a nightclub

“Receiving this from the Broadcasting Press Guild is particularly meaningful to me, because this is awarded by journalists, the best of which scrutinize the topic, their opinion of it, and interrogate both the world and themselves, as writers within it. I can identify with this, particularly because I May Destroy You was inspired by my own experiences of sexual assault,” stated Coel.



Best Documentary Miniseries

8 Minutes And 46 Seconds: The Killing of George Floyd (Sky News)

Freddie Flintoff – Living with Bulimia (South Shore Productions for BBC One)

My Family, The Holocaust and Me (Wall to Wall for BBC One)

The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty (72 Films for BBC Two)


Best Documentary Series

Dispatches: all 2020 programmes (Various production companies for Channel 4)

Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat (BBC Studios for BBC Two)

Portrait Artist of the Year, Series 7 (Storyvault Films for Sky Arts)

Once Upon a Time in Iraq (KEO Films for BBC Two)


Best Comedy

Friday Night Dinner, Series 6 (Big Talk Productions for Channel 4)

Inside No. 9, Series 5 (BBC Studios for BBC Two)

Staged, Series 1 (Infinity Hill/ GCB Films for BBC One)

This Country, Series 3 (BBC Studios for BBC Three)

The Trip, Series 4 (Greece) (Revolution Films for Sky One)


Best Entertainment

Big Zuu’s Big Eats (TwoFour’s Boomerang for Dave).

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Series 3 (Owl Power for BBC Two)

Race Across the World, Series 2 (Studio Lambert for BBC Two)

Taskmaster, Series 10 (Avalon Television for Channel 4)


Best Actress

Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You). Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People)

Dolly Wells (Dracula) Letitia Wright (Mangrove, Small Axe)


Best Actor

Shaun Parkes (Mangrove, Small Axe)

Matthew Macfadyen (Quiz)

Paul Mescal (Normal People)

David Tennant (Des/ Staged)

Best Writer

James Graham (Quiz)

Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You)

Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton (Inside No. 9)

Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Alastair Siddons (Small Axe)


Best Drama Miniseries

Des (New Pictures for ITV)

Quiz (Left Bank Pictures for ITV and AMC)

Roald and Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse (Hartswood Films for Sky One)

The Salisbury Poisonings (Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC One)


Best Drama Series

All Creatures Great and Small (Playground Entertainment for Channel 5)

I Hate Suzie (Bad Wolf and Sky Studios for Sky Atlantic)

I May Destroy You (Various Artists Limited/ FALKNA for BBC One and HBO)

Normal People (Element Pictures for BBC Three and Hulu)

Small Axe (Turbine Studios/ Lammas Park for Amazon and BBC One)


BPG Breakthrough Award

Emma Corrin (The Crown)

Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People)

Paul Mescal (Normal People)

Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn (Lovers Rock, Small Axe)


BPG Innovation in Broadcasting Award

BBC for its Lockdown Learning initiative (BBC TV/Online/social media)

Grayson’s Art Club – Grayson and Philippa Perry tackling lockdown through art (Channel 4)

PE With Joe – Joe Wicks’ lockdown PE lessons (YouTube)


Audio Presenter of the Year

Clara Amfo (BBC Radio 1 production for BBC Radio 1)


Radio Programme of the Year

1Xtra Talks Special: George Floyd and Black Lives Matter with Seani B and DJ Ace (BBC Audio for BBC 1Xtra)


Podcast of the Year

How Do You Cope?…With Elis James and John Robins (Audio Always for BBC Radio 5 Live)


Harvey Lee Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award

John McVay, PACT, on behalf of all who created the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme