Benedict Cumberbatch, Stormzy, Paddington 2 & Inside No. 9 win at The South Bank Sky Arts AwardsBenedict Cumberbatch, Stormzy, Paddington 2 and Inside No. 9 join prestigious list of artists scooping top accolades at The South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2018OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY SKY The South Bank Sky Arts Awards saw a host of artists from the entire spectrum of the arts celebrated for their achievements this year, with Benedict Cumberbatch the recipient of the coveted Outstanding Achievement Award. Hosted by Melvyn Bragg, The South Bank Sky Arts Awards continued its legacy as the only awards ceremony in the world to celebrate the complete range of the arts, with categories for TV Drama, Classical Music, Theatre, Comedy, Dance, Film, Visual Art, Pop, Literature and Opera. Grime artist Stormzy took home the Pop award for Gang Signs & Prayer, his sensationally popular debut album that has taken the music world by storm. The universally treasured Paddington 2 was victorious in the Film category, meanwhile Ma’am Darling, the rip-roaring and witty account of Princess Margaret’s life, saw its author, Craig Brown, scoop the Literature prize. Other winners on the day included the deliciously dark Inside No. 9 for Comedy, the eloquently poised maliphantworks for Dance and politically pertinent The Jungle for Theatre. The awards also celebrated emerging talent, with The Times Breakthrough Award this year presented to Nubya Garcia, a multitalented saxophonist whose debut recordings and live performances have transcended the jazz scene. The awards added a personal touch for this year’s winners, as many of the presenters of each category had a connection with the respective recipient. Presenters included Germaine Greer, an early champion of winning artist Rose Wylie; and Classical Music presenter Guy Garvey, who has performed with Sir Mark Elder, conductor of the victorious BBC Philharmonic and the Hallé. With a host of artists performing on the night, including opera singer Danielle de Niese; remarkable country duo The Shires; and hip hop infused saxophonist Soweto Kinch; the awards were a dynamic celebration of British artistic excellence. Outstanding Achievement Award winner Benedict Cumberbatch commented: “I am quite flabbergasted to be receiving this award especially when looking at past recipients. I am needless to say immensely grateful and humbled. The South Bank Show has always had a place in my heart as being an inspirational exploration of the best of culture so to be recognised in this way by Melvyn and the show is incredibly flattering and I am very humbled to be this year’s recipient. Many many thanks.” Melvyn Bragg commented: “This is as strong as any list we have ever had. The arts in the UK, a £92billion industry, are second only to the US. Regrettably, government policy in cutting arts teaching out of so many schools fails to take this on board. This year’s awards celebrate what can happen when arts are encouraged from school-age onwards.” Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts commented: “The Arts in the UK is as vibrant and exciting as it’s ever been - at Sky Arts we are privileged to be able to bring the very best practitioners across all genres to the screen, whether they are the established geniuses in the field or just starting out. The South Bank Sky Arts Awards celebrates the very cream of the crop and we are proud to celebrate it with our brilliant band of viewers.” The South Bank Sky Arts Awards airs on Sky Arts on Wednesday 4 July at 8pm Full List of Winners VISUAL ART Rose Wylie - Quack Quack, Serpentine Sackler Gallery COMEDY Inside No. 9 - BBC Two THEATRE The Jungle - A Young Vic and National Theatre co-production with Good Chance Theatre. Commissioned by the National Theatre FILM Paddington 2 DANCE maliphantworks - Russell Maliphant Company CLASSICAL MUSIC Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder - BBC Philharmonic and the Hallé LITERATURE Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret - Craig Brown OPERA Hamlet - Glyndebourne POP Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer TV DRAMA Howards End - Playground / BBC One THE TIMES BREAKTHROUGH AWARD Pop - Nubya Garcia OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Benedict Cumberbatch For further information or photography from The South Bank Sky Arts Awards, please contact: Premier PR Notes to editors About The South Bank Sky Arts Awards The South Bank Sky Arts Awards are the only awards ceremony in the world to represent the entire spectrum of the British Arts. Previous winners across the various categories include Doctor Foster for TV Drama, Skyfall for Film, and Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies for Literature. Previous winners of the Outstanding Achievement Award include Harold Pinter, Judi Dench, J.K. Rowling, Eddie Izzard and last year Andrew Lloyd Webber. About Sky Arts Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated channel for the arts. It offers something for everyone, whatever their passion, with entertaining programmes showcasing the best of classical and popular music, theatre, opera, dance and the visual arts, as well as original drama and comedy. Sky Arts is broadcast 24 hours a day and has over 1,000 hours available on catch-up TV, including flagship programmes such as Portrait Artist of The Year, Landscape Artist of the Year and The South Bank Show. The channel is committed to supporting the arts by investing in the best talent, both on and off screen, as well as through exclusive partnerships with major UK and European cultural institutions, including National Theatre Live, Tate and The British Library. Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 23 million customers across seven countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company had annual reported revenues of £12.9 billion in 2016/17, and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with an annual programming spend of around £7 billion. Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women, as well as being recognised in the Stonewall list of Top 50 LGBT-inclusive employers. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY). About Directors Cut Productions Directors Cut Productions is an independent television production company based in Central London. Set up in 2010 by Melvyn Bragg and Cathy Haslam, who had worked together for 10 years at ITV, the company produces Arts and History Documentaries for UK television broadcasters. Directors Cut Productions produce all South Bank Show branded programmes for Sky Arts as well as producing the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Source SKY
July 3, 2018 1:05pm ET by SKY |
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