CBeebies reclaimed its Channel of the Year title over last year’s winner TrueTube and saw its hit preschool series Hey Duggee (pictured) from Studio AKA take home top honors in the Preschool Animation, Digital and Director categories at the 2018 British Academy (BAFTA) Children’s Awards last night in London.
After taking home the first Channel of the Year award for an online-only platform in 2017, True Tube fell to CBeebies this year—the sixth time it’s won the distinction since the category’s introduction in 2006.
TrueTube didn’t go home empty-handed though, with wins for its standalone video What Do You Mean I Can’t Change the World? in the inaugural Content for Change category, and Origins for Short Form. The latter tells the inspirational story of a working-class woman of color overcoming low self-esteem, while Origins is a film that examines the influence of a person’s upbringing on their life.
Hey Duggee, meanwhile, snapped up its third consecutive BAFTA for Preschool Animation, and won in the newly launched Digital category for its companion app Hey Duggee: The Counting Badge. The IP’s third BAFTA of the night went to Grant Orchard for Director, another new category this year.
As for the award’s expanded International category, SVOD giant Amazon picked up its first-ever Children’s BAFTA for its hit science series Tumble Leaf, which conquered the International Preschool category. Nickelodeon’s perennial favorite SpongeBob SquarePants won for International Animation, while the third season of CBBC’s teen drama Nowhere Boys from Matchbox Pictures grabbed the International Live Action prize.
In the Preschool Live Action category, CBeebies series Get Well Soon Hospital from Kindle Entertainment was victorious, So Awkward from Channel X North and CBBC won for Comedy, and another CBBC series—Joe All Alone—took home the BAFTA for Drama.
Other winners this year include Paddington 2 (Feature Film), Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Game), CBBC’s Mumbai Street Strikers (Factual), Justin Fletcher (Presenter), and iconic children’s TV producer Clive Juster (Mr Benn, King Rollo) for his outstanding contribution to children’s media.
Check out the complete list of winners below, or visit the BAFTA website.
Channel of the Year
CBeebies
Comedy
So Awkward (Channel X North/CBBC)
Content For Change
What Do You Mean I Can’t Change the World? (CTVC/TrueTube)
Drama
Joe All Alone (Zodiak Kids/CBBC)
International Animation
SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon Animation Studio/Nicktoons)
International Preschool
Tumble Leaf (Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment/Prime Video)
International Live Action
Nowhere Boys—Two Moons Rising (Matchbox Pictures/CBBC)
Preschool Animation
Hey Duggee (Studio AKA/CBeebies)
Preschool Live Action
Get Well Soon Hospital (Kindle Entertainment/CBeebies)
Factual
Mumbai Street Strikers (My Life) (Drummer TV/CBBC)
Feature Film
Paddington 2 (StudioCanal and HeyDay Films/StudioCanal)
Entertainment
Prosiect Z (Boom/S4C)
Game
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan/Ubisoft)
Digital
Hey Duggee: The Counting Badge (Scary Beasties/BBC Studios/Studio AKA)
Short Form
Origins (CTVC/TrueTube)
Director
Grant Orchard for Hey Duggee (CBeebies)
Presenter
Justin Fletcher for Something Special (CBeebies)
Performer
Tom Courtenay as Grandpa in Grandpa’s Great Escape (BBC One)
Writer
Tom Bidwell for Katy (CBBC)
Young Performer
Chloe Lea as Katy in Katy (CBBC)