Irish animators Jam Media and Boulder Media are celebrating this week after both picked up a BAFTA Children’s Award on Sunday night.
Jam Media’s ‘Roy’ picked up the Best Drama Award, beating off stiff competition from fellow CBBC shows ‘Lost Christmas’, ‘Postcode’ and ‘Tracy Beaker Returns’, which was directed by Irish director Neasa Hardiman.
‘Roy’, a fly-on-the-wall mockumentary for kids, stars Simon Delaney and Scott Graham, who voices Roy. The series follows cartoon character Roy as he grows up in Ballyfermot in Dublin, with children who aren’t in animated form.
Alan Shannon, the director of ‘Roy’ and founding member of Jam Media along with John Rice and Mark Cumberton, said of the win: “We are so delighted with this incredible honour from BAFTA. It is such a wonderful affirmation of the hard work and dedication of so many talented individuals. It's hugely gratifying that Roy as a show seems to resonate with a very wide audience in the UK and Ireland.”
‘Roy’ has been renewed for a third season |
‘Roy’ can currently be seen on RTÉ and CBBC, and has just been renewed for a third season.
Also successful on the night was Boulder media’s ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’, which won in the Animation category.
The animation follows the ups and downs of a 12 year-old cat named Gumball, who lives with his father who is a rabbit and brother who was formerly the family’s pet fish.
It was up against ‘The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers’, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ and ‘The Mechanical Musical Marvel’.
Anne Tweedy and Peter Lewis, producers of ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’, said of the win: “It’s great news for everyone involved, we’re still pinching ourselves. I don’t think we were expecting another BAFTA win this year, especially when you consider the other great shows in the category. To be part of a show that’s getting the response ‘Gumball’ has been receiving from viewers and industry people alike makes all the hard work worthwhile. Full credit to our amazing Boulder crew.”
‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ is also up for an international Kids Emmy Award in February, along with Brown Bag’s ‘Octonauts’.
The BAFTA Children’s Awards were held in London on Sunday, November 25. Other winners on the night included ‘The Hunger Games’, which was voted Best Feature Film, and CBBC, which won Channel of the Year.
