Adolescence has followed up its Emmy success with two Sky Arts Awards, triumphing in the television category along with a breakthrough award for its young star Owen Cooper.
The hit Netflix drama beat the BBC’s Bernardine Evaristo adaptation Mr Loverman and Disney+ Jilly Cooper comedy-drama Rivals in the TV category, while Cooper saw off competition from visual artist Alex Margo Arden and writer Nussaibah Younis.
Cooper’s win saw him become the youngest winner in that category, after making history on Sunday as the youngest male to win a supporting actor Emmy.
The four-part mini-series sparked a national conversation on misogyny and online safety, while also drawing attention for its breakout performance from the 15-year-old and its technical brilliance, with each episode shot in a single continuous take.
Co-written by actor Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, the show topped Netflix’s charts around the world, and had real-world impact, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – who said he watched it with his own family – supporting a campaign for it to be shown in parliament and schools.
The two Sky Arts wins follow the show’s dominance at the Emmy’s in Los Angeles earlier this week, where it took home six gongs. That followed two National Television awards earlier this year.
The Sky Arts Awards, presented by Bill Bailey at London’s Roundhouse, showcase the best of British and Irish arts and culture, celebrating achievements across all arts, ranging from classical music, film, and poetry to popular music, TV and visual arts.
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Other wins include Lola Young‘s This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway triumphing in the popular music category, beating Charli XCX‘s Brat and Kneecap’s Fine Art.
It wasn’t Kneecap‘s night, as the self-named biopic about the band, directed and written by Rich Peppiatt, lost out to political thriller Conclave, which also saw off Karan Kandhari’s black comedy, Sister Midnight.
Sally Rooney, who has recently been in the news after pledging her royalties to proscribed group Palestine Action, won in the literature category for her latest novel Intermezzo, beating fellow writers Alan Hollinghurst and Gwyneth Lewis.
Bob Geldof received the Sky Arts lifetime achievement award, performing live with his band, The Boomtown Rats.
The 73-year-old musician was recognised for his influence as a musician and cultural figure over the last five decades.
Never afraid to be outspoken, Geldof was one of the defining voices of the 1970s punk era before going on to co-create Band Aid and the historic Live Aid concerts, reshaping the relationship between music and global activism.
Sky Arts executive director Phil Edgar-Jones OBE said: “Honouring Bob Geldof feels especially fitting, not only for his contribution to music but for the way he’s harnessed creativity to change the world.”
Other live performances on the night included Madness, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch and Royal Ballet.
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Full list of Sky Arts Awards winners:
Classical Music: Bold Tendencies – Body of work
Errollyn Wallen – Body of work
Manchester Camerata – Body of work
Comedy: Elf Lyons – Horses
Jen Brister – Body of work
Sarah Keyworth – My Eyes Are Up Here
Dance: Nederland Dans Theatre and Complicité – Figures in Extinction
Lost Dog – Ruination
Stopgap Dance Company – Lived Fiction
Film: Conclave
Kneecap
Sister Midnight
Literature: Sally Rooney – Intermezzo
Alan Hollinghurst – Our Evenings
Gwyneth Lewis – Nightshade Mother: A Disentangling
Opera: Opera North – Simone Boccanegra
Garsington Opera – Body of Work
Sound Voice – The Sound Voice Project
Poetry: Caleb Femi – The Wickedest
Janetta Otter-Barry – Body of work
Roundhouse – The Roundhouse Poetry Slam
Popular Music: Lola Young – This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway
Charli XCX – Brat
Kneecap – Fine Art
Television: Adolescence (Netflix)
Mr Loverman (BBC)
Rivals (Disney+)
Theatre: Lung – The Children’s Inquiry
David Byrne – Body of work
Jamie Hale – Body of work
Visual Art: Barbara Walker – Being Here
Claudette Johnson – Three Women
Michelle Roberts – Body of work, including Red Blue Up
The Times Breakthrough Award: Owen Cooper (TV)
Alex Margo Arden (Visual art)
Nussaibah Younis (Literature)
Lifetime Achievement: Bob Geldof
Arts Hero: Diane Carroll, assistant manager at Oran Mor in Glasgow
