‘Coronation Street’ won the top prize at the Broadcast Awards on Wednesday night (06.02.19).
The ITV favourite was named the best soap or continuing drama at the annual ceremony, which looks to honour the UK’s "most groundbreaking and successful content, creators and channels".
The soap’s episode dealing with both Aidan Connor’s (Shayne Ward) suicide and David Platt’s (Jack P Shepherd) male rape earned the programme high praise from an expert judging panel.
The hour-long episode – which was a collaboration with charities CALM and the Samaritans – put a focus on mental health, as David made the decision to speak out about his own pain and didn’t take his own life.
One judge declared: "A brutally real portrayal of grief that I’ve never seen in a soap before."
Another described it as a "sensitively handled episode that had an impact soap rarely achieves these days".
Aidan’s death and body were not shown on screen – following advice to the soap – as ‘Corrie’ kept the focus on the wider impact of his suicide and how it affected his friends and family.
The event also saw big wins for shows like ‘A Very English Scandal’ (best drama series or serial) and ‘Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway ‘ (best entertainment programme), while ITV was named Channel of the Year.
Sir Trevor McDonald was also honoured on the night as he received the Special Recognition Award.
Broadcast Awards 2019 full winners list:
Best Children’s Programme – ‘My Life: Locked In Boy’
Best Comedy Programme – ‘Derry Girls’
Best Daytime Programme – ‘Murder, Mystery and My Family’
Best Documentary Programme – ‘The Fight for Mosul’
Best Documentary Series – ‘Prison’
Best Drama Series or Serial – ‘A Very English Scandal’
Best Entertainment Programme – ‘Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’
Best Multichannel Programme – ‘Killed By My Debt’
Best Music Programme – ‘Later… With Jools Holland: Later 25’
Best News & Current Affairs Programme – ‘Channel 4 News: Cambridge Analytica Uncovered’
Best Original Programme – ‘Married to A Paedophile’
Best Popular Factual Programme – ‘The Real Full Monty: Ladies Night’
Best Pre-School Programme – ‘Pablo’
Best Single Drama – ‘Killed By My Debt’
Best Soap/Continuing Drama – ‘Coronation Street’
Best Specialist Factual Programme – ‘The Football Club: Artist In Residence’
Best Sports Programme – ‘2018 FIFA World Cup’ (BBC Sport)
Best Production House – Halo Post
Channel of the Year – ITV
International Programme Sales – ‘All Together Now’
Best Independent Production Company – World Productions
Special Recognition Award – Sir Trevor McDonald