Banff: ‘Fleabag’ Wins Grand Jury Prize, Best Comedy

The canceled Banff World Media Festival has revealed winners of its Rockie Awards, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag scooping the Grand Jury Prize and best comedy series in the juried competition.

Also Monday, HBO’s Gentleman Jack took home the best English language drama series prize, while HBO and Sky TV’s Chernobyl nabbed the best limited series crown. The Banff Rockie Awards, traditionally a shoot-out between U.S. and U.K. TV producers, this year saw the Brits pick up 14 trophies, followed by American producers with 11.

U.K. TV shows earned 44 nominations heading into the Banff Rockie Awards, followed closely by American series with 43 nominations. The Banff Rockies prize-giving was streamed live after Banff’s 2020 edition, set to run June 14-17 in the Canadian Rockies, was canceled and delayed for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite that disruption, jury members for the festival’s Rockie Awards continued their deliberations for the annual competition that sees U.S. TV shows compete against international fare.

A complete list of international program competition winners is below.

Grand Jury Prize Winner: Fleabag

Drama Series: English Language Gentleman Jack BBC, HBO, Lookout Point UK, USA

Comedy Series: English Language Fleabag all3media, BBC Three, Two Brothers Pictures UK

Limited Series: Chernobyl HBO, Sister, Sky Atlantic, The Mighty Mint, Word Games Lithuania, UK, Ukraine, USA

Drama Series: Non-English Language Giri/Haji (Duty/Shame) BBC Two, Netflix, Sister Japan, UK

Comedy Series: Non-English Language Mytho ARTE France, Netflix France

Children & Youth Fiction Series: Hardball ABC iview, ABC ME, Australian Children’s Foundation, Northern Pictures Australia, UK

Lifestyle Program: Employable Me Accessible Media Inc., all3media, Thomas Howe Associates Inc. Canada

Comedy & Variety Program: Baroness von Sketch Show CBC, Frantic Films Canada

Science & Technology Program: Science Fair Muck Media, National Geographic, Univision USA

History & Biography Program: Free Solo Image Nation, Itinerant Media, Little Monster Films, National Geographic, Parkes+MacDonald USA

Docusoap & Docuseries: Who Are You Calling Fat? BBC, Love Productions UK

Sci-Fi & Genre-Based Series: His Dark Materials Bad Wolf, BBC, HBO Canada, UK, USA

Television Movie, Scripted: Elizabeth is Missing BBC, STV Productions UK

Podcast of the Year: This Sounds Serious Castbox, Kelly&Kelly Canada, USA

Innovative Producer Award: Wattpad Studios

A+ E Inclusion Award: Niecy Nash

Canadian Award of Distinction: Aurora Browne, Carolyn Taylor, Jennifer Whalen & Meredith MacNeill of Baroness von Sketch Show

Francophone Prize: Mammouth 2019

Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content: Baroness von Sketch Show