Beeb dominates BAFTA television nods with 13

'Family' shows royalty

By ANDREW PAXMAN

LONDON — Cultish BBC sitcom "The Royle Family" was the only show to cop more than one trophy at the BAFTA TV awards Sunday night, in an event otherwise dominated by long-established tube talent.

The Royles, Britain’s best-loved couch potatoes, took statuettes for best sitcom and for actress Caroline Aherne — helping the Beeb toward a tally of 13 of the 20 competitive awards.

Thora Hird won actress honors for the ITV-produced "Lost for Words" and Michael Gambon took home the actor prize for the BBC’s "Wives & Daughters," while veteran newsmen David Jeremy Paxman and John Simpson also took trophies. Notable winners included "Warriors," about Brit peacekeepers in Bosnia, for drama; "The League of Gentleman," a former Golden Rose winner at Montreux, for comedy series; and "Walking with Dinosaurs," the popular BBC-Discovery Channel co-prod, which took the innovation award. The full list of winners:

Best Actress: Thora Hird, "Lost for Words," ITV.

Best Actor: Michael Gambon, "Wives & Daughters," BBC1.

Entertainment Performance: Graham Norton, "So Graham Norton," Channel 4.

Comedy Performance: Caroline Aherne, "The Royle Family," BBC1.

News Presenter: Jeremy Paxman, "Newsnight," BBC2.

Single Drama: "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence," ITV.

Drama Series: "The Cops," BBC2.

Drama Serial: "Warriors," BBC1.

Soap: "Eastenders," BBC1.

Factual Series: "The Mayfair Set," BBC2.

Documentary: "Divorce Iranian Style," Channel 4.

Journalism: John Simpson & team, Coverage of the Kosovo conflict, BBC1.

Innovation: "Walking with Dinosaurs," BBC1.

Entertainment Program: "Robbie the Reindeer," BBC1.

Sitcom: "The Royle Family," BBC1.

Comedy Series: "The League of Gentlemen," BBC2.

Lew Grade Audience Award: "A Touch of Frost," ITV.

Feature: "Blood on the Carpet," BBC2.

Arts: "This is Modern Art," Channel 4.

Sport: "Test Cricket," Channel 4.