The great and the good from the British media industry will be battling it out for a gong at the inaugural Viacom Diversity in Media Awards on Friday (15 September).
The star-studded ceremony, held at London’s Hilton Waldorf Hotel, will celebrate the work to promote diversity across the entertainment world, and here’s just a taster of what to expect on the night...
1. BBC newsreader Jane Hill swaps presenting the news for presenting awards
Jane Hill will be handing out the prizes at the glittering ceremony, and the BBC journalist his “delighted” to be on hosting duties.
She said in a statement: “From newspapers and radio, to online and television, Britain’s media industry is home to a variety of diverse talent.
“The Diversity In Media Awards will shine a light on the individuals and organisations that do fantastic work to celebrate diversity in all its forms. This is an also important opportunity to highlight the work that still needs to be done by the media to reflect diversity across society.”
2. There will be a star-studded turnout
A variety of A-listers including Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Lenny Henry, Dame Helen Mirren and Lily Allen are up for awards so we’re expecting an impressive turn out of big name celebs on the red carpet.
Already confirmed to be attending include ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant Mollie King, ‘Good Morning Britain’ host Susanna Reid and TV and radio presenter Myleene Klass.
3. There’s also set to be a battle of the broadcasters
Everyone’s favourite chat show host Graham Norton will be going up against the likes of Mary Portas and Reggie Yates for the Presenter of the Year accolade, but they will face tough competition from Dr Christian Jessen and Ade Adepitan.
4. Rising stars will be recognised too
The ceremony will also celebrate the work of up and coming figures, with trans activist and film maker Jake Graf, actress Victoria Broom and reality TV star Ollie Locke all nominated for the hotly-contested Rising Star Of The Year award.
5. There will be some emotional speeches
In a year when the gender pay gap in the media hit the headlines and Donald Trump’s erosion of transgender rights in the USA generated global condemnation, we’re expecting some hard-hitting speeches from winners.
Awards co-founder Linda Riley is a prominent diversity activist and is sure to have her say on the night.
6. Lily Allen is up for a gong for her support in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster
Singer Lily Allen is a strong contender for the Hero of the Year award following her passionate and outspoken support for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
Having continued to call on the government to do more to help them families made homeless by the blaze, a source close to the awards revealed she is set to scoop the gong, adding: “She was clearly moved to action by the devastation in her neighbourhood and has bravely championed the needs of local people ever since.
“It isn’t the first time she’s spoken on issues of social justice so it is no surprise that awards organisers want to show her some recognition.”
7. Munroe Bergdorf will make her first red carpet appearance since L’Oreal sacking
Transgender model Munroe Bergdorf will make her first red carpet appearance since her controversial L’Oreal sacking, which saw her dropped from the company’s diversity campaign when she spoke out against institutional racism.
The full list of award nominees are:
Broadcaster of the Year
- BBC
- Channel 4
- ITV
- London Live
- Made in Tyne and Wear
- MTV
- Sky
- UKTV
Production Company of the Year
- Betty
- Big Talk
- Lesata
- Lime Pictures
- Love
- Maverick
- Sugar Films
- Tiger Aspect
Media Organisation of the Year
- Bloomberg
- Creative Equals
- Ethnic Media Sales
- Grey London
- James Grant
- Mediacom
- Roar Global
- Simon Jones PR
Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Black Lives Matter
- Harvey Bertram-Brown
- Lloyds Banking - He said yes
- Mars UK
- Pride in London
- Project Embrace
- Smirnoff - Digital Pride
- The National Autistic Society
Journalist of the Year
- Ben Henry
- Caitlin Moran
- Emma Barnett
- Matthew Cain
- Nesrine Malik
- Nikki Fox
- Paris Lees
- Saira Khan
Blogger/Podcaster of the Year
- Doug Armstrong
- Chrissie Wunna
- Gemma Turner
- Mary-Loiuse Chandler
- N.C for Brown Men
- Rhianna Dhillon
- Scott Bryan - Buzzfeed
- What Wegan Did Next
TV Programme of the Year
- ‘Britain’s got Talent’
- ‘Chronicles of Nadyia’
- ‘Gay Britannia’
- ‘Gogglebox’
- ‘Muslims Like Us’
- ‘The A Word’
- ‘The Last Leg’
- ‘The Undateables’
Rising Star of the Year
- Aaron Carty
- Craig Dillon
- Jake Graf
- Layton Williams
- Liv Little
- Ollie Locke
- Victoria Broom
- Yomi Adegoke
Media Moment of the Year
- ‘Behind Closed Doors’
- ‘Black Mirror’
- ‘Line of Duty’
- ‘Loose Women’
- Rio Ferdinand
- ‘Doctor Who’
- ‘This Morning’
- ‘The Voice UK’
Hero of the Year
- Adele
- Ariana Grande
- Fox Fisher
- Gary Lineker
- Ian McKellen
- Lily Allen
- Ruth Davidson
- Sadiq Khan
Presenter of the Year
- Ade Adepitan MBE
- Fiona Stalker
- Graham Norton
- Jamal Edwards
- Jasmine Dotiwala
- Mary Portas
- Reggie Yates
- Stacey Dooley
Radio Station / Programme of the Year
- Back Row & Chill
- Badass Women’s Hour
- BBC Somerset
- BBC Women’s Hour
- Gaydio
- LBC
- Resonance FM (community programmes)
- Warren Tone
Diversity Champion of the Year
- Guy Black
- Jon Miler
- Karen Blackett
- Lord Alli
- Philip O’Ferrall
- Sarah Geater
- Toby Mildon
- Vivienne Francis
Actor of the Year
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Daniel Brocklebank
- Denise Welch
- Glynis Barber
- Keiron Richardson
- Liz Carr
- Russell Tovey
- Thandie Newton
Icon of the Year
- Alan Carr
- Alesha Dixon
- Diane Abbott MP
- Edward Enniful OBE
- Gok Wan
- Helen Mirren
- Idris Elba
- Will Young
Find out more about the Diversity In Media Awards here.
