Nomination sparks fresh row

The Brass Eye Special tackling paedophilia has been nominated for another award.

Chris Morris's controversial satire, which won the comedy prize at this year's Broadcast awards, is now in line for a prestigious Royal Television Society award.

It has been nominated in the sitcom/comedy drama category alongside Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and The Office.

The nomination attracted the ire of campaigners.

On Radio 4's Today programme, John Milton-Whatmore, chairman of the organisation Mediawatch UK, founded by the late Mary Whitehouse, said: "A lot of people were offended by this.

"A lot of common, decent people would have looked at this programme and been thoroughly disgusted."

"What do we have to do, in phone calls and letters, to give them the impression that it wasn't right, it was perverted?"

Meanwhile, Omid Djalili, Johnny Vegas and Holly Scourfield, from BBC2's When I Was 12, have made the shortlist for the best on-screen newcomer. Djalili was nominated for his Channel 4 show Bloody Foreigners, about the plight of immigrants in Britain.

In other categories, Comic Relief, Banzai and The Kumars at Number 42 will vie for the entertainment gong.

Alistair McGowan, Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross have been shortlisted for best entertainment personality, and Louis Theroux, Ant and Dec and Rolf Harris made the final three in the best presenter category.

Ricky Gervais is up for best actor for The Office against Ken Scott from The Vice and David Suchet for The Way We Live Now.

The awards will be presented by Graham Norton on Tuesday March 19.

A full list of nominations is at the RTS website.

Published: 27 Feb 2002