Peter Kay and Reggie Yates win top awards at Edinburgh International TV Festival

Peter Kay won the award for his show, Car Share. Picture; contributed

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The winners of the prestigious gongs were announced on Thursday, presented by comedian, writer, presenter and actress Katherine Ryan in the first year to honour those from outside the UK as well as homegrown talent.

Kay came out on top in the new Programme of the Year category, where he won for Peter Kay’s Car Share, a sitcom set on four wheels as the employees of a supermarket, which Kay’s character assistant manages, share their journey to work.

Yates, who has been taking on more hard-hitting presenting work since his career started out in kids’ TV, was victorious in Factual Programme of the Year for Reggie Yates’ Extreme Russia, a mini series that saw him travel around Russia investigating some of the more bizarre and controversial aspects of its culture.

In the Talent Schemes Programme Choice award, American Crime Story: The People Vs O.J. Simpson won, a dramatisation of the trial whose star-studded cast included Cuba Gooding Jr as Simpson and David Schwimmer as his lawyer, Robert Kardashian.

Adele picked up TV Moment of the Year for her rendition of a Nicki Minaj rap on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, while Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright got the Outstanding Achievement award and Channel 4 was named Channel of the Year.

Festival director Lisa Campbell said: “Congratulations to all of our winners, this year’s competition was tough, but it is testament to the quality of not only the series produced, but the people, their creativity, passion and determination that makes the decision so hard.

“We were also delighted to open up entries to our international counterparts in our New Programme of the Year category, and introduce Best International Co-production. Another great year in global TV, we look forward to the next.”