'Bleak House' champion at RTS awards

'Bleak House'

Bleak House has taken the awards for best writer and best drama serial at the Royal Television Society.

The Charles Dickens' adaptation took the top award while the show's Andrew Davies took best writer.

Best soap went to Emmerdale, while Catherine Tate won best entertainment show and best comedy performance. In the former category she beat popular reality shows The X Factor and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.

Judges praised her as a "multi-talented performer who has quickly established herself as an A-list comedienne".

Channel 4 took best daytime programme for Deal Or No Deal, and the BBC's The Thick of It won best sitcom or comedy drama.

Overall, the BBC picked up 12 awards, Channel 4 nine and ITV five.