British Academy Television Award for Best Live Event
Annual UK television award
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The British Academy Television Award for Best Live Event is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. According to the BAFTA website, the category is for "the television coverage of a live event."[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
First award1964
Currently held byVE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember (2026)
| British Academy Television Award | |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | British Academy of Film and Television Arts |
| First award | 1964 |
| Currently held by | VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember (2026) |
| Website | http://www.bafta.org/ |
The category has gone through several changes:
- An individual award (occasionally with nominees) named Best Outside Broadcasts was presented from 1964 to 1968 and in 1977.
- From 1986 to 1991, the category was merged with the Best News Coverage category, being presented as Best News or Outside Broadcast Coverage.
- From 1995 to 1997 it was presented as Best Sports/Events Coverage in Real Time.
- In 1998 and 1999 it was awarded as Best Live Outside Broadcast Coverage.
- From 2012 to 2015, the category for sport evens was merged with the Best Sport category being awarded under the name Best Sport and Live Event.
- Since 2016, the category is presented as a stand-alone category, separate from the Best Sport category.
Winners and nominees
1960s
Best Outside Broadcasts
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Antony Craxton | |
| 1965 | Dennis Monger | |
| 1966 | The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill LSO - The Music Men | Peter Morley |
| Men Against the Matterhorn Cup Winners Cup Final: "West Ham v Munich" England v Scotland | Alan Chivers, Walther Pluess | |
| The Lying-in-State and The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill NATO Conference Festival of Remembrance at Cenotaph | Antony Craxton | |
| Victory in Europe - 20 Years After Half Time Britain Science Special Challenge Tomorrow's World | Glyn Jones | |
| 1967 | Grandstand: "World Cup" | |
| 1968 | Alan Chivers, Christopher Brasher | |
1970s
Best Outside Broadcasts
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 1976 FA Cup final | |
| Match of the Day | ||
| St Nicholas Cantata | Margery Baker | |
| The State Opening of Parliament | ||
| Wimbledon 1976 | ||
1990s
Best Sports/Events Coverage in Real Time
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Grand National | Keith MacKenzie, Martin Hopkins |
| Arnhem 50th Anniversary: Out of Ammunition | Michael Begg | |
| D-Day Remembered: Beaches of Normandy and the Bayeux Service of Remembrance | Neil Eccles, Stephen Morris | |
| UEFA Cup: "Aston Villa v Inter Milan" | Mike Inman, John Watts | |
| 1996 | VE Day Coverage | Peter Hylton Cleaver, Neil Eccles, Philip S. Gilbert and Team |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | Jane Garrod | |
| Super Sunday: "The Final Day of the Premiership" | Andy Melvin, Tony Mills | |
| VJ-50 Live: The Final Tribute | Neil Eccles, Simon Betts, Philip S Gilbert | |
| 1997 | BBC1 Euro '96 Coverage | Niall Sloane, Vivien Kent |
| Formula 1 Grand Prix Racing | Jim Reside, Keith MacKenzie | |
| Monday Night Football | Andy Melvin, Tony Mills | |
| Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph | Peter Cleaver | |
Best Live Outside Broadcast Coverage
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Sky Rugby Union | Martin Turner |
| The Grand National | Malcolm Kemp, Martin Hopkins, Dave Gordon | |
| Hong Kong Handover: The Final Moment | Philip Gilbert, Neil Eccles, Geoff Wilson and the BBC Events Production Team | |
| ITV Coverage of the Grand Prix | Neil Duncanson, Keith McKenzie | |
| 1999 | Channel 4 Racing: "Derby Day" | Andrew Franklin, Denise Large |
| The Eurovision Song Contest | Guy Freeman, Geoff Posner | |
| The Football World Cup Final Programme | Paul McNamara, Niall Sloane | |
| World Cup '98: "England v Argentina" | Jeff Farmer, Rick Waumsley, John Watts | |
2010s
Best Sport and Live Event
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Royal Wedding | BBC One | |
| Frankenstein's Wedding: Live in Leeds | Meredith Chambers, Pat Connor, Richard Fell, Eleanor Moran | BBC Three | |
| Rugby World Cup Final | Phil Heslop, Paul McNamara, Tony Pastor, Roger Pearce | ITV | |
| Tour de France 2011 | Steve Docherty, Gary Imlach, James Venner, Carolyn Viccari | ITV4 | |
| 2013 | The London 2012 Paralympic Games | Channel 4 | |
| The London 2012 Olympics: "Super Saturday" | BBC One | ||
| The London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isle of Wonder | |||
| Wimbledon 2012: "Men's Final" | |||
| 2014 | The Ashes 2013: "1st Test, Day 5" | Sky Sports | |
| Wimbledon Men's Final | BBC One/BBC Sport | ||
| Glastonbury 2013 | BBC | ||
| Bollywood Carmen Live | BBC Three | ||
| 2015 | WW1 Remembered – From the Battlefield & Westminster Abbey | BBC Two | |
| 2014 FA Cup Semi Final: Hull City v Sheffield United | BT Sport 1 | ||
| Monty Python (Mostly) Live: One Down, Five to Go | Gold | ||
| Tour de France, 2014, Stage 1 | Steve Docherty, Carolyn Viccari, James Venner, Gary Imlach | ITV | |
Best Live Event
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Big Blue Live | BBC One | |
| The Sound of Music Live! | ITV | ||
| Stargazing Live: "Brit in Space, Tim Peake Special" | BBC Two | ||
| The Vote | David Clews, James Graham, Tony Grech-Smith, Josie Rourke | More4 | |
| 2017 | The Queen's 90th Birthday Celebration | ITV | |
| The Centenary of the Battle of the Somme: Thiepval | BBC One | ||
| Shakespeare Live! from the RSC | BBC Two | ||
| Stand Up to Cancer | Channel 4 | ||
| 2018 | World War One Remembered: Passchendaele | BBC Two | |
| ITV News Election 2017: The Results | ITV | ||
| One Love Manchester | BBC One | ||
| Wild Alaska Live | |||
| 2019 [2] | The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance | BBC One | |
| Open Heart Surgery: Live | Channel 5 | ||
| The Royal Wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Channel 4 | ||
| Stand Up to Cancer | Suzi Aplin, Andrew Charles Smith, Murray James, Gabe Turner | ||
2020s
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 [3] | Blue Planet Live | BBC One | |
| Election 2019 Live: The Results | ITV | ||
| Glastonbury 2019 | BBC Two | ||
| Operation Live | Channel 5 | ||
| 2021 [4] | Springwatch 2020 | BBC Two | |
| Life Drawing Live! | Emyr Afan, Sally Dixon, Josie d'Arby, Lachlan Goudie, Diana Ali, Nicky Philipps | BBC Four | |
| The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance | BBC One | ||
| The Third Day: Autumn | Sky Arts | ||
| 2022 [5] | The Earthshot Prize 2021 | BBC One | |
| The Brit Awards 2021 | ITV | ||
| The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance | BBC One | ||
| Springwatch 2021 | BBC Two | ||
| 2023 [6][7] | Platinum Jubilee: Party at the Palace | BBC One | |
| Concert for Ukraine | Guy Freeman, Richard Valentine, Anouk Fontaine, Tom Cuckson, Laura Djanogly, Jen Bollom | ITV | |
| The State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II | BBC One | ||
- Best Live Event Coverage
- Note: The series that don't have recipients on the tables had Production team credited as recipients for the award or nomination.