CITY-BASED film company Hurricane Productions also won awards at the RTS NW ceremony on Saturday night.

Their six part series Accrington Stanley . . . Exactly! – a behind the scenes look at the club – won Best Regional Programme and Best Sports Programme.

Other winners included Coronation Street, Panorama, and Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor.

In full, The Street won the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Craft (Jimmy McGovern); Best Newcomer (off screen) for Esther Wilson; Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series for Anna Friel; Best Single Drama or Drama Series; and The Judges’ Award, which went to the entire production team.

McGovern created The Street in 2006 and stars to grace it during its three series include Sue Johnston, Jane Horrocks, Steven Graham, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, and Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones. The third series, which aired this year, was thought to be the last due to cutbacks at ITV, which made the show for the BBC.

But McGovern, together with producers Sita Williams and Roxy Spencer, have recently set up their own company, RSJ films, and hope to revive it in future.

They have also been commissioned to make a new film for the BBC, Accused, in 2010.