Dame Judi Dench honoured at South Bank awards

Dame Judi Dench received her award from Sir Peter Hall

Dame Judi Dench was among the prize recipients at this year's South Bank awards, where the veteran actress won an outstanding achievement accolade.

Other winners at the event included low-budget British horror film Monsters, singer Plan B and Channel 4 drama This is England '86.

Lord Melvyn Bragg hosted the awards, previously affiliated to ITV's axed arts programme The South Bank Show.

Presenters included Sir Peter Hall and the artists Gilbert and George.

BBC sitcom Rev won the best comedy award, beating a series of online shorts in which Steve Coogan resurrected popular comedy character Alan Partridge,

Elsewhere the Royal Court's play Clybourne Park - now running in London's West End - picked up the theatre prize.

Other awards went to Welsh National Opera, dance piece Gnosis and the BBC Philharmonic and the Halle orchestras.

This year's ceremony, held at the Dorchester hotel in central London, will be broadcast on the Sky Arts digital channel at 2100 GMT.

Suchet was named best actor for his role in All My Sons

The South Bank Show came to an end in December 2009 on ITV1 after 30 years on the air.

Clybourne Park, by US playwright Bruce Norris, was also recognised on Tuesday at this year's Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.

The hit satire was named best new play at a lunchtime ceremony held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in central London.

David Suchet was named best actor for his work in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, with Sir Derek Jacobi winning the best Shakespearean performance award for King Lear.

Michael Grandage, outgoing artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, shared the best director award for that production with Thea Sharrock.

The latter was recognised for her production of Terence Rattigan's After the Dance at the National.

Teenage writer Anya Reiss was named most promising playwright for Spur of the Moment, also staged by the Royal Court.