Fred West drama Appropriate Adult wins RTS awards

Appropriate Adult was a dramatisation of the arrest of serial killer Fred West

Dominic West and Emily Watson have won Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards for their performances in ITV1's Appropriate Adult.

The pair won the best male and female actor prizes for their roles in the drama about serial killer Fred West.

BBC One's Luther was named best drama series, while Coronation Street won best soap and continuing drama.

Channel 4 won the most awards at the ceremony with 10, including two for its new comedy Fresh Meat.

West beat Daniel Rigby and John Simm for the their roles in Morecambe and Wise biopic Eric & Ernie and thriller Exile respectively.

The judges said he "shockingly, wittily and superbly captured the most horrific characteristic of a serial killer: his terrifying charm".

Watson was praised for her "incredibly skilled and extraordinary portrayal of an ordinary woman by an actor at the height of her powers".

She played Janet Leach, who sat in with West during his police interviews, assisting him and safeguarding his rights.

The actress beat This Is England '88 star Vicky McClure and Ruth Negga, who played Shirley Bassey in BBC drama Shirley.

'Profoundly moving'

Channel 4's Fresh Meat, which stars comedian Jack Whitehall, picked up best scripted comedy and best comedy writer for Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong.

University comedy Fresh Meat picked up best scripted comedy and comedy writer awards

The channel also won best drama serial for Top Boy, the popular factual and features prize for Hugh's Big Fish Fight with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the best daytime programme for Deal Or No Deal Live.

Derren Brown - The Experiments also won best entertainment, while Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret was named best science and natural history.

Other awards saw wins for Gareth Malone who was named best presenter for his role in The Choir: Military Wives and Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die, which won best single documentary.

The BBC Two show, which followed the best-selling author as he examined the case for assisted suicide, was described by the judges as "groundbreaking, revelatory and profoundly moving".

Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani also won the comedy performance award for their roles in BBC Three comedy Him and Her.

Children's drama Tracy Beaker was also a winner, while CBBC's Newsround won best programme for their documentary on autism.

Special prizes were given out to ITV director of drama Laura Mackie, while veteran producer Beryl Vertue, whose credits include Sherlock and Men Behaving Badly, won the lifetime achievement award.