Channel 4 wins Channel of the Year at Broadcast Awards

Catastrophe won best comedy

Channel 4 has been named channel of the year at a television industry awards ceremony.

It was one of seven prizes for the network at Wednesday evening's Broadcast Awards.

Catastrophe picked up best comedy programme while The Paedophile Hunter was named best documentary.

The Broadcast judges said Channel 4's output was "at its strongest since [chief creative officer] Jay Hunt took over in 2011".

The channel performed particularly well in factual categories - winning in the news and current affairs category for Dispatches: Escape from Isis.

It also picked up best popular factual programme for The Secret Life Of 4 Year Olds and best documentary series for The Romanians Are Coming.

The wins come at an uncertain time for Channel 4. Last year, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said it was looking at a range of options for the channel's future after rumours that proposals to privatise the network had been put forward.

'Reassuringly familiar'

It was not a clean sweep for Channel 4, however, as the station lost out in the drama category to BBC One's Doctor Foster.

The list of winners included a special recognition award for the BBC's long-running satirical news quiz Have I Got News For You.

The programme was commended by the judges for "remaining reassuringly familiar, while somehow striking the right tone on many of the complex and upsetting news stories that have come its way".

Britain's Got Talent won best entertainment programme, after a difficult year for its creator Simon Cowell as viewing figures for his other major ITV show, The X Factor, decreased significantly.

Other winners at the ceremony, which was presented by Jonathan Ross, included Emmerdale for best soap and Peter Kay's Car Share for best original programme.