South Bank Sky Arts Award: The Dorchester Outstanding Achievement

An almost reverential silence greeted Oscar winning actress Dame Judi Dench in the press room, after she was honoured with The Dorchester Outstanding Achievement award, for a 50 year career that sees her remain at the top of her field.

Sir Peter Hall, who first worked with Dame Judi in a 1962 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented her with the award.

Dame Judi gave an emotional acceptance speech, in which she said she was overwhelmed to receive the award - and hoped it didn't mean she had to finish now!

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Film

Harry Potter star, Rupert Grint, presented the award for Best Film to director Gareth Edwards, for his low budget sci-fi disaster/romantic road trip movie Monsters. The budget was reportedly less than £200,000 and the film beat off a challenge from Mike Leigh's Another Year and Clio Barnard's The Arbor. Gareth is on the left in the photos, I never did find out who the other chap was, so I'm calling him Daniel ... you'll 'guess' why if you've got kids!

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Theatre and Literature

Critics favourite Clybourne Park at The Royal Court were presented with the Theatre Award by Richard Griffiths. In a strong year for original theatre, the nominees beaten by Clybourne were Earthquakes in London, National Theatre and Ruined, Almeida Theatre.

The Literature award was presented by Mariella Frostrup to Candia McWilliam for What To Look For in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness. Other nominees were The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal and Sex and Stravinsky by Barbara Trapido.

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Classical Music

The BBC Philharmonic and the Halle for Mahler's 8th Symphony triumphed over Liverpool Philharmonic (Mahler's 1st, 2nd ad 3rd) and As With Voices and with Tears, the recent work of new composer Tansy Davies, performed at Portsmouth Cathedral by Portsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir, London Mozart Players and Andrew Cleary. Nigel Kennedy presented.

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Pop Music

Plan B was the winner of the Pop Music Award, for his album The Defamation of Strickland Banks. However, he was not in attendance to collect the award from Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, who I completely missed - what can I say, I was probably talking. The other nominees in this catergory were Foals for Total Life Forever and Disc-overy by Tinie Tempah, who was there, but I didn't get a picture of him, either *sighs*

I did, though, get pictures of the artists who performed at the ceremony! Nigel Kennedy, with Bond and John Dankworth; Bryn Terfel and Alfie Boe; The Noisettes, who a cameraman kindly informed me were not chocolates in Quality Street. Hm, clearly a philistine. Sir, you will find they are green triangles ...

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Times Breakthrough Award

The Times Breakthrough Award is given to the best new artistic talent and was awarded to the band Everything Everything, by actress Andrea Risborough. The other nominees were: Greg Davies (Comedy); Nicholas Collon (Classical Music); Brian Maloney (Dance); Clio Barnard (Film); Neel Mukherjee (Literature); Pumeza Matahikiza (Opera); Andrew Scott (Theatre); Michelle Dockery (TV Drama) and Simon Fujiwara (Visual Arts).

I was fortunate enough to meet the band's manager too, Duncan Ellis... or rather Drunken Ellis, who had already been on the stuff that I partook of later, I reckon - the Melvyn Bragg cocktail comprising, I'm told: vodka, lychee juice, ginger beer and spring onions. Not a combo I'd normally go for but it was delicious, very refreshing and fruity and consequently, three of them in one hour resulted in numb lips and a fuzzy view of the proceedings in the hospitality room.

Duncan was pretty made up at his boys winning and, with girlfriend and mum both absent, I was nearest - cue hugging. Aw, bless, under the circumstances, I was happy to oblige - not every day I get cuddles from a young fit bloke. But you're lucky I'm no bunny boiler Duncan!

I pondered how I'd get home over an enormous white wine spritzer in the other bar, the hotel's very own, very funky bar, considering how classic everywhere else is in the Dorchester. It may have been my eyes. My eyes! I really must try to remember where I left them ...

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Best Comedy

BBC Two's Rev won the award and it was presented by Sir David Frost. They were a rowdy lot, lining them up was a nightmare ... but I got that lovely shot, with Tom Hollander looking straight into my camera, whoop!

Steve Coogan's on-line only offering Mid Morning Matters With Alan Partridge had also been nominated, along with the BBC 4 offering, Getting On, starring Jo Brand.

South Bank Sky Arts Award: Opera

The Opera award was presented to the Welsh National Opera for Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, by the lovely Lesley Garret. Fellow nominees were ENO for A Dog's Heart and Billy Budd at Glyndebourne.

Naturally, I couldn't resist asking Lesley about her ex-Strictly Come Dancing partner, Anton Du Beke and how jealous was she of Ann Widdecombe? She knew they'd make a fabulous partnership, saying that Anton is a most supportive and funny man and they keep in touch by text and telephone. Anton was able to show how brilliant he was and much as she was supporting them throughout, she did confess to being a little worried that Ann would pinch her semi-final record with him!

South Bank Sky Arts Awards: Dance and Visual Arts

Nominees for the Dance category included Asphodel Meadows, Royal Ballet, and Liam Scarlett & Hofesh Shechter's Political Mother at Sadlers Wells, but it was Akram Khan with Gnosis at Sadler Wells who received the award, presented to him by the Ballet Boyz.

The award for Visual Arts was presented to Tacita Dean for Craneway Event, Frith Street Gallery, by Gilbert and George. The other nominees were Angela de la Cruz for After and Josephine King for Life So Far, Riflemaker.

South Bank Sky Arts Award: TV Drama

A hotly contested category, with the BBC's Sherlock competing against E4's Misfits but both succumbing to Channel 4's This is England '86.

Victoria Wood presented the prize to Shane Meadows for the series, which has been praised as 'funny' 'moving' and 'astonishingly good'. Victoria herself was extremely moved, commenting: "I don't normally cry in the morning ... not since I've been single ..." whilst Shane confirmed sequels for Christmas '88 and This is .. '90, although expressing concerns re sequels eg. Grease 2!

For aspiring female comedy writers out there, Victoria's advice was: Cross it out and do it again!

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards

Thanks to the lovely people at Spreading Jam, I was backstage at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards yesterday, predominantly taking photos but also managing to nab a few words here and there.

One of the world's most coveted arts awards, celebrating the best of British culture and achievement, this is the 15th year of the awards and was hosted, as ever, by Melvyn Bragg. The glittering ceremony was attended by some of the most illustrious patrons, practitioners and performers of the creative arts and the winners were presented with an award designed by Turner prize winning sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Award recipients were Dame Judi Dench (Outstanding Achievement); Plan B (Best Pop); This is England 86 (TV Drama); Monsters (Best Film); Rev (Best Comedy); Clybourne Park (Theatre); BBC Philharmonic and The Halle (Classical Music); Everything Everything (The Times Breakthrough); Akram Khan (Dance); Candia McWilliam (Literature); Welsh National Opera (Opera) and Tacita Dean (Visual Arts).

Melvyn Bragg said: "The phenomenal shortlist and truly inspirational list of winners is further proof, if it were ever needed, that the arts in this country are vibrant and thriving. With such a wide array of winners, from Plan B to Die Meistersingers, This is England '86 to Clybourne Park, this is a much needed opportunity to thank and honour the dedication and breadth of talent at work in this country."

I'm not even going to attempt to put all the photos and details into one blog post - that would be madness, so you'll have to be patient! I shall post a dedicated piece to each winner for you instead, in nice easy, bitesize chunks - I may even have them all done by the end of the day!