Dame Joan Collins honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the WFTV Awards 2025

At this year’s Women in Film and TV Awards, held on Friday 5 December, Dame Joan Collins was honoured with The EON Productions Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Sir Stephen Fry. Recognising those behind the scenes, WFTV award winners also included Hannah Walters, co founder of Matriarch Productions and Tanya Shaw, MD of Zinc Television.

The EIKON Presenter Award was awarded to British journalist, newsreader and television presenter Fiona Bruce by Clive Myrie for her work as the first female anchor of Question Time, as well as for her work across the BBC Election 24, Fake or Fortune and Antiques Roadshow.

The BBC Studios Best Performance Award was presented by Lucy Punch to actor Anna Maxwell Martin to highlight her work on screen as Delia Balmer in Until I Kill You.

The ITV Studios Achievement of the Year Award was presented by Cherylee Houston MBE to winner Heloise Beaton. Recognised for her outstanding leadership and work in disability inclusion in the UK television industry. As project lead for the TV Access Project, Heloise has overseen industry-wide structural change. Overseeing an unprecedented alliance of ten of the UK’s major broadcasters and streamers.

The Netflix New Talent Award was awarded to Assistant Producer Nadia Aswani by Konnie Huq. Aswani was recognised for her work as an Emmy-nominated researcher on Netflix’s Our Oceans and for her continued efforts in the wildlife documentary space, most notably on National Geographic and Disney+’ Home mega-series.

Sports broadcaster and presenter Gabby Logan MBE received The Paramount Contribution to the Medium Award. An established key figure of BBC sports presenting, Logan has covered Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Invictus Games, the FIFA World Cup, Euros, Six Nations and in August this year became one of three presenters of Match of The Day. She was acknowledged with an MBE for her services to sports broadcasting and for her work in the promotion of women in sports. Logan is also be recognised for her work outside of sports, presenting primetime game shows, chat shows and documentaries such as The Vault, Splash!, The Edge, The One Show, Sexism in Football and One Day in May: The Story of Bradford City Fire.

A Thousand Blows, The Crown and Emmy Award-Winning Adolescence star Erin Doherty presented The Envy Producer Award to actor and producer Hannah Walters who co-founded the production company Matriarch Productions with Stephen Graham, and has worked as a producer on hit Netflix drama Adolescence and Disney series A Thousand Blows.

The BBC News and Factual Award was presented to broadcaster, producer and author Sophie Morgan by Stacey Dooley. Morgan is best known for her works on Crufts, Paralympic Games, ABC News Breakfast, Loose Women and Good Morning Britain.

2025’s Women in Film & Television Award’s ceremony continued to celebrate UK’s best behind the scenes talent with Chloe English (Director, G’wed, 2024), Elen Pierce Lewis (Editor, The Day of the Jackal, 2024), Janice Okoh (Writer, Just Act Normal, 2025), Nikki Berwick (Stunt Coordinator, Gladiator II, 2024), Caroline Cox (Production Manager, Seven Worlds, One Planet: Asia, 2025), Tanya Shaw (Managing Director, Zinc Television) all receiving recognition for “their tremendous efforts in their craft and impact in the creative media industry.”

CEO Katie Bailiff at Women in Film & Television Awards said:

“It is fantastic to be here to celebrate and champion the power that is women in film and television. 2025 has been a year where we’ve seen fantastic talent across various disciplines within TV and film exhibiting tremendous creativity and innovation. WFTV strives to uplift, empower and support women within the industry, pushing for a thriving and inclusive industry. With barriers still to break, our mission continues.”

On receiving her award, Dame Joan Collins said:

“I am thrilled to receive this special Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women in Film & Television Awards, a celebration dedicated to women in our industry. Even after so many years in film and television, I’m still energised by the creativity and talent we have. My latest project, playing Wallis Simpson opposite the wonderful Isabella Rossellini in a film written by Louise Fennell, reminds me just how powerful our stories can be especially when women are shaping them. It’s an honour to be recognised with this award and to continue working on projects that champion women both on and off screen.”

We will announce further details about the 2026 nominations early next year. Please keep an eye on our website and the weekly WFTV newsletter for announcements. If you have not done so already, you can sign-up to the WFTV weekly newsletter here.