SALLY Wainwright, whose TV dramas such as Gentleman Jack and To Walk Invisible were filmed in the Bradford district, has been honoured at the Royal Television Society Yorkshire Awards.

The writer won the Outstanding Contribution Award in the RTS celebration of the region’s talent, held online. Her hit series Gentleman Jack, about 19th century landowner and diarist Ann Lister, also won awards.

Other winners include Bradford-born Harry Gration, who recently retired after 40 years presenting the BBC’s Look North, who won Best Presenter, and Amy-Leigh Hickman, who won Best Actor for Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, filmed in Bradford.

Writer, director and producer Sally Wainwright was praised by judges for her "extraordinary work, drawing audiences in the world she paints and creating a global fanbase while using the landscape of Yorkshire as one of her characters, which has had a significant impact on tourism for the region.”.

Sally’s hugely popular TV dramas include Gentleman Jack and BAFTA-winning Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, which returned for a fifth series this year. Partly shot in Ilkley, it featured more than 80 children from Articulate Drama School in Bradford, including Tilly Kaye, eight, who plays the granddaughter of Sir Derek Jacobi's character, Alan.

Sally Wainwright joined the cast - Sir Derek, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker - at a screening at Halifax's Square Chapel Arts Centre in February and said the series showcases the region's beauty: “There are lots of things in production here, it’s great. It’s becoming more and more a place to film, because it’s so beautiful.”

Gentleman Jack was already a hit in America before it was screened in the UK, and has been a major boost for local tourism.

Guests including comic Alex Brooker, traveller Amar Latif and presenter Steph McGovern announced the RTS winners. Gentleman Jack won Best Drama as well as categories including Best Writer and Music and Sound. Anne Reid and Suranne Jones were nominated for Best Actor for Last Tango and Gentleman Jack respectively.

Fiona Thompson, chairman of RTS Yorkshire, said: “I find it very difficult to talk about winners, because everyone in the region has worked so hard over the past few months to ensure ongoing and safe production whilst continuing to provide work for our crews and production teams. In that regard, everyone’s a winner. We were delighted with the number and quality of the submissions, and it gave judges a very difficult task."