Matilda wins at South Bank awards
Musical hit Matilda has been honoured at this year's South Bank Sky Arts Awards, winning the theatre prize.
The RSC show, which picked up seven Olivier awards last month, beat the National Theatre's One Man, Two Guvnors and the Royal Court's Constellations to the prize. Kate Bush triumphed over Adele and PJ Harvey to win the pop music prize, while Sherlock was named best TV drama. Lord Melvyn Bragg hosted the 16th annual awards at a London ceremony. Celebrating the best of British culture, the awards span 11 categories which also include film, opera, dance, classical music and comedy. Comedian Tim Minchin, who wrote the songs for Matilda, said: "We weren't cynically trying to make a blockbuster, but we did want to tell a story that touched a huge cross section of people. "Kids come out overjoyed, and adults come out feeling they've been on an emotional journey." The acclaimed adaptation of Lionel Shriver novel We Need to Talk About Kevin won the best film category, beating Joe Cornish's Attack the Block and Formula One documentary Senna. Channel 4 series Fresh Meat was awarded the comedy prize. Other awards went to Grayson Perry, who won the visual art award for his Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman exhibition at the British Museum. "This is such a marvellous do," he told the BBC. "Just being invited is fantastic. But to win? I could get used to this." The English National Opera won the opera award for its production of The Damnation of Faust, while the dance prize went to Arthur Pita for The Metamorphosis at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre. Welsh pianist Llyr Williams took the classical music award for his performances of Beethoven's complete Piano Sontat Cycle, while Claire Tomalin was awarded the literature prize for her biography of Charles Dickens. Tomalin's husband Michael Frayn was also a winner, picking up the event's outstanding achievement award. The writer, whose plays include Noises Off and Copenhagen, was presented with his prize by Sir Tom Stoppard. The ceremony was broadcast on Sky Arts 1 on Tuesday. Last November the satellite channel announced it was bringing back the South Bank Show, after the arts programme was cancelled by ITV in 2010 after 32 years on screen. The new series is due to return on 27 May.