Oi Sunshine! Life on Mars wins the coveted Pioneer Audience Award

DI Sam Tyler and DCI Gene Hunt have triumphed at this year's British Academy Television Awards, as Life on Mars scooped the coveted Pioneer Audience Award for Best Programme of 2006. The award, the only accolade at the BAFTA ceremony to be voted for by the public, honours the show that has helped to define television in 2006, receiving critical acclaim through its original approach and capturing the public's imagination.

In the third year of voting for the Pioneer Audience Award, more people participated than ever before, with votes increasing by over 100% and Life on Mars triumphing over some stiff competition from a six-strong shortlist of British-led shows, including David Attenborough's Planet Earth and the Vicar of Dibley, starring Dawn French.

In Life on Mars, John Simm starred as DI Sam Tyler, a detective inspector from 2006 who is knocked over by a speeding car and wakes from a coma, apparently in 1973. Tyler has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitudes of the day, as well as learning how to work with his new hard-nosed boss, DCI Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister.

The public was invited to suggest the best shows of 2006 at the beginning of this year. These recommendations were then debated by the Pioneer Audience Award jury who selected six shows which went to public vote at www.obsessedwith.tv .

The full nominations for the Pioneer Audience Award were:

• Planet Earth
• Dragon's Den
• Vicar of Dibley Christmas Special
• Celebrity Big Brother 2006
• The Royle Family - The Queen of Sheba
• Life on Mars

Heidi Johnson-Cash, General Manager - Marketing, Pioneer GB Limited said, "The Pioneer Audience Award is a great opportunity for the public to make their voice heard. Life on Mars has captured the public's imagination and deservedly been crowned the Best Programme of 2006. We're delighted to be able to honour the team behind Life on Mars for their hard work in creating such a fantastic series."

The British Academy Television Awards sponsored by Pioneer took place at the London Palladium on Sunday 20 th May.

For further information on Pioneer and the Pioneer Audience Award please contact the Pioneer BAFTA team at Henry's House - 020 7291 3000

Sam Oxley 07968 442241 Sam@henryshouse.com

Julian Payne 07956 110034 Julianp@henryshouse.com

Kate Towey 07734 208981 kate@henryhouse.com

Notes to editors

2007 will mark the third year of the exciting ongoing Pioneer and BAFTA collaboration. One of the principal functions of the British Academy of Film & Television Arts is to identify and reward excellence in the art forms of the moving image. It achieves this objective by bestowing awards on those practitioners who have excelled in their chosen field of expertise.

The judging session for the Pioneer Audience Award was chaired by producer of The Office Ash Atalla. The panel who participated in the debate comprised TV experts from the worlds of print, broadcast and online.

About Pioneer: Our sleek, technologically advanced products - from High Definition-Ready plasma TVs to hard-disk drive DVD recorders and wireless home cinema systems - provide superb sound clarity and stunningly clear images. Our in-car products include car navigation systems which combine DVD, HDD and wireless communication technologies, as well as a wide range of headunits and speakers to suit every style and budget. In short, our range of car stereo products ensures we remain at the forefront of the growing mobile entertainment market.