Sir Lenny Henry to host 58th Rose d’Or Awards in London


The Rose d’Or is delighted to announce that Sir Lenny Henry, the multi-talented actor, comedian and campaigner for diversity in the Arts, will host this year’s prestigious Gala Awards on Sunday December 1 at Kings Place in London.

Sir Lenny began his career at the age of 16 rising from being a cult star on children’s television to becoming one of Europe’s best-known comedians – as well as a writer and award-winning actor.  

Alongside his extensive TV work Sir Lenny is known for his role in Comic Relief, the charity he co-founded.  Lenny is also a vocal advocate of diversity in the entertainment industry, addressing the UK parliament on the subject in June of this year.

Sir Lenny is no stranger to the Awards, he won the Golden Rose in 2001 for the BBC1/Tiger Aspect show Lenny Henry in Pieces. His other prestigious awards include BBC Personality of the Year and a BAFTA Special Award.  Sir Lenny was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday honours for his services to charity and drama in 2015.

Sir Lenny said: “This is a great honour. The more the world at large can witness someone like me hosting something like the Rose d’Or, the more kids that look like me will say ‘If Len can do that, then so can I.’ Thank you for this opportunity.”

The prestigious Rose d’Or Awards define the gold standard for excellence and achievement in entertainment programming.

The awards were first given out in 1961 in Montreux, Switzerland, where the annual award ceremony remained for 40 years. Berlin has been home to the Rose d’Or for the past three years.

Recent winners include The Crown, Gogglebox and The Graham Norton Show. Past recipients of Rose d’Or Special Awards include Joanna Lumley, Angela Lansbury, James Corden, Jan Böhmermann and John Cleese.

You can find full information about the 2019 awards and enter online by CLICKING HERE.

The categories in the revamped 2019 awards are:

Comedy scripted and non-scripted comedy shows including sketch shows, panel, improvisation, clips, comedy specials and stand-up. Series or single programmes.


Comedy Drama and Sitcom scripted comedy series or one-off dramas, involving regular characters in various everyday situations.


Drama scripted series or one-off dramas involving characters in various situations. A main plot can be resolved within a single episode or over a series.


Soap or Telenovela best multi-episode popular drama or melodrama, either on-going or limited run.


Reality and Factual Entertainment series in which a situation or topic is treated or created through real people or programmes which tell their story by following real-life characters.


Arts performing arts and cultural programmes featuring stage recordings and television adaptations of performing arts, or documentaries dedicated to art forms or artists. Series and Single programmes will be considered.


Studio Entertainment studio-based game show, variety and event series and specials.


Children and Youth all genres produced for children and youth older than 6 years. Series or single programmes will be considered.


Social Media Video Series original fiction or non-fiction short-form video series, under a half an hour duration) that premiere on social, web, mobile and video platforms.


Audio Entertainment scripted or unscripted original podcast and radio.


Performance of the Year The Organiser, in consultation with members of the international press, will award to a personality in television or online video who has made an outstanding contribution over the past year.


Lifetime Achievement The organiser, in consultation with the panel of judges will award the Lifetime Achievement to a personality who has made an outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment including, but not exclusively, their work in television or online media.


The Golden Rose the event’s original English name is re-established for one special final award presented to the programme or series that, in the opinion of the judges, has been the outstanding entertainment programme or series of 2019. All category entries will be eligible for consideration for The Golden Rose.


Submission start: 2 July 2019
Submission deadline: 27 September 2019
Nominees announcement: 28 October 2019
Award Ceremony: 1 December 2019

If you have any questions, you can email the team at [email protected].

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