Hold the Front Page: Sky TV series comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar filmed with West Sussex Gazette nominated for Rose d’Or 2023

Nominees were announced on Monday, selected from more than 700 entries across 13 categories. These finalists were voted for by a jury of more than 100 broadcast executives, distributors and producers, from across the international television industry.

Hold the Front Page has been nominated for an award in the Comedy Entertainment category, along with A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou, German Genius, Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat, Untold Studios/Channel 4/UK, Prince Andrew The Musical and Taskmaster Series 15.

Posting with a picture of him and Nish on Instagram on Tuesday, Josh said: "Just found out we have been nominated for a Rose D'or for series 1, we're coming for you German Genius!"

The oldest newspaper in the county, the West Sussex Gazette made headlines itself when it featured in the Sky series, released for the first time on January 11, 2023.

The WSG was founded in 1853 by Thomas Henry Mitchell, an Arundel local who wanted to give his son the opportunity to use his editorial skills and ambitions. It was committed to the spread of knowledge and information – as well as the railway timetable. And as a grand old lady of 170 years, it made headlines in a way the revered county broadsheet might never have imagined.

It became one of six regional titles across the UK to feature in the comedy series, looking at how two hapless trainee journalists learn the trade and battle it out to secure the front page lead.

Gary Shipton, Editor In Chief of the Gazette who oversaw Series 1 for National World, said: "I have overseen the WSG and its many sister titles for more than 30 years and freely admit that letting two comedians into the newsroom was no laughing matter."

The prestigious Rose d’Or Awards define the gold standard for excellence and achievement in International TV and Audio programme making.

Jean Philip De Tender, Deputy Director General/Director Media, EBU, said: “As always, the judges had the privilege of sifting through a wide range of high-quality entries, showcasing exceptional international talent from front-of-camera and behind-the-scenes. And once again they had the almost impossible task of selecting just six in each category from over 700 entries! My heartfelt congratulations go out to the successful nominees; all groundbreaking talents, all destined to make an impact on our industry.”

Mark Rowland, Chair of the Rose d’Or Awards, said: “We’ve seen an incredible breadth of topics and creative approaches from entrants across 30 countries. A huge thank you to everyone who entered and many congratulations to the talented production teams who have reached this final stage.”

During the award ceremony on November 27 at King’s Place in London, special individual awards will also be presented for Emerging Talent, Performance of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.