Monkey Dust wins animation award

Monkey Dust has been likened to an animated League of Gentleman

Cutting-edge comedy Monkey Dust has scooped a top prize at the British Animation Awards.

The satirical BBC Three sketch show, which depicts the seedier side of modern Britain, took the award for best comedy.

It joined the very best of British animated films, commercials, pop videos and children's TV shows at the London ceremony on Friday.

The bi-annual awards were set in 1996 up to promote the best of UK animation.

OTHER WINNERS Best Children's Pre-School Series - Koala Brothers: A Letter for George Best Animated Special - Angelina Ballerina: The Show Must Go On Best Student Film - Gifted Craft Award - Takuskanskan Best Music Award - Extn. 21 Writers Award - Yoko! Jakamoto! Toto! The Special Thing Best Film/TV Graphics - Catch Me If You Can Most Creative Use of Sound - Little Things

It was the third major accolade for the creators of Monkey Dust - earlier this year it took the Broadcast award for best multi-channel programme and in 2003 won the International Student Jury Award at the Banff Rockies Awards.

Adjectives used to describe the edgy animation have been "raw", "innovative" and "bizarre" and it has not shied away from tackling topical issues facing the UK.

In it, paedophiles and murderers lurk in the bleak urban landscape, suited heroin addicts shoot up beside dustbins and Islamic terrorists plot conspiratorially in the suburbs.

Created and written by Harry Thompson and Shaun Pye, Monkey Dust has an impressive creative team at production company Talkback Thames.

Thompson has been involved with many successful comedy series over the last decade, including Harry Enfield and Chums, Have I Got News for You and Da Ali G Show.

The British Animation Awards ceremony was held at The Shaw Theatre in Bloomsbury, London.

Cinema audiences in 16 UK cities also voted for their favourite animated shorts in the run-up to the awards.

Audience favourites

Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids: Revenge of the Bogeyman won two awards for Jamie Rix and Nigel Planer, including best children's series.

The show, based on the book Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, was co-produced by Honeycomb Animation for CITV.

Another double-winner was Chris Shepherd of Slinky Pictures, who was commended for his cutting edge Bafta-nominated short Dad's Dead, while rock group Blur were the jury's choice for best video.

An award for best commercial went to Aardman Animations for Polo while Passion Pictures and Gorgeous for Saatchi and Saatchi took one for their NSPCC advertisement.