MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC is celebrating after winning a raft of accolades at two awards ceremonies over the past week.

BBC programmes dominated this year's Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in the UK winning 10 of the 15 prizes across TV and radio, and scooped four prizes at the international Peabody Awards held in the United States earlier this week.

BBC drama production Cranford was the big winner at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards taking four honours for Best Television Drama Series; Best Actress for Eileen Atkins for her performance as Miss Deborah in Cranford and Madama Fidolia in Ballet Shoes; Best Actor for Philip Glenister for his portrayal of Mr Carter in Cranford and Gene Hunt in Life On Mars; and the writers' award for Heidi Thomas for Cranford, Ballet Shoes and Lilies.

Andrew Marr won two awards, honoured as Best TV Performer in a Non-Acting Role for The Andrew Marr Show and taking the award for Best Documentary Series for his show A History Of Modern Britain.

BBC Three comedy Gavin And Stacey continued its awards success by winning the Best Comedy/Entertainment programme award.

BBC show Top Gear was voted Best Factual Entertainment Programme.

Radio Broadcaster of the year was won by the Simon Mayo programme on BBC Radio 5 Live and Adam and Joe won Radio Programme of the Year for their BBC 6 Music show.

The Broadcasting Press Guild Awards are voted for by those who write about TV and radio – correspondents, critics and previewers – and were presented on 4 April.

At the Peabody Awards in the US the achievements of four programmes shown on the BBC were acknowledged.

Planet Earth, co-produced with Discovery in the US, was honoured for its majestic use of HDTV technology while White Horse Village, a Newsnight production for BBC World News America, was the only report from a nightly network news broadcast to pick up one of the awards this year.

Co-produced and co-funded by Storyville, the Oscar-winning documentary Taxi To The Dark Side adds a Peabody to its list of awards.

BBC Four drama acquisition Mad Men from AMC in the US was also awarded a Peabody.

The Peabody Awards, the oldest honour in electric media, recognise distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by stations, networks, producing organisations and individuals.

The winners, chosen by the Peabody board as the best in electronic media for 2007, were announced by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication on 2 April.

BBC Vision director Jana Bennett says, "In what has been a year of exceptional programmes from across BBC Television, it is wonderful to gain recognition from the industry through these prestigious awards. My congratulations to all the programme teams involved."