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A black tie event for 280, dinner was served at 7:45, prior to the awards ceremony hosted by BBC Radio Merseyside presenter, Roger Philips, and Radio Five Live Drive Time host – and wife of Adrian Chiles – Jane Garvey.

Dave Kirby and Nicky Alt won the award for Best Comedy, with their play Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, which is set for a six week re-run at The Royal Court Theatre in July, starring Suzanne Collins, Eithne Browne and Andrew Schofield.

Star of The May Queen, Leanne Best, won the Best Newcomer Award, primarily for her role in Unprotected at The Everyman last year. A play taken from interviews with hundreds of people involved in prostitution, Unprotected went on to be highly acclaimed at the Edinburgh Festival.

Mitch Benn won the Radio Award, then promptly begged for tickets for the European Cup final in Athens, before Ken Dodd stole the show when presented with his Lifetime Achievement award.

The whole night was such a thrill, but of course it is in the bar afterwards where things really took off. It was my immense pleasure to be in the company of Waking The Dead and Royal Family star, Sue Johnston, with whom I spent a lot of the evening talking football. She’s absolutely gutted at the prospect of missing the Champions League final in Athens, due to her filming schedule, and is desperately trying to find ways around it. She was even nice when I told her I’m a Manchester United fan.

I plucked up enough courage to ask Ricky Tomlinson for a photograph, along with Merseyside singing legend, Charlie Landsborough, both of who were really nice people.

I also spent time with Leanne Best, who is just sensational in The May Queen, and it was a delight to be in her company as she explained her role in depth and to hear how delighted she was to read my recent review of the play in The Stage newspaper.

I also managed a quick chat with Neil Fitzmaurice and Eithne Browne, both of who starred in the recent, excellent ITV drama, Mobile. Neil workshops plays in Liverpool and is very excited about some of the productions coming to Liverpool over the next twelve months.

So, at the end of what was a fantastic evening, I eventually staggered home in the wee small hours, trying desperately hard not to look like some loony with a mad smile on his face.

My thanks go to Arthur Johnson and Phil Young for inviting me. To Tony Murray of www.employ2008.com for his very useful advice. To Pippa Taylor and all the girls from Everyman Playhouse who made me feel so welcome and, of course, to Sue Johnston for her company and for making the night complete.

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