Noor Ashikin Abdul Rahman

It was Irene Ang’s win early in the awards ceremony that kick-started Singapore’s haul at yesterday’s Asian Television (ATV) Awards.

Ang, who last took home the same award in 2002, was visibly excited.

“With this hat-trick, I hope Singaporeans will sit up and watch the next winning sitcom, with families coming together after dinner to watch and ‘lepak’ (Malay for chillax) together like PCK (Phua Chu Kang) days.”

Other local winners included Rayson Tan for Best Actor In A Supporting Role and Pierre Png for Best Actor In A Leading Role.

Tan, 49, thanked his wife Chen Liping, who was absent, for taking care of their son while he filmed in Malaysia.

Png won for his role in Zero Calling. He was also nominated in the same category for his role in Channel 8 drama The Journey: A Voyage.

“About time,” he joked after the award win. It follows his Star Awards Best Actor accolade earlier this year, his first award in his 16-year career.

Although the Singapore cheer was loudest with wins in numerous categories, countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and Malaysia also had cause to celebrate.

A surprising win came in the form of seven-year-old Malaysian actress Puteri Balqis Azizi who side-stepped her more experienced competitors to win the Best Actress in Leading Role title.

Puteri Balqis grabbed the title from the likes of Rui En, Joan Chen and Tien Hsin.

Source: The New Paper, AsiaOne

Categorised in Asian Television Awards, Asian Television Awards 2014, The New Paper.