Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Radio 4 star John Finnemore are amongst the winners at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards 2017.

Waller-Bridge picked up the Best TV Situation Comedy Award for the first episode of her cult hit sitcom Fleabag. The script was nominated alongside those from People Just Do Nothing and Plebs. She was presented with her award by veteran sitcom writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.

John Finnemore added another trophy to his cabinet for his Radio 4 show John Finnemore's Double Acts, specifically the script for Episode 5, English For Pony Lovers. His show was picked as Best Radio Comedy by judges over the other shortlisted finalists Guilt Trip and The Pin, with Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley announcing the winner.

It has been a good week for Finnemore. Yesterday his sketch show John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was also named Best Radio Sketch Show in the public-voted Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016.

Meanwhile Rachel Tunnard picked up the Best First Screenplay award for Adult Life Skills, her comedy film about a woman who makes videos whilst living like a hermit in her mum's garden shed.

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain's Awards were launched in 1961 to give professional writers from across Great Britain the opportunity to honour their peers, and celebrate the importance of writing to the creative industries, both nationally and abroad.

The awards were handed out last night at the Royal College of Physicians in London, in a ceremony hosted by Meera Syal. WGGB members lost in 2016 were also honoured as part of the ceremony, with Celia Imrie giving a touching tribute to Victoria Wood and Charles Garland remembering Jimmy Perry.

Meera Syal commented: "Someone once said, probably a writer, that the writer is the only true originator of a script, everyone else that follows is merely an interpreter. Whilst the directors and producers slug it out, let's at least agree that whilst everyone can have a great idea, it takes a great writer to bring it to life. And I'm very honoured to be hosting the WGGB Awards where we can come together to celebrate our extraordinary community of writing talent."

Other winners last night included Clive Bradley for the drama Trapped, Caryl Churchill for the play Escaped Alone, and Guy Hibbert for the screenplay for Eye In The Sky. Sir Tom Stoppard was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Writing prize for his illustrious work in screen and playwriting, with Shakespeare In Love, Anna Karenina and Empire Of The Sun amongst his projects. On receiving the award, Stoppard said: "For a writer, no award can compare to an award from other writers. The Writers' Guild is a bright spot in a dark world, and I feel very grateful to it."

WGGB President Olivia Hetreed says of this year's awards: "It is very exciting, after a year when truth has often seemed stranger than fiction, to celebrate the insight, humour and humanity in the very best of dramatic storytelling across the whole range from film to TV and radio, theatre to videogames."

For more information on WGGB and the awards visit writersguild.org.uk