BBC winners at Stonewall Awards

Last year, we carried out our most comprehensive piece of research into the portrayal of LGB audiences. A key finding of the research found that lesbian, gay and bisexual audiences want to see more and greater diversity within portrayal.

It's been quite a journey, but following the progress we've made this year, I was very pleased to see the BBC's success at last night's Stonewall Awards.

• Entertainer of the Year: Jane Hazlegrove (Casualty, BBC1)
• Broadcast of the Year: The World's Worst Place to be Gay (BBC3)
• Journalist of the Year: Vanessa Feltz (Radio 2, Daily Express, BBC London) shared with Matthew Todd (Attitude)

Of course, the BBC has a responsibility to reflect and celebrate the diversity of British society in all the content that we make and broadcast. We've been working to improve this representation since we conducted and published the research, but these awards reinforce my belief that we are heading in the right direction.

Please join me in congratulating the winners at the BBC and across the industry.