MILLIONS of television viewers saw a Vale-born programme producer and her team carry off a top television award for their documentary, Britain at War in Colour, last Sunday night.

But what they did not realise was that 32-year-old Lucy Carter had to take a two-month break from working on the programme to spend time with her terminally ill father, Timothy, at the family's Great Comberton home last year.

Mr Carter did, however, see a preview of the series before he died from cancer.

So the best documentary series BAFTA win at the ceremony was a bitter-sweet success for Lucy, who grew up in Little Comberton.

Recalling the moment she heard her name called out she said: "It is all a bit of a blur now; I'll have to wait until I see the TV footage. I know it is a clich, but I was completely stunned."

Lucy, who was educated at Fladbury Junior School before attending Worcester's St Mary's Convent and King's Schools, actually stopped studying history at 16, reading languages at university. But she has now carved out a niche in communicating history through her television series, which have also included The Second World War in Colour.

"There's a real place for making history more accessible and immediate; it is so important to make history relevant to today," she said.

The widely acclaimed Second World War in Colour has been nominated for an Emmy, American television's equivalent of the Oscars. Lucy, who lives in Fulham, is continuing the winning formula with a new series - The British Empire in Colour - due to be screened early next year. She is due to return to the Vale this weekend to show her proud mother Diana the prestigious award.