The teen drama Skins and a BBC series which turned Question Time into a modern opera have won the international Rose D’Or prize for the year’s most innovative television shows.

Skins, the E4 drama which revolves around a group of Bristol teenagers, has been praised for its frank treatment of issues surrounding sex and drugs. It won the Best Drama prize at the ceremony held in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The Best of 2008 Rose D’Or (Golden Rose) award went to Kombat Opera Presents, a BBC Two series which parodied popular television shows by turning them into operas.

In one episode, a desperate David Dimbleby figure, played by the impressionist John Culshaw, transforms the discussion programme into an ice spectacular. Another episode parodied Panorama, turning an investigation into binge-drinking in Nottingham into a musical celebration. The series was made by the team behind Jerry Springer: The Opera.

The Rose D’Or judges praised the series, which has been sold to American broadcasters, as “an inspired idea that opens the door to a whole new genre: culture-clash TV”.

Other UK winners included the Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd and the BBC Two comedy The Peter Serafinowicz Show.

The Street II, a BBC series which followed the lives of residents of a street in Manchester, received a special mention in the drama category.

The festival, which attracted a record 402 entries from 34 countries, demonstrated the strength of British television in comedy and drama.

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