No matter how hard you try to imagine an online BAFTA awards ceremony, you still wouldn’t be prepared enough for the eeriness of a lonely Richard Ayoade addressing an empty studio, last year filled with the nation’s most talented performers. But for one night only, the red carpet is put away, and we’re instead invited into their homes to celebrate the best in British television (from the comfort of our own, of course).
Two metres apart from our wonderful, national treasure of a host, an array of actors, such as Normal People‘s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, made an on-stage appearance to run through the nominees. None were more surprising than Jeff Goldblum, however.
For the first award of the night, Mo Gilligan went home with ‘Best Entertainment Performance’. Accepting his award, Mo gave a nod to the people who “sound like me, look like me, and are from the same background as me”. Considering the rest of the nominees were all white and slightly older, it was great to see diversity so early in the night – and they were just getting started.
Naomi Ackie went home with the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ next, for her role as Bonnie in The End of the F***ing World – which also beat Netflix’s well-loved series The Crown for ‘Best Drama Series’. Will Sharpe took home ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his role as Rodney in the thrilling mystery-drama, Giri/Haji.
It would be nothing less than a shambles had nobody from Fleabag snatched up an award, but despite being the show’s genius creator, it was Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s onscreen sister, Sian Clifford, who went home with the award for ‘Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme’. And while it is a shame Andrew Scott wasn’t nominated for playing the brilliant Hot Priest, the nominees for ‘Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme’ were also surprisingly diverse.
Although the hype of Netflix’s Sex Education might have you assume Ncuti Gatwa would be taking home the BAFTA, it instead went to the talented Jamie Demetriou for his performance in his own show, Stath Lets Flats (which was also lucky enough to receive the award for ‘Best Scripted Comedy’).
Depicting the events of the nuclear power plant explosion in 1986, Chernobyl beat records online to become the highest-rated TV show of all-time on IMDb, overtaking Game of Thrones. It’s no surprise then that it would go on to take the BAFTA for ‘Best Mini-Series’, while it’s leading actor, Jared Harris, also took home the award for ‘Best Leading Actor’.
‘Best Actress’ went to the wonderful Glenda Jackson for her subtle but moving performance as a woman suffering from dementia in Elizabeth is Missing. It is the 84 year old’s second BAFTA – her first win was back in 1972.
Whilst both the winners and nominees were wonderfully diverse, it was pretty tough to get used to the empty studio. Fortunately, Ayoade and certain guests (yes, I’m looking at you, Greg Davies) naturally made you feel at home. Here’s hoping next year we can forget about lockdown and bring the glamour back!
For the full list of winners and nominees, see below:
Best Actress:
- Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
- Glenda Jackson (Elizabeth is Missing) – WINNER
- Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack)
- Samantha Morton (I Am Kirtsy)
Best Actor:
- Stephen Graham (The Virtues)
- Jared Harris (Chernobyl) – WINNER
- Takehiro Hira (Giri/Haji)
- Callum Turner (The Capture)
Supporting Actress:
- Naomi Ackie (The End of the F***ing World) – WINNER
- Helen Behan (The Virtues)
- Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
- Jasmine Jobson (Top Boy)
Supporting Actor:
- Joe Absolom (A Confession)
- Josh O’Connor (The Crown)
- Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji) – WINNER
- Stellan Skarsgard (Chernobyl)
Entertainment Performance:
- Frankie Boyle (Frankie Boyle’s New World)
- Mo Gilligan (The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan) – WINNER
- Lee Mack (Would I Lie to You)
- Graham Norton (The Graham Norton Show)
Male Performance in a Comedy Programme:
- Jamie Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats) – WINNER
- Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education)
- Youssef Kerkour (Home)
- Guz Khan (Man Like Mobeen)
Female Performance in a Comedy Programme:
- Sian Clifford (Fleabag) – WINNER
- Gbemisola Ikumelo (Famalam)
- Sarah Kendall (Frayed)
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Drama Series:
- The Crown
- The End of the F***ing World – WINNER
- Gentleman Jack
- Giri/Haji
Single Drama:
- Brexit: The Uncivil War
- Elizabeth is Missing
- The Left Behind – WINNER
- Responsible Child
Mini-Series:
- A Confession
- Chernobyl – WINNER
- The Victim
- The Virtues
Soap and Continuing Drama:
- Casualty
- Coronation Street
- Emmerdale – WINNER
- Holby City
Entertainment Programme:
- The Greatest Dancer
- The Rap Game UK
- Strictly Come Dancing – WINNER
- The Voice UK
Comedy Entertainment Programme:
- The Graham Norton Show
- The Last Leg
- The Raganation
- Taskmaster – WINNER
Scripted Comedy:
- Catastrophe
- Derry Girls
- Fleabag
- Stath Lets Flats – WINNER
Features:
- Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back
- The Misadventures of Romesh Ragananathan – WINNER
- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
- Snackmasters
Must-See Moment:
- Coronation Street (the death of Sinead Osborne)
- Fleabag (confessional scene)
- Game of Thrones (Arya kills the Night King)
- Gavin and Stacey (Nessa proposes to Smithy) – WINNER
- Line of Duty (John Corbett’s death)
- Love Island (Michael recouples after Casa Amor)
Current Affairs:
- Growing up Poor: Britain’s Breadline Kids
- The Hunt for Jihadi John
- Is Labour Anti-Semitic?
- Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag – WINNER
Single Documentary:
- The Abused
- David Harewood: Psychosis And Me
- The Family Secret
- The Last Survivors – WINNER
Factual Series:
- Crime and Punishment
- Don’t F**K With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer
- Leaving Neverland – WINNER
- Our Dementia Choir With Vicky McClure
Reality and Constructed Factual:
- Celebrity Gogglebox
- Harry’s Heroes: The Full English
- Race Across The World – WINNER
- RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
Specialist Factual:
- 8 Days: To The Moon and Back
- Seven Worlds, One Planet
- Thatcher: A Very British Revolution
- Yorkshire Ripper Files: A Very British Crime Story – WINNER
News Coverage:
- Hong Kong Protests – WINNER
- ITV News At Ten: Election Results
- Prince Andrew & The Epstein Scandal
- Victoria Derbyshire: Men Who Lost Loved Ones To Knife Crime
Sport:
- 2019 Rugby World Cup Final: England v South Africa – WINNER
- ICC Cricket World Cup Final
- Fifa Women’s World Cup 2019 Semi Final: England v USA
- Wimbledon 2019 Men’s Final
Live Event:
- Blue Planet Live – WINNER
- Election 2019 Live: The Results
- Glastonbury 2019
- Operation Live
Short-Form Programme:
- Anywhere But Westminster
- Brain In Gear – WINNER
- Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle
- Toni_With_An_I (Born Digital: First Cuts)
Words by Libby Briggs
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