Michaela Coel and her hit drama I May Destroy You were the big winners at this year’s TV Baftas.
Michaela was named Best Actress at the ceremony, while the show took home the prize for Best Mini Series.
Collecting the actress prize, she dedicated the award to the show’s director of intimacy Ita O’Brien, saying: “Thank you for your existence in our industry, for making the space safe for creating physical, emotional, and professional boundaries so that we can make work about exploitation, loss of respect, about abuse of power, without being exploited or abused in the process.
“I know what it’s like to shoot without an intimacy director, the messy, embarrassing feeling for the crew, the internal devastation for the actor.
“Your direction was essential to my show.
“And I believe essential for every production company that wants to make work exploring themes of consent.”
Diversity’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent won the public-voted must-see-moment award.
The performance was inspired by the events of 2020 and included references to the killing of George Floyd and the global protests in support of Black Lives Matter that followed.
In his speech, Diversity leader Ashley Banjo thanked the thousands of people who complained to Ofcom about the performance.
He said: “Thank you to everyone who stood by us. Every phone call, text, comment, DM, you guys made the difference to what was a really dark time, being in the storm of 30,000 complaints and just a torrent of racially charged abuse, threats, all of it, it was a dark time and that support made all the difference.
“In a way, I have to say thank you to the people that complained, the people that did all of that abuse because you showed the truth.
“You showed exactly why this performance, this moment, was necessary.
“But for all of those people, just take a look, because as much as there are so many conversations and so much that needs to change, this is what change looks like. And I’m so proud to be standing here and so thankful to all of those people.”
Elsewhere, Paul Mescal was named Best Actor for his turn in Normal People, and thanked “the best scene partner,” his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Rakie Ayola paid a moving tribute to murdered black teenager Anthony Walker and his mother as she won the Supporting Actress Bafta for her role in a TV drama about the life he might have lived.
Malachi Kirby was named best supporting actor for his role in Sir Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, while Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood won the gong for female performance in a comedy programme and This Country’s Charlie Cooper won the male comedy performance prize.
The awards were handed out at Television Centre in west London in front of a live but socially distanced audience of nominees.
See the full list of winners from this year’s TV Baftas below....
Adam Hills, The Last Leg
Bradley Walsh, Beat the Chasers
Claudia Winkleman, Strictly Come Dancing
David Mitchell, Would I Lie to You? at Christmas
Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show
Romesh Ranganathan The Ranganation – WINNER
Ghosts
Inside No 9 – WINNER
Man Like Mobeen
This Country
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Leila Farzad, I Hate Suzie
Rakie Ayola, Anthony – WINNER
Siena Kelly, Adult Materia
Sophie Okonedo, Criminal: UK
Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Life & Rhymes – WINNER
Strictly Come Dancing
The Masked Singer
Big Zuu’s Big Eats
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace – WINNER
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
The Repair Shop
Kunal Nayyar, Criminal: UK
Malachi Kirby, Small Axe – WINNER
Michael Sheen, Quiz
Micheal Ward, Small Axe
Rupert Everett, Adult Material
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On
Richard Osman’s House of Games
The Chase
The Great House Giveaway – WINNER
Charlie Cooper, This Country – WINNER
Guz Khan, Man Like Mobeen
Joseph Gilgun, Brassic
Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education
Paul Ritter, Friday Night Dinner
Reece Shearsmith, Inside No 9
Extinction: The Facts
Putin: A Russian Spy Story
The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty
The Surgeon’s Cut – WINNER
Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education – WINNER
Daisy Haggard, Breeders
Daisy May Cooper, This Country
Emma Mackey, Sex Education
Gbemisola Ikumelo, Famalam
Mae Martin, Feel Good
Masterchef: The Professionals
Race Across the World
The School That Tried to End Racism – WINNER
The Write Offs
Adult Material
I May Destroy You – WINNER
Normal People
Small Axe
Casualty – WINNER
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Hollyoaks
Bridgerton, Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown
Britain’s Got Talent, Diversity perform a routine inspired by the BLM protests – WINNER
Gogglebox, Reactions to Boris Johnson’s press conference
The Mandalorian, Luke Skywalker arrives
Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat, Nigella Lawson’s pronunciation of microwave
Crime and Punishment
Hospital: Fighting Covid-19
Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency
Once Upon a Time in Iraq – WINNER
Life Drawing Live!
Springwatch 2020 – WINNER
The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
The Third Day: Autumn
Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe
Rob and Romesh Vs
The Big Narstie Show – WINNER
The Ranganation
Anthony
BBW (On the Edge)
Sitting in Limbo – WINNER
The Windermere Children
Gangs of London
I Hate Suzie
Save Me Too – WINNER
The Crown
John Boyega, Small Axe
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Paul Mescal, Normal People – WINNER
Shaune Parkes, Small Axe
Waleed Zuaiter, Baghdad Central
Billie Piper, I Hate Suzie
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People
Hayley Squires, Adult Material
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Letitia Wright, Small Axe
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – WINNER
Criptales
Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Band With Learning Disabilities
The Main Part
They Saw The Sun First – WINNER
America’s War on Abortion (Exposure) – WINNER
Italy’s Frontline: a Doctor’s Diary
The Battle for Hong Kong (Dispatches)
The Cyprus Papers Undercover (Al Jazeera Investigations)
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me
Locked In: Breaking the Silence (Storyville) – WINNER
Surviving Covid
Little America
Lovecraft Country
Unorthodox
Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge (Storyville) – WINNER
Bahrain Grand Prix, Sky Sports Formula One
England V France: The Autumn Nations Cup Final, Amazon Prime Video
England V West Indies Test Cricket, Sky Sports Cricket – WINNER
London Marathon 2020, BBC One
BBC News at Ten: Prime Minister Admitted to Intensive Care, BBC One
Channel 4 News: Deterring Democracy, Channel 4
Newsnight: Covid Care Crisis, BBC Two
Sky News: Inside Idlib, Sky News – WINNER
Michaela was named Best Actress at the ceremony, while the show took home the prize for Best Mini Series.
Collecting the actress prize, she dedicated the award to the show’s director of intimacy Ita O’Brien, saying: “Thank you for your existence in our industry, for making the space safe for creating physical, emotional, and professional boundaries so that we can make work about exploitation, loss of respect, about abuse of power, without being exploited or abused in the process.
“I know what it’s like to shoot without an intimacy director, the messy, embarrassing feeling for the crew, the internal devastation for the actor.
“Your direction was essential to my show.
“And I believe essential for every production company that wants to make work exploring themes of consent.”
Diversity’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent won the public-voted must-see-moment award.
The performance was inspired by the events of 2020 and included references to the killing of George Floyd and the global protests in support of Black Lives Matter that followed.
In his speech, Diversity leader Ashley Banjo thanked the thousands of people who complained to Ofcom about the performance.
He said: “Thank you to everyone who stood by us. Every phone call, text, comment, DM, you guys made the difference to what was a really dark time, being in the storm of 30,000 complaints and just a torrent of racially charged abuse, threats, all of it, it was a dark time and that support made all the difference.
“In a way, I have to say thank you to the people that complained, the people that did all of that abuse because you showed the truth.
“You showed exactly why this performance, this moment, was necessary.
“But for all of those people, just take a look, because as much as there are so many conversations and so much that needs to change, this is what change looks like. And I’m so proud to be standing here and so thankful to all of those people.”
Elsewhere, Paul Mescal was named Best Actor for his turn in Normal People, and thanked “the best scene partner,” his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Rakie Ayola paid a moving tribute to murdered black teenager Anthony Walker and his mother as she won the Supporting Actress Bafta for her role in a TV drama about the life he might have lived.
Malachi Kirby was named best supporting actor for his role in Sir Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, while Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood won the gong for female performance in a comedy programme and This Country’s Charlie Cooper won the male comedy performance prize.
The awards were handed out at Television Centre in west London in front of a live but socially distanced audience of nominees.
See the full list of winners from this year’s TV Baftas below....
Entertainment performance
Adam Hills, The Last Leg
Bradley Walsh, Beat the Chasers
Claudia Winkleman, Strictly Come Dancing
David Mitchell, Would I Lie to You? at Christmas
Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show
Romesh Ranganathan The Ranganation – WINNER
Scripted comedy
Ghosts
Inside No 9 – WINNER
Man Like Mobeen
This Country
Supporting actress
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Leila Farzad, I Hate Suzie
Rakie Ayola, Anthony – WINNER
Siena Kelly, Adult Materia
Sophie Okonedo, Criminal: UK
Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You
Entertainment programme
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Life & Rhymes – WINNER
Strictly Come Dancing
The Masked Singer
Features
Big Zuu’s Big Eats
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace – WINNER
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
The Repair Shop
Supporting actor
Kunal Nayyar, Criminal: UK
Malachi Kirby, Small Axe – WINNER
Michael Sheen, Quiz
Micheal Ward, Small Axe
Rupert Everett, Adult Material
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Daytime
Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On
Richard Osman’s House of Games
The Chase
The Great House Giveaway – WINNER
Male performance in a comedy programme
Charlie Cooper, This Country – WINNER
Guz Khan, Man Like Mobeen
Joseph Gilgun, Brassic
Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education
Paul Ritter, Friday Night Dinner
Reece Shearsmith, Inside No 9
Specialist factual
Extinction: The Facts
Putin: A Russian Spy Story
The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty
The Surgeon’s Cut – WINNER
Female performance in a comedy programme
Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education – WINNER
Daisy Haggard, Breeders
Daisy May Cooper, This Country
Emma Mackey, Sex Education
Gbemisola Ikumelo, Famalam
Mae Martin, Feel Good
Reality and constructed factual
Masterchef: The Professionals
Race Across the World
The School That Tried to End Racism – WINNER
The Write Offs
Miniseries
Adult Material
I May Destroy You – WINNER
Normal People
Small Axe
Soap and continuing drama
Casualty – WINNER
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Hollyoaks
Virgin Media’s must-see moment (voted for by the public)
Bridgerton, Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown
Britain’s Got Talent, Diversity perform a routine inspired by the BLM protests – WINNER
Gogglebox, Reactions to Boris Johnson’s press conference
The Mandalorian, Luke Skywalker arrives
Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat, Nigella Lawson’s pronunciation of microwave
Factual series
Crime and Punishment
Hospital: Fighting Covid-19
Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency
Once Upon a Time in Iraq – WINNER
Live event
Life Drawing Live!
Springwatch 2020 – WINNER
The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
The Third Day: Autumn
Comedy entertainment programme
Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe
Rob and Romesh Vs
The Big Narstie Show – WINNER
The Ranganation
Single drama
Anthony
BBW (On the Edge)
Sitting in Limbo – WINNER
The Windermere Children
Drama series
Gangs of London
I Hate Suzie
Save Me Too – WINNER
The Crown
Leading actor
John Boyega, Small Axe
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Paul Mescal, Normal People – WINNER
Shaune Parkes, Small Axe
Waleed Zuaiter, Baghdad Central
Leading actress
Billie Piper, I Hate Suzie
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People
Hayley Squires, Adult Material
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Letitia Wright, Small Axe
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – WINNER
Short form programme
Criptales
Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Band With Learning Disabilities
The Main Part
They Saw The Sun First – WINNER
Current affairs
America’s War on Abortion (Exposure) – WINNER
Italy’s Frontline: a Doctor’s Diary
The Battle for Hong Kong (Dispatches)
The Cyprus Papers Undercover (Al Jazeera Investigations)
Single documentary
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me
Locked In: Breaking the Silence (Storyville) – WINNER
Surviving Covid
International
Little America
Lovecraft Country
Unorthodox
Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge (Storyville) – WINNER
Sport
Bahrain Grand Prix, Sky Sports Formula One
England V France: The Autumn Nations Cup Final, Amazon Prime Video
England V West Indies Test Cricket, Sky Sports Cricket – WINNER
London Marathon 2020, BBC One
News coverage
BBC News at Ten: Prime Minister Admitted to Intensive Care, BBC One
Channel 4 News: Deterring Democracy, Channel 4
Newsnight: Covid Care Crisis, BBC Two
Sky News: Inside Idlib, Sky News – WINNER
