Thrilling Eve
... all the drama from the Baftas
LEADING ACTRESS Jodie Comer, star of Killing Eve
BBC drama Killing Eve murdered the competition to triumph at the Bafta TV Awards.
Jodie Comer, 26, who plays talented psychopathic assassin Villanelle in the hit series, took home the Leading Actress gong.
She beat co-star Sandra Oh, 47, who plays Eve Polastri as the MI5 officer trying to track her down, who was also nominated for last night’s award.
The hit series also won the Drama gong, while Fiona Shaw, 60, nabbed the Supporting Actress prize for her part as MI6’s Carolyn Martens in the show.
Jodie wept as she accepted her statue. She said: “Thank you so much. Sorry, I’m the only one who’s turned on the waterworks.”
Paying tribute to the show’s writer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 33, the Liverpudlian said: “Phoebe, I feel so lucky to say I worked with you, also to call you a friend. You’re the most talented person I know.”
Phoebe praised her “charismatic, breathtaking, energetic team”.
“I can’t speak it’s so unbelievably exciting. Thanks for everyone for taking risks. Jodie Comer almost swallowed a wasp in Tuscany. It was a really edgy moment that we did capture on camera,” she added.
The BBC’s gripping thriller Bodyguard, which had the nation on the edge of its seat, bagged Must-See Moment. Benedict Cumberbatch, 42, won the Leading Actor award for his turn in the miniseries Patrick Melrose. Entertainment host Dec Donnelly, 43, was another big winner, picking up several prizes, as his co-host Ant McPartlin, 43, joined him on the red carpet for the first time since his off-screen troubles.
Dec and Holly Willoughby, 38, bagged the gongs for Reality and Constructed Factual show for I’m A Celebrity, and were joined by Ant as they collected their prize in front of the crowd at the Royal Festival Hall in Central London. Dec said: “I would like to say thank you to Holly for helping me out last year, standing in for Ant, who has reluctantly come up here tonight. He is still part of the team. This is a wonderful surprise.”
Ant and Dec took to the stage as a duo to accept the Entertainment Programme award for Britain’s Got Talent. Dec said: “Most of all the thank-you goes to all those people who audition. There really is no show without them.” The night marked Ant’s return to the awards circuit after he took time out from TV work following his drink-driving charge last year. Ant said at the event: “It is nice to be back on the red carpet.” There were also wins for documentary maker Louis Theroux, 48, for Factual series, EastEnders bagged the Soap and Continuing Drama award, and Who Do You Think You Are? walked away with the Features prize.
The show was hosted by Graham Norton, 56, who mocked the BBC’s scandals in his opening monologue. On last week’s sacking of radio host Danny Baker, 61, he compared it to the Great British Bake Off. Graham said: “Every week a baker gets kicked out. This time it was Danny. Literally a showstopper.”