We’ve all made a proper Charlie of ourselves when we’ve had a few.. and if anything, Sloth’s sweary outburst did me a massive favour
SCOTTISH BAFTAS HOST FINDS SILVER LIVING AFTER BEING INSULTED BY RIVAL AT AWARDS BASH Radio star on rival’s outburst and beating industry bullies
Edi th Bowman has revealed the Radio 1 DJ who attacked her in a foul-mouthed outburst at an awards ceremony has apologised.
Radio 1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth stormed the stage at last month’s Audio and Radio Industry Awards, yelling, “Edith Bowman, F*** your life”. The shocking scene took place moments after Sloth had lost out in the Best Specialist Music Show categor y to the acclaimed Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast. As Edith prepares to host tonight’s Bafta Scotland awards at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu hotel, she said she holds no hard feelings against Sloth and is actual ly enjoying the attention. Kind-hearted Edith, 44, told the Sunday Mai l : “I
wasn’t at the Arias at the end of the night as I was working.
“In hindsight, I don’t know if he’d have done it if I’d been there.
“We’ve all done stupid things when we’ve been drunk. Charlie is a great broadcaster and has apologised. I completely accept his apology.
“I know when you’re passionate about something and don’t feel you get the recognition you deserve, it can be hard to take.
Sloth, who is leaving 1Xtra after 10 years of presenting at the station, was greeted with boos from the crowd at the ceremony in Leeds.
Despite the outburst, Edith claims the Liverpool- born DJ real name Ian Paul Rouillon – did her a favour.
She added: “I won a gold and nothing is going to take that away from it. That’s my focus. That’s my celebration of the night, to win that against who we were up against. We got amazing publicity out of the whole debacle – more people know about the podc a s t than ever before. I’m the type of person who will see a positive out of a negative or try and find one.”
Edith, who is married to Editors frontman Tom Smith, with whom she has two sons – Rudy, 10, and Spike, five – is hoping there’ll be no stage invasions when she hosts the Scottish Baftas.
This year’s event includes multiple nominations for a £1.5million Scots thriller, Cal ibre, and the longrunning TV series Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall.
Rupert Everett, Armando Iannucci and Elaine C Smith are also in the frame for awards and are expected to at tend, a long with Karen Gillan, who directed and stars in the horror film The Party’s Just Beginning.
Actor Alan Cumming, producer Paddy Higson and production designer Pat Campbell will receive Outstanding Contribution awards.
Edith said: “It is a brilliant list. Once again, the Baftas are a really great celebration of the talent that works in front of the camera. There are faces we know but also craftsmen and women that work behind the scenes and new talent with short films.
“What I love about the awards is that it’s a bit of everything. It’s great to see a smal l Scott ish independent f i lm l ike Calibre getting recognition.”
She wants people to support the Scottish Baftas, whoever wins.
Edith added: “Bafta get a really hard time sometimes about the nominations. People don’t realise it is not Bafta who decide, it is the jury of people’s peers and colleagues.
“They can only vote for what is put forward by the production
I’m the type of person who will see a positive out of a negative
companies. Each individual jury can decide what they see as excellence to be supported.
“Bafta get stick unfairly in terms of why something isn’t nominated. They take the slack for jury decisions.”
At last year’s Scottish Baftas, many of the stars spoke about abuse in the industry following allegations against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Edith believes progress has since been made.
She said: “There is a step forward from where we were. People think they are being listened to and have a voice now.
“You can’t expect a massive film industry to change overnight.
“It is going to take a lot of work from a lot of people but I think there’s definitely an air of change in terms of people wanting change.
“That ’ s the main thing. You’ve got to want change before it can happen.
“Because of those brave people coming out and telling their stories and because of these different campaigns – be it about equal pay or #MeToo – those conversations are being had and being written into contracts.
“Expectations and behaviour on set is now part and parcel of every production.”
She has experienced a move for equal representation for women closer to home, with three female DJs landing plum roles on Radio 2.
The changes were made after BBC director- general Tony Hall pledged that, by 2020, half of the BBC’s presenters would be women.
His decision followed a report that two-thirds of top earners on the BBC were men.
But there was a backlash from listeners after Jo Whiley joined Simon Mayo on the Drivetime show. The pair are now being replaced by Sara Cox, while the Breakfast Show slot, vacated by Chris Evans, has gone to Zoe Ball.
Edith said: “It is a fantastic thing that Radio 2, in the space of six months, are completely overhauling their schedule and putting in three incredibly talented and brilliant female broadcasters.
“It’s a very small majority of a small-minded population who are resistant to having women in these positions and still think that way.
“There is nothing you can do about that except make changes and have bri l l iant female presenters taking up those positions.
“Jo, Sara and Zoe are placed throughout the day on Radio 2. Before, it was very much all white middle-aged men.”
Tonight’s British Academy Scotland Awards wi l l be hosted by Edith at Radi sson Blu , Glasgow. It will be streamed live on Facebook from 7pm, preceded by clips of redcarpet highlights hosted by Sanjeev Kohli from 5pm on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.