British TV’S most glamorous night of the year is just absolutely fabulous
Fabulous star Joanna Lumley has spoken of her pride at being honoured with a Bafta Fellowship as stars of the small screen were honoured at the TV awards last night.
Lumley said it was “an honour she couldn’t have dreamed of” as she arrived on the red carpet.
She said: “This is the event of the year, it’s absolutely fantastic.”
She admitted she “ripped the envelope open with my teeth”, adding: “I’m going to have it made into a hat and wear it for a month and then it will be somewhere central in my house.”
Happy Valley was named best drama series at the awards last night, defeating the The Crown for the coveted prize. The police drama starring Sarah Lancashire also triumphed over The Durrells and War & Peace.
During the ceremony, the father of murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor begged young people to stop the string of killings on the streets of London as he collected the Bafta for single drama for Damilola, Our Loved Boy.
Nature series Planet Earth II won the specialist factual Bafta, although narrator Sir David Attenborough did not join the production team to collect the prize. The factual series prize was won by Exodus: Our Journey To Europe, while the prize for news coverage was taken by Victoria Derbyshire: Footballers’ Abuse.
The People V OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, a drama about the trial and acquittal of the former American football star for the murder of his wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, won the international prize.
Comedian Michael Mcin absolutely tyre claimed the Bafta for entertainment performance for his programme Michael Mcintyre’s Big Show, while Hillsborough won the single documentary prize.
The production team was joined on stage to collect the prize by Hillsborough campaigner Professor Phil Scraton.
The Panorama programme Teenage Prison Abuse Exposed won the current affairs prize.