HELLO BORIS, I’M LORRAINE
LONDON. - BBC One’s prison drama Time and Channel 4’s pandemic film Help were the big winners at the Bafta TV Awards on Sunday, while a brand new Doctor walked the red carpet.
But backstage, the chat amongst the winners was about pranking celebrities, buying kitchen islands, and where to find the best Afghan food for a post-ceremony feast.
Here are three highlights from the Bafta TV Awards.
1. WATCH OUT, ANT AND DEC ARE ABOUT
The night’s first prize, best entertainment programme, went to Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway - a show which has recently resumed its celebrity pranks after some time off during Covid.
The most recent series saw the pair use a bulldozer to drop a huge pile of soil on Jeremy Clarkson’s car. And, the duo say, he definitely won’t be the last. “We can’t tell you who,” says Dec, “but we’ve got a hit list. Jeremy Clarkson was on the list for about eight years before we got him.
“So we have got a list of people and we’re slowly working our way through. There are a few people here tonight actually who are on the list and we’ve made inroads into getting. It’s quite strange to see them and go ‘Oh hi! How are you?!’ while thinking ‘We’re going to try and get you’.
2. GOGGLEBOX STARS HOPE THEY
DON’T SEE ANYONE THEY’VE CRITICISED
Gogglebox stars Marcus and Mica represented the show as it won best reality and constructed factual, but fellow cast member Lee was unusually seen without his co-star Jenny.
“She was supposed to be here, but she had to
have a minor operation, and it came up this week so she couldn’t turn it down, so she’s still in hospital, but she’ll be watching from her hospital bed,” he explains backstage.
The Baftas provided a rare chance to see Goggleboxers from different households together at the same time. “Because I live across the country, it’s hard to get to see each other,” says Lee.
“Social media is good for us though,” notes Marcus, while Mica adds: “Yeah, we all encourage each other and comment on each other’s posts.”
Who were the trio looking forward to seeing at the Baftas? “Anyone that we haven’t slagged off,” jokes Mica.
The trio were asked if they ever worry about drinking too much on camera and then saying something they regret. But, Marcus explains: “Gogglebox encourages it!”
“We used to drink [while filming], me and Jenny,” Lee recalls. “I saw one episode from 2014 and I’m just there slurring, and it’s really not good, so I stopped drinking.”
3. LORRAINE KELLY INTRODUCED HERSELF TO THE PM
Daytime star and general legend Lorraine Kelly presented the awards for news coverage and specialist factual, just days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson famously asked who she was.
After Susanna Reid told him she had to wrap up his Good Morning Britain interview to hand over to Lorraine, the Prime Minister replied: “Who’s Lorraine?”
So, the veteran TV host took the opportunity to fill him in at the Baftas.
“Hello,” Kelly said to the audience as she took to the stage, “and a special hello to Boris, I’m Lorraine. Lovely to see you.”