BBC’s police drama Happy Valley beats Netflix’s The Crown to win big in Bafta TV awards
London: BBC police drama Happy Valley was the big winner at Britain’s Bafta awards recognizing excellence in television, beating on Sunday heavily-tipped Netflix drama The Crown.
The series took the Best Drama prize, and its leading actress Sarah Lancashire also pipped The Crown star Claire Foy to the best actress award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards.
The Netflix royal drama had been nominated for five awards, but failed to pick any up on the night, with actors John Lithgow, Jared Harris and Vanessa Kirby losing out in their respective acting categories.
US actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Was on hand to accept the International award on behalf of The People Vs. OJ Simpson: American crime story, in which he played the title role, beating out Netflix’s critically-acclaimed Stranger Things, and Amazon’s Transparent.
Adeel Akhtar took the honours for best actor in Murdered By My Father, a BBC drama focused on an honour killing in a British-Asian family. He beat out competition from actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Robbie Coltrane.
Actress Joanna Lumley accepted the Bafta Fellowship award, a prize for lifetime achievement, from her Absolutely Fabulous co-star Jennifer Saunders, and delighted the crowd by briefly slipping into her character from the show during her acceptance speech.
Speaking to reporters on the red carpet before the event, Lumley hailed the standards in the modern television industry.
“Terrific standards both in acting and production values and everything so really thrilling - really, really good. It’s just that I think it’s so diffused now, so spread out that sometimes you go through rather sulkily going ‘Oh there’s nothing on television tonight’. What? Look again,” she said. Drama series: Happy Valley
Best actress: Sarah Lancashire, Happy Valley
Best actor: Adeel Akhtar, Murdered by My Father
Supporting actress: Wunmi Damilola, Mosaku,Our Loved Boy
Supporting actor: Tom Hollander, The Night Manager
Script comedy: People Just do Nothing
Female performance in a Comedy programme: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Male performance in comedy: Steve Coogan, Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle
Comedy & Comedy Entertainment programme: Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe
Entertainment performance: Michael McIntyre, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
Entertainment programme: Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Reality & constructed factual: Muslims Like Us
Specialist factual: Planet Earth II
Mini series: National Treasure
Soap and continuing drama: Emmerdale
Features: Who Do You Think You Are?
Single documentary: Hillsborough
Current affairs: Teenage Prison Abuse
Exposed: Panorama
Single drama: Damilola, Our Loved Boy
International: American Crime Story — The People Vs OJ Simpson
Factual series: Exodus: Our Journey to Europe
News coverage: Victoria Derbyshire
Live event: The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration
I promised myself I wouldn’t say anything rude, but I have actually been wet dreaming about getting a Bafta my whole life ... Most of all I want to thank my mother, who said to me 'Darling, you can be whatever you want to be, as long as you're outrageous
— Phoebe Waller-Bridge,
Best female in comedy
Since we’ve made this documentary over 10,000 people have died trying to find refuge in Europe. They are not just numbers. It goes to them and their untold stories
— Hassan Akkad,
Award for factual series ,
Exodus: Our Journey to Europe
People say they don’t expect to win, but we did. When we saw the nominations we thought there’s no way Fleabag is going to win this, we are ... And if any of you want any drugs we’ll be selling them by the bar
— Ash Atalla,
producer, People Just Do Nothing
I know what you’re thinking ... not another awards show presented by a woman. When will it end? I find it a little like Halley’s Comet, only a little less frequent
— Sue Perkins,
on being Bafta 2017 host