Sorry, Your Maj.. Sarah’s Queen of TV
The Crown falls to Happy Valley actress
THE Crown slipped emptyhanded from the TV Baftas as Planet Earth II scooped two gongs – including the first MustSee Moment award for footage of iguanas fleeing snakes.
As the Netflix series lost out in its four categories, Happy Valley and Damilola, Our Loved Boy also did the double at last night’s ceremony.
With a budget said to be around £100million, The Crown is the most expensive drama of all time.
But it lost out on Drama Series and Leading Actress to Happy Valley and its star Sarah Lancashire.
Paying tribute to fellow nominee Claire Foy, up for her role as a young Queen Elizabeth, Sarah said: “Claire Foy, you’ve given me the best 10 hours under a duvet I’ve ever had.”
The Crown also missed out on Supporting Actor and Actress.
As well as Best Specialist Factual Series, Planet Earth II won the first Must-See Moment award for its footage of iguanas trying to escape snakes. The extraodinary clip beat Ed Balls’ Gangnam Style dance on Strictly Come Dancing and Line of Duty’s Urgent Exit Required scene.
Executive producer Mike Gunton said: “We were surprised that this would win because half the audience were watching from behind their sofa and the other half were shouting at the TV, ‘Run iguanas, run.’
“I guess they’re the people who voted, so thank you very much.”
Later, collecting his second award, he added: “Blimey, I love those iguanas.” Emmerdale beat EastEnders to the gong for Best Soap in a category conspicuously missing Coronation Street – which wasn’t nominated.
Emmerdale boss Iain Macleod thanked Bafta, saying it was the first time the soap had won the honour for 15 years.
Taking the Factual Series award for Exodus: Our Journey to Europe, Syrian refugee Hassan Akkad pointed out how surreal it was for him to be at the Baftas ceremony, held in London’s Royal Festival Hall.
“Twenty months ago I was on a dinghy trying to cross from Turkey to Greece.” he said.
Pointing out that more than 10,000 lives have been lost as people desperately try to get into Europe, he fought back tears as he said: “This was my yesterday, but it’s somebody else’s today and tomorrow.”
On a lighter note, Ant and Dec took to the stage to lift the Live Event award for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, which they hosted on ITV.
“We’ll come round and deliver it tomorrow,” they said. “Ma’am, this one’s for you. We’ll give you the Bafta.”
And taking the Bafta for Female Comedy Performance for her BBC series Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge squealed: “Oh my God, thank you so much. I promised I wouldn’t say anything rude but I have actually been wet-dreaming about getting a Bafta my whole life.
“My mother told me, ‘Darling, you can be whatever you want to be as long as you’re outrageous.’”