to choose a Bafta winner
Hilary Rosen,
How are the Bafta Television Awards decided? Newly elected chair of the Bafta Television Committee, takes us backstage.
IN IT TO WIN IT Anyone can put forward their show. These are then put on an online viewing platform, where all 5,700 Bafta members are invited to watch and vote. This is how we come up with a longlist that the juries consider.
WE NEED EXPERTS!
My job is to pick the juries that decide the awards. Each jury has 12 members with a track record, fresh voices, seniority, regionality and so on. We also favour genre experts with experience on relevant shows. We’re strict about conflict of interest. You wouldn’t get the producer of Taskmaster on a jury if Taskmaster was longlisted.
DIVERSITY All jurors are encouraged to consider unconscious bias. As an industry, we are more focused on having a better representative group of people both in front of and behind the camera. But also, you have to be absolutely clear when chairing juries — it’s ultimately about creative excellence.
WE THEN NEED A SHORTLIST As a juror you must watch all the shows in your longlist. It’s a big commitment! After that, the jury must agree on a shortlist before voting for the winner. We used to do the juries in person, but now we use Zoom, which allows us to hear from a broader range of people.
DISCUSSIONS CAN BE GEEKY
They can be incredibly forensic. I once chaired the jury for best hair and make-up and they were obsessed with the placement of wigs! Often the conversations are around purpose. Is this a show just like every other show? If it’s factual, does it shine a spotlight on an area we don’t know about?
AND THE WINNER IS…
Saying things like, “I’m going to vote for this show” is discouraged. We try to keep the conversation broad so we don’t group-think. The votes are placed electronically so no one knows what’s won. There are very few people within Bafta who know the winner. That’s why the cameramen never know where to position themselves on the night. They’re always roving around hoping to capture the winner!
The Bafta Television Awards 2024 (Sunday 7pm BBC1). See feature p12