Ava DuVernay tops International category with "When They See Us"
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has unveiled the winners of the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards, celebrating and rewarding the very best programs and performances of 2019. The Awards were hosted by Richard Ayoade on a closed set at Television Centre, London, with presenters including Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jeff Goldblum, Jessica Hynes, Adrian Lester, Ruth Madeley, Himesh Patel, Billy Porter and Nina Sosanya.
Following seven wins at this year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards, Chernobyl, the drama based on the nuclear disaster, won two more BAFTAs, for Miniseries and Leading Actor for Jared Harris.
The Leading Actress award was won by Glenda Jackson for her performance in Elizabeth is Missing, her first television role for more than 25 years and the second BAFTA of her career. Her first BAFTA was for Sunday, Bloody Sunday in 1972.
End of the F***ing World, the dark comedy drama, received the BAFTA for Drama Series and first-time nominee Naomi Ackie won Supporting Actress, the first BAFTA of her career.
Will Sharpe, another first-time winner, won for his performance in Giri/Haji in the Supporting Actor category. Mo Gilligan won his first BAFTA for Entertainment Performance for The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan.
First-time nominee Sian Clifford won in Female Performance in a Comedy Program for playing Claire, the older sister of the titular character in Fleabag.
Following his success at the Television Craft Awards for Writer: Comedy, Jamie Demetriou, won the BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Program for Stath Lets Flats, which also won for Scripted Comedy.
Taskmaster won for Comedy Entertainment Program, its first win following two previous nominations. The BAFTA for Entertainment Program was awarded to Strictly Come Dancing, continuing the show’s success following the recent win for the Entertainment Craft Team at the Television Craft Awards.
Race Across the World received the BAFTA for Reality & Constructed Factual. The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan won in the Features category. Brain in Gear won the BAFTA for Short Form Program, with Gbemisola Ikumelo, Fergal Costello and Inez Gordon winning their first BAFTAs.
Ava DuVernay won the second BAFTA of her career with When They See Us, the US crime drama series based on the true story of the Central Park Five, in the International category. It follows her win for 13th, which won Documentary at the 2017 EE British Academy Film Awards, and the honorary BAFTA Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing she received later that year.
Emmerdale was awarded the BAFTA for Soap & Continuing Drama. The Left Behind won the BAFTA for Single Drama.
News Coverage was awarded to Sky News’ Hong Kong Protests, and the award for Current Affairs was presented to Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag (Exposure).
Leaving Neverland received the BAFTA for Factual Series, The Last Survivors won Single Documentary and Yorkshire Ripper Files: A Very British Crime Story won Specialist Factual.
2019 Rugby World Cup Final: England v South Africa triumphed in the Sport category, while the award for Live Event was presented to Blue Planet Live.
The Special Award was presented to Idris Elba OBE in recognition of his exceptional career and his commitment to championing diversity and new talent in the industry. The actor, writer, director and producer received video messages from Matthew McConaughey, Taraji P Henson, Ruth Wilson and Grace Ofori-Attah.
Virgin Media’s Must-See Moment, the only award voted for by the public, was won by Gavin and Stacey for the iconic moment when Nessa proposes to Smithy.
Here’s a full rundown of winners:
COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
TASKMASTER Alex Horne, Andy Devonshire, Andy Cartwright, James Taylor – Avalon Television/Dave
CURRENT AFFAIRS
UNDERCOVER: INSIDE CHINA’S DIGITAL GULAG (EXPOSURE) Robin Barnwell, David Henshaw, Guy Creasey, Gesbeen Mohammad – Hardcash Productions/ITV
DRAMA SERIES
THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD Production Team – Clerkenwell Films, Dominic Buchanan Productions/Channel 4/Netflix
ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
MO GILLIGAN The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan – Expectation, Momo G/Channel 4
ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
STRICTLY COME DANCING Production Team – BBC Studios/BBC One
FACTUAL SERIES
LEAVING NEVERLAND Production Team – Amos Pictures/Channel 4
FEATURES
THE MISADVENTURES OF ROMESH RANGANATHAN Emily Hudd, Morgan Roberts, Christopher Cottam – Rumpus Media/BBC Two
FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAM
SIAN CLIFFORD Fleabag – Two Brothers Pictures/BBC Three
INTERNATIONAL
WHEN THEY SEE US Ava DuVernay, Jonathan King, Jane Rosenthal, Berry Welsh – Participant Media, Tribeca Productions, Harpo Films, Array Filmworks/Netflix
LEADING ACTOR
JARED HARRIS Chernobyl – Sister, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, HBO/Sky Atlantic
LEADING ACTRESS
GLENDA JACKSON Elizabeth is Missing – STV Productions/BBC One
LIVE EVENT
BLUE PLANET LIVE Production Team – BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Open University, BBC Learning/BBC One
MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAM
JAMIE DEMETRIOU Stath Lets Flats – Roughcut TV/Channel 4
MINISERIES
CHERNOBYL Production Team – Sister, The Mighty Mint, Word Games, HBO/Sky Atlantic
NEWS COVERAGE
HONG KONG PROTESTS Production Team – Sky News/Sky News
REALITY & CONSTRUCTED FACTUAL
RACE ACROSS THE WORLD Production Team – Studio Lambert/BBC Two
SCRIPTED COMEDY
STATH LETS FLATS Jamie Demetriou, Tom Kingsley, Seb Barwell, Ash Atalla – Roughcut TV/Channel 4
SHORT FORM PROGRAM
BRAIN IN GEAR Gbemisola Ikumelo, Fergal Costello, Inez Gordon – BBC Studios/BBC iPlayer
SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
THE LAST SURVIVORS Arthur Cary, Morgan Matthews, Katherine Anstey, Joby Gee – Minnow Films/BBC Two
SINGLE DRAMA
THE LEFT BEHIND Alan Harris, Joseph Bullman, Aysha Rafaele, Tracie Simpson – BBC Studios/BBC Three
SOAP & CONTINUING DRAMA
EMMERDALE Production Team – ITV Studios/ITV
SPECIALIST FACTUAL
YORKSHIRE RIPPER FILES: A VERY BRITISH CRIME STORY Liza Williams, Jasmine Macnabb, Nancy Bornat, Leanne Klein – Wall to Wall Media/BBC Four
SPORT
2019 RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL: ENGLAND V SOUTH AFRICA Phil Heslop, David Francis, Mark Demuth, Paul McNamara – ITV Sport/ITV
SUPPORTING ACTOR
WLL SHARPE Giri/Haji – Sister/BBC Two/ Netflix
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
NAOMI ACKIE The End of the F***ing World – Clerkenwell Films, Dominic Buchanan Productions/Channel 4/Netflix
VIRGIN MEDIA’S MUST-SEE MOMENT (voted for by the public)
GAVIN AND STACEY Nessa Proposes to Smithy – Fulwell 73, Tidy Productions and Baby Cow Production for BBC One
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More