2022 British Academy Television Awards

68th British Academy Television Awards
Date8 May 2022
SiteRoyal Festival Hall
Hosted byRichard Ayoade
Highlights
Best Comedy SeriesMotherland
Best DramaIn My Skin
Most awardsBig Zuu's Big Eats / Help / Time (2)
Most nominationsIt's a Sin (7)
Television coverage
ChannelBBC One

The 2022 British Academy Television Awards were held on 8 May 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2021.[1][2] The nominations were announced on 30 March 2022 alongside the nominations for the 2022 British Academy Television Craft Awards.[3] The nominees for Must-See Moment, voted on by the public, were announced on 23 March 2022.[4]

It was the first awards ceremony since the 2019 edition to be held with an in-person audience. Richard Ayoade returned as host for the third consecutive year.[2][3]

It was also the first awards ceremony to be held in its usual May slot.

Though It's a Sin was nominated for the most awards, with seven, including three in the same category (Best Supporting Actor), it won none. Three series won multiple awards: Big Zuu's Big Eats, Help, and Time each won two.[5] Including Craft Awards, Landscapers was also nominated for seven awards; it won three (all Craft).[6][7]

Rules changes

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In October 2021, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced several changes in its rules and voting system:[1]

  • Line Producers/Production Managers/Heads of Production are now eligible for nomination.
  • UK performers appearing in the International category are now eligible for performance categories.
  • For the International Programme category, the amount of nominees increased from four to six.
  • International members can now vote across all applicable Television and Television Craft categories.

Winners and nominees

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The nominations were announced on 30 March 2022.[8]

Source: [5]

Sean Bean, Best Actor winner
Jodie Comer, Best Actress winner
Matthew Macfadyen, Best Supporting Actor winner
Jamie Demetriou, Best Male Comedy Performance winner
Big Zuu, Best Entertainment Performance winner
Best Drama Series Best Scripted Comedy
Best Single Drama Best Mini-Series
Best Soap and Continuing Drama Best Comedy Entertainment Programme
Best Actor Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress
Best Male Comedy Performance Best Female Comedy Performance
Best Entertainment Performance Best Entertainment Programme
Best Factual Series Best Specialist Factual
  • The Missing Children (ITV)
    • Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (BBC Two)
    • Freddie Mercury: The Final Act (BBC Two)
    • Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain (BBC Two)
Best Single Documentary Best Feature
Best Reality and Constructed Factual Best Live Event
Best News Coverage Best Current Affairs
Best Daytime Best Short Form Programme
  • Our Land (Together TV)
    • Hollyoaks Saved My Life (Hollyoaks IRL) (YouTube)
    • People You May Know (Financial Times)
    • Please Help (BBC Three)
Best International Programme Best Sport
Must-See Moment

Ceremony

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The 2022 British Academy Television Awards were held at the Royal Festival Hall in London, returning to a fully in-person event with a full audience for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic,[9] with a traditional red carpet.[6] Located in the South Bank, fans were also allowed to gather on the Hungerford Bridge pedestrian bridges to watch the red carpet.[10] As well as nominees and others from the television industry, celebrities including sportspeople and musicians attended the ceremony. There were also actors portraying Squid Game characters in red suits.[6] It was hosted by actor and comedian Richard Ayoade, for the third time; Ayoade revealed that he always reads a novel at the ceremony to keep calm, and this year was reading one by John Updike.[3][11]

The BAFTA Fellowship award was given to Sir Billy Connolly. He joked that he is "such a happy man getting these good attendance medals now my career is out the window."[9]

Actor Ncuti Gatwa, nominated for his role in Sex Education, had been announced as the fifteenth incarnation of The Doctor in Doctor Who, a much-anticipated casting announcement, shortly before the ceremony. He presented an award with co-star and fellow nominee Aimee Lou Wood, during which the pair joked about the casting.[12]

Strictly Come Dancing, specifically dancer Giovanni Pernice and actress partner Rose Ayling-Ellis, won the "Must-See Moment" award for a moment of silence representing Ayling-Ellis' deafness during their dance to "Symphony". In their acceptance speech, a British Sign Language interpreter joined them on-stage. It was reported that some viewers complained to the BBC that this accessibility measure was only brought on stage at this moment, rather than throughout the show.[13] The ceremony was also held at the end of deaf awareness week, with Ayling-Ellis saying that the timing of the award could reinforce the awareness campaign's intention "to educate people about how we can be more inclusive for deaf people all year round, because we're deaf all the time."[14]

Celebrity chef Big Zuu won two awards, with his acceptance speeches being rambling and exuberant.[9] Sophie Willan gave an "expletive-laden" acceptance speech.[10] These were in contrast to some more serious speeches at the ceremony this year, including several referencing the COVID-19 pandemic as series about it won awards. Most acceptance speeches praised alternative public network Channel 4, following the government announcement that it is to be privatised.[9][10] British Academy of Film and Television Arts chair Krishnendu Majumdar also gave a speech criticising the privatisation to open the ceremony; it also praised the television workers covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and called for more diversity.[10]

In Memoriam

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "BAFTA announces dates and official rule changes for the 2022 Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and the British Academy Television Craft Awards" (Press release). BAFTA. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b Hall, Rachel (30 March 2022). "'It's a Sin' Leads the Way in 2022 TV BAFTA nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "BAFTA Television Nominations Announced" (Press release). BAFTA. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Nominees for Virgin Media's Must-See Moment Announced for Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards" (Press release). BAFTA. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b "BAFTA TV Awards 2022: The Full List of Winners". The Guardian. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Hecimovic, Arnel (8 May 2022). "BAFTA TV Awards 2022: On the Red Carpet with Ncuti Gatwa and Jodie Comer – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  7. ^ Ritman, Alex (24 April 2022). "BAFTA TV Craft Awards: 'Landscapers', 'We Are Lady Parts' Among Top Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". The Guardian. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "BAFTA TV Awards 2022: Big Zuu, Jodie Comer and Sean Bean cook up success". BBC News. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Hall, Rachel (8 May 2022). "TV BAFTAs 2022: 'Time' Wins Best Miniseries as Social Issues Take Spotlight". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  11. ^ Lee, Sarah (9 May 2022). "TV BAFTAs 2022: Backstage with Ncuti Gatwa, Olivia Colman and more – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  12. ^ Hibbs, James (8 May 2022). "Ncuti Gatwa jokes about 'Doctor Who' casting on stage at BAFTAs". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  13. ^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (8 May 2022). "Giovanni points out 'beautiful' moment as he wins BAFTA with Rose". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  14. ^ McIntosh, Steven (9 May 2022). "BAFTA TV Awards: Eight highlights from the ceremony". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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