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THEBRITISHACADEMY
THEBRITISHACADEMY
TELEVISIONAWARDS
TELEVISIONAWARDS
Awards & Events
Take a bow, Michael Jackson. It was a stunning night across the genres for his Channel 4 with a haul of 11 out of a possible 20 BAFTAs. There was success in Entertainment (Graham Norton), Comedy (Sacha Baron Cohen), Art (Howard Goodall), Drama (Longitude), Documentary (100% White), Journalism (Out of Africa), Sit Com (Black Books) and Innovation (Big Brother).
Jackson, C4’s chief executive, who less than two years ago was strongly tipped to become BBC Director General, left his normally dominant ex- colleagues at Shepherds Bush pedalling hard in second place.
Only Soap and Sport eluded Jackson. The Sport BAFTA went to the BBC’s superb coverage of the Sydney Olympics - but as C4’s Test Cricket won last year, Jackson could afford a degree of magnanimity.
And although ITV’s Emmerdale top- pled the old favourites EastEnders and Cornonation Street and pipped C4’s Hollyoaks in the Soap stakes, you can’t keep a good channel down and on Monday morning, there was the cerebral C4 on the front page of the Sun in the shape of ‘Dollyoaks’ star Joanna Turner.
All this was on the heels of Jackson’s dawn raid on ITV to smuggle Richard and Judy to C4. For Jackson, it was the end of a week when the words “cat” and “cream” come to mind.
One wonders what Sir Jeremy Isaacs, founding father of C4, is making of it all?
At the Grosvenor House in Park Lane, it was a hot Sunday night and the
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Sir Michael Gambon with Helen Mirren
David Attenborough, Michael Parkinson and Jeremy Paxman.
Softest spot of the night went to two space men - Buzz Aldrin and Sir Patrick Moore. Presenting the 78-year- old astronomer with the Academy’s Special Award, Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, marvelled at Moore’s staying power: “44 years and still no contract with the BBC.”
Acknowledging his standing ova- tion, Moore, flamboyant red bow-tie, monocle firmly in right eye, joked: “I’ve never been in space. It would take a very massive rocket to launch me.”
This was from a television icon who was in full flow as presenter of The Sky at Night long before Sputnik, has met all the world’s astronauts and swapped tales with Orville Wright, HG Wells and Einstein.
Another titan of his own Documentary genre, the late Desmond Wilcox was also honoured by the Academy who dedicated the evening to his memory. Sir David Frost paying trib- ute said he was an outstanding broad- caster who “changed attitudes, changed lives.”
On behalf of the Academy, Trustee and former Chairman, Sir Sydney Samuelson said: “Desmond was a leg- end. He was ferocious in his determina- tion to stick to his guns, to do what needed to be done. I don’t think there has been anybody quite like him, ever.”
In true British Academy tradition, the awards went to a satisfying mix of young turks and old pros. Maturity, represented by countless years of experience in the critical mass of Sir
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low back dominated. Tamzin Outhwaite, Tracy Shaw, Amanda Holden, Carol Vorderman (“my bosses suggested I should look a little more demure this year”) Denise van Outen, Ulrika Jonsson, Felicity Kendal and
Helen Mirren caught the eye. The Naked Chef, aka Jamie
Oliver, despite a struggling air-
conditioning system, kept his clothes on to collect his BAFTA for Best Feature. He was well pleased.
So was Louis Theroux who got the loudest applause of the night when he picked up the presti- gious Richard Dimbleby Award for Best Presenter, seeing off the big beasts of the factual jungle,
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