2021 BAFTA TV Awards: Michaela Coel is the moment as ‘I May Destroy You’ dominates
After facing off at the BAFTA TV craft awards two weeks ago, Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe went head to head again at the second part of the 2021 British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) TV Awards where Coel’s HBO series topped once again, grabbing a total of five of its eight nominations, four for Coel alone. I May Destroy You won Miniseries and Leading Actress for Coel tonight, while Small Axe won Supporting Actor for Malachi Kirby for the Mangrove section of the Amazon anthology, taking six of its 15 nominations.
In her speeches for Miniseries and Leading Actress, Coel took time to thank the show’s intimacy director, Ita O’Brien. “I want to dedicate this award to the director of intimacy Ita O’Brien. Thank you for your existence in our industry, for making the space safe for creating physical, emotional, and professional boundaries so that we can make work about exploitation, loss of respect, about abuse of power, without being exploited or abused in the process,” Coel said.
“I know what it’s like to shoot without an intimacy director — the messy, embarrassing feeling for the crew, the internal devastation for the actor. Your direction was essential to my show, and I believe essential for every production company that wants to make work exploring themes of consent,” she added.
In the first awards two week ago that centered on crafts, Small Axe took home five trophies, including JoJo Williams for Make Up & Hair Design, Jacqueline Durran for Costume Design, Helen Scott for Production Design, Shabier Kirchner for Photography & Lighting for Fiction and Gary Davy for Scripted Casting. The series led the overall nominations with 15. I May Destroy You won three there including two for Coel for Director for Fiction (with Sam Miller, where she bested McQueen) and Writer for Drama. The limited series also won Editing for Fiction.
Small Axe led the overall nominations with 15, followed by The Crown with 10. The royal drama lost all 10 bids. BBC and Hulu’s Normal People had seven nominations (they went 0/4 two weeks ago) and won Leading Actor for Paul Mescal in a bit of a surprise. The Irish actor bested John Boyega and Shaun Parkes for Small Axe and Josh O’Connor for The Crown. Netflix’s Sex Education earned six nominations and won Female Performance in a Comedy Program for Aimee Lou Wood.
Casualty beat out Coronation Street, Eastenders and Hollyoaks for Soap & Continuing Drama Series and Save Me Too won Drama Series, besting The Crown, Gangs of London and I Hate Suzie.
Tonight’s BAFTA TV Awards were hosted by Richard Ayoade and and began with Channel 4’s It’s a Sin star Olly Alexander (Years and Years) opening the ceremony with his new song, “Starstruck.”
Here is the full list of nominees and winners of the 2021 Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards:
ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
- Adam Hills “The Last Leg” – Open Mike Productions/Channel 4
- Bradley Walsh “Beat the Chasers” – Potato/ITV
- Claudia Winkleman “Strictly Come Dancing” – BBC Studios/BBC One
- David Mitchell “Would I Lie to You? At Christmas” – Zeppotron/BBC One
- Graham Norton “The Graham Norton Show” – So Television/BBC One
- Romesh Ranganathan “The Ranganation” – Zeppotron/BBC Two – WINNER
SCRIPTED COMEDY
- “Ghosts” Production Team – Monumental Television/BBC One
- “Inside No. 9” Adam Tandy, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Matt Lipsey, Guillem Morales – BBC Studios/BBC Two – WINNER
- “Man Like Mobeen” Production Team – Tiger Aspect Productions/BBC Three
- “This Country” Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper, Tom George, Simon Mayhew-Archer – BBC Studios/BBC Three
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Helena Bonham Carter “The Crown” – Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television/Netflix
- Leila Farzad “I Hate Suzie” – Bad Wolf/Sky Atlantic
- Rakie Ayola “Anthony” – LA Productions/BBC One – WINNER
- Siena Kelly “Adult Material” – Fifty Fathoms Productions/Channel 4
- Sophie Okonedo “Criminal: U.K.” – Idiotlamp Productions/Netflix
- Weruche Opia “I May Destroy You” – Various Artists, FALKNA/BBC One
ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
- “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” Pete Ogden, Tim Dean, Ben Aston, Doran Azouelos, Kerry Shaw, Chris Power – ITV Studios, Mitre Television/ITV
- “Life & Rhymes” Production Team – CPL Productions, Licklemor Productions/Sky Arts – WINNER
- “Strictly Come Dancing” Production Team – BBC Studios/BBC One
- “The Masked Singer” Daniel Nettleton, Derek McLean, Claire Horton, Marc Bassett, Simon Staffurth – Bandicoot Scotland/ITV
FEATURES
- “Big Zuu’s Big Eats” Production Team – Boomerang/Dave
- “Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace” Sally Benton, Rosie Schellenberg, Alice Goodyear, Paddy Lynas – Wall to Wall Media/ITV – WINNER
- “Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing” Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse, Lisa Clark, Rob Gill, Stephanie Fyfe, Doug Bryson – Owl Power/BBC Two
- “The Repair Shop” Production Team – Ricochet/BBC One
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Kunal Nayyar “Criminal: U.K.” – Idiotlamp Productions/Netflix
- Malachi Kirby “Small Axe” – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park/BBC One – WINNER
- Michael Sheen “Quiz” – Left Bank Pictures/ITV
- Michael Ward “Small Axe” – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park/BBC One
- Rupert Everett “Adult Material” – Fifty Fathoms Productions/Channel 4
- Tobias Menzies “The Crown” – Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television/Netflix
DAYTIME
- “Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On” Production Team – LA Productions/BBC One
- “Richard Osman’s House of Games” Production Team – Remarkable TV/BBC Two THE CHASE Michael Kelpie, Martin Scott, Helen Tumbridge – Potato/ITV
- “The Great House Giveaway” Production Team – Chwarel/Channel 4 – WINNER
MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAM
- Charlie Cooper “This Country” – BBC Studios/BBC Three – WINNER
- Guz Khan “Man Like Mobeen” – Tiger Aspect Productions/BBC Three
- Joseph Gilgun “Brassic” -Calamity Films/Sky One
- Ncuti Gatwa “Sex Education” – Eleven Film/Netflix
- Paul Ritter “Friday Night Dinner” – Popper Pictures, Big Talk Productions/Channel 4
- Reece Shearsmith “Inside No.9” – BBC Studios/BBC Two
SPECIALIST FACTUAL
- “Extinction: The Facts” Serena Davies, Helen Thomas, Stephen Moore, Charlotte Lathane – BBC Studios/BBC One
- “Putin: A Russian Spy Story” James Rogan, Nick Green, Paul Mitchell, Adam Finch – Rogan Productions/Channel 4
- “The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty” David Glover, Cate Hall, Jamie Roberts, Owen Phillips, Justin Badger, Sam Santana – 72 Films/BBC Two
- “The Surgeon’s Cut” James Newton, James Van Der Pool, Andrew Cohen – BBC Studios/Netflix – WINNER
FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAM
- Aimee Lou Wood “Sex Education” – Eleven Film/Netflix – WINNER
- Daisy Haggard “Breeders” – Avalon, FX Productions/Sky One
- Daisy May Cooper “This Country” – BBC Studios/BBC Three
- Emma Mackey “Sex Education” – Eleven Film/Netflix
- Gbemisola Ikumelo “Famalam” – BBC Studios/BBC Three
- Mae Martin “Feel Good” – Objective Fiction, Objective Media Group Scotland/Channel 4
REALITY & CONSTRUCTED FACTUAL
- “Masterchef: The Professionals” David Ambler, Katie Attwood, Genevieve Welch, Anthony Crumpton – Shine TV/BBC One
- “Race Across the World” Production Team – Studio Lambert/BBC Two
- “The School That Tried to End Racism” Production Team – Proper Content/Channel 4 – WINNER
- “The Write Offs” Production Team – Shine TV/Channel 4
MINI-SERIES
- “Adult Material” Lucy Kirkwood, Dawn Shadforth, Sara Hamill, Patrick Spence – Fifty Fathoms Productions/Channel 4
- “I May Destroy You” Production Team – Various Artists, FALKNA/BBC One – WINNER
- “Normal People” Lenny Abrahamson, Sally Rooney, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, Catherine Magee – Element Pictures/BBC Three
- “Small Axe” Steve McQueen, Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Michael Elliott, Anita Overland – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park/BBC One
SOAP & CONTINUING DRAMA
- “Casualty” Simon Harper, Loretta Preece, Sarah Beeson, Jenny Thompson – BBC Studios/BBC One – WINNER
- “Coronation Street” Production Team – ITV Studios/ITV
- “Eastenders” Jon Sen, Kate Oates, Sharon Batten, Liza Mellody – BBC Studios/BBC One
- “Hollyoaks” Bryan Kirkwood, Hannah Sowden, Josie Day, Gary Sewell, Colette Chard – Lime Pictures/Channel 4
VIRGIN MEDIA’S MUST-SEE MOMENT (voted for by the public)
- “Bridgerton” Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown – Netflix Originals, Shondaland/Netflix
- “Britain’s Got Talent” Diversity perform a routine inspired by the BLM protests – Thames, Syco/ITV – WINNER
- “Eastenders” Gray kills Chantelle – BBC Studios/BBC One
- “Gogglebox” Reactions to Boris Johnson’s press conference – Studio Lambert/Channel 4
- “Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat” Nigella Lawson’s pronunciation of microwave – BBC Studios Unscripted Productions/BBC Two
- “The Mandalorian” Luke Skywalker arrives – Lucasfilm/Disney Plus
FACTUAL SERIES
- “Crime & Punishment” Production Team – 72 Films/Channel 4
- “Hospital” Production Team – Label1/BBC Two
- “Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency” Production Team – Story Films/Channel 4
- “Once Upon a Time in Iraq” James Bluemel, Jo Able, Miriam Walsh, Simon Sykes, Andrew Palmer, Will Anderson – Keo Films/BBC Two – WINNER
LIVE EVENT
- “Life Drawing Live!” Emyr Afan, Sally Dixon, Josie d’Arby, Lachlan Goudie, Diana Ali, Nicky Philipps – Avanti Media/BBC Four
- “Springwatch 2020” Production Team – BBC Studios Natural History Unit/BBC Two – WINNER
- “The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance” Production Team – BBC Studios/BBC One
- “The Third Day: Autumn” Production Team – Sky Studios, Plan B Entertainment, Punchdrunk Entertainment, HBO/Sky Atlantic
COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
- “Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe” Charlie Brooker, Annabel Jones, Ali Marlow – Broke & Bones, Endemol Shine Group/BBC Two
- “Rob & Romesh Vs” Jack Shillaker, David Taylor, Murray Boland, Danielle Lux, Bill Righton – CPL Productions/Sky One
- “The Big Narstie Show” Obi Kevin Akudike, Nathan Brown, Rina Dayalji, Ben Wicks, Toby Baker – Expectation, Dice Productions Entertainment/Channel 4 – WINNER
- “The Ranganation” Production Team – Zeppotron/BBC Two
SINGLE DRAMA
- “Anthony” Jimmy McGovern, Colin McKeown, Donna Molloy, Terry McDonough – LA Productions/BBC One
- “BBW (On The Edge)” Ben Bickerton, Philip Trethowan, Lisa Walters, William Stefan Smith, Yolanda Mercy – BlackLight Television/Channel 4
- “Sitting in Limbo” Production Team – Left Bank Pictures/BBC One – WINNER
- “The Windermere Children” Eleanor Greene, Leanne Klein, Tim Rostock, Simon Block, Michael Samuels, Alison Sterling – Wall to Wall Media, Warner Bros. ITVP Germany/BBC Two
DRAMA SERIES
- “Gangs of London” Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery, Thomas Benski, Jane Featherstone, Lucas Ochoa, Hugh Warren – Pulse Films, SISTER/Sky Atlantic
- “I Hate Suzie” Lucy Prebble, Billie Piper, Andrea Dewsbery, Julie Gardner, Georgi Banks-Davies, Anthony Neilson – Bad Wolf/Sky Atlantic
- “Save Me Too” Simon Heath, Jessica Sykes, Lennie James, Lizzie Rusbridger, Coky Giedroyc, Jim Loach – World Productions/Sky Atlantic – WINNER
- “The Crown” Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Michael Casey, Oona O’Beirn, Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison – Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television/Netflix
LEADING ACTOR
- John Boyega “Small Axe” – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park /BBC One
- Josh O’Connor “The Crown” – Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television/Netflix PAAPA ESSIEDU I May Destroy You – Various Artists, FALKNA/BBC One
- Paul Mescal “Normal People” – Element Pictures/BBC Three – WINNER
- Shaun Parkes “Small Axe” – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park/BBC One
- Waleed Zuaiter “Baghdad Central” – Euston Films/Channel 4
LEADING ACTRESS
- Billie Piper “I Hate Suzie” – Bad Wolf/Sky Atlantic
- Daisy Edgar-Jones “Normal People” – Element Pictures/BBC Three
- Hayley Squires “Adult Material” – Fifty Fathoms Productions/Channel 4
- Jodie Comer “Killing Eve” – Sid Gentle Films/BBC One
- Letitia Wright “Small Axe” – Turbine Studios, Lammas Park/BBC One
- Michaela Coel “I May Destroy You” – Various Artists, FALKNA/BBC One – WINNER
CURRENT AFFAIRS
- “America’s War on Abortion” (EXPOSURE) Deeyah Khan, Darin Prindle, Andrew Smith – Fuuse Films/ITV – WINNER
- “Italy’s Frontline: A Doctors Diary” Sasha Joelle Achilli, Dan Edge, Ella Claire Newton, Paul van Dyck, Sarah Waldron – Mongoose Pictures/BBC Two
- “The Battle for Hong Kong” (DISPATCHES) Robin Barnwell, Gesbeen Mohammad, Guy Creasey, David Henshaw, Evan Williams – Hardcash Productions, Evan Williams Productions/Channel 4
- “The Cyprus Papers Undercover” (AL JAZEERA INVESTIGATIONS) Phil Rees, Sarah Yeo, Leonidas Sofogiannis, James Kleinfeld, David Harrison, Jason Gwynne – Al Jazeera Media Network/Al Jazeera English
INTERNATIONAL
- “Little America” Lee Eisenberg, Alan Yang, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon – Apple, Universal Television/Apple TV Plus
- “Lovecraft Country” Production Team – Afemme, Monkeypaw, Bad Robot, Warner Bros., HBO/Sky Atlantic UNORTHODOX Anna Winger, Alexa Karolinski, Maria Schrader – Studio Airlift, RealFilm/Netflix
- “Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge” (STORYVILLE) David France, Alice Henty, Askold Kurov, Joy A. Tomchin – Public Square Films/BBC Four – WINNER
NEWS COVERAGE
- “BBC News at Ten: Prime Minister Admitted To Intensive Care” Production Team -BBC News/BBC One
- “Channel 4 News: Deterring Democracy” Production Team – ITN, Channel 4 News/Channel 4
- “Newsnight: COVID Care Crisis” Production Team – BBC Newsnight/BBC Two
- “Sky News: Inside Idlib” Production Team – Sky News/Sky News – WINNER
SHORT FORM PROGRAM
- “Criptales” Mat Fraser, Amit Sharma, Ewan Marshall, Jenny Sealey, Debbie Christie – BBC Studios/BBC Four
- “Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Bans With Learning Disabilities – Delta 7” Rosie Baldwin, Holly Stimson, Dan Knight – Vice/Noisey
- “The Main Part” Rosie Westhoff, Jen Wakefield, Sara Huxley, Tom Payne, Jody Smith – Studio71 UK/BBC iPlayer
- “They Saw The Sun First” Stefan Hunt, Jess Lowe, Adam Gee – Fresh Film, Red Bull Media House/Red Bull TV – WINNER
SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
- “American Murder: The Family Next Door” Jenny Popplewell, James Marsh, Jonathan Stadlen, Simon Barker – Netflix Originals/Netflix
- “Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism & M”e Sian Guerra, Jeremy Lee, Wendie Ottewill, James Ross – Wonder, New Era Global Productions/BBC One
- “Locked In: Breaking the Silence” (STORYVILLE) Xavier Alford, Colette Hodges, Sacha Mirzoeff, Poppy Goodheart – Marble Films/BBC Four – WINNER
- “Surviving COVID” Production Team – Sandpaper Films/Channel 4
SPORT
- “Bahrain Grand Prix” Production Team – Sky Sports F1/Sky Sports Formula 1
- “England v France: The Final Of Autumn Nations Cup” Production Team – Sunset+Vine/Amazon Prime Video
- “England v West Indies Test Cricket” – Production Team – Sky Sports/Sky Sports Cricket – WINNER
- “London Marathon 2020” Alastair McIntyre, Micky Payne, Matthew Griffiths, Adam Duncan – BBC Sport/BBC One
Photo: BAFTA/Guy Levy
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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