Emotional Moments at the TV BAFTAS
The TV BAFTAS ceremony was filled with emotional moments, especially for Stephen Graham and his on-screen wife Christine Tremarco. As the star of the hit series Adolescence, Stephen broke down in tears when his co-star won the Best Supporting Actress award. The actor, 52, was seen wiping away tears from the audience as Christine, 49, delivered her acceptance speech.
Christine couldn’t contain her excitement after the surprise win, as she beat co-star Erin Doherty, who had previously won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. In her speech, she began with, “Oh my goodness, thank you so much BAFTA.” She expressed her gratitude for being part of Adolescence and thanked Stephen for believing in her.
She continued: “To Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham, thank you so much for believing in me. Thank you for our friendship.” Christine concluded by thanking the rest of the cast and crew of the hit Netflix series as well as her agent, family, and friends for their support.
A Star in the Making
Owen Cooper, who plays the lead character in Adolescence, continued his award-winning streak by winning the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. The 16-year-old actor has made history by becoming the youngest winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at both the Golden Globes and the Emmy Awards. He added another gong to his name during the ceremony.
Owen shared his feelings about the win, saying, “Every time we are at these events and your name gets called out, your mind flashes back to your first audition, the first time on set, the first time you met the cast. It’s been an unreal two years. I’m just grateful to everyone who is here today.”
When asked how it has changed his life and what he wants to do next, Owen said, “I don’t know what I want to do next. It’s changed my life because I’ve met all these beautiful people, me and my family have travelled the world, so it’s just amazing.” He also praised Erin Doherty, who was the first person he ever worked with, calling it a dream to film with her.
Behind the Scenes of Adolescence
Stephen Graham, who created and starred in Adolescence, was one of the most nominated actors of the night, with a total of 11 nominations for the drama as well as seven for his Disney+ series, A Thousand Blows—for which he is an executive producer.
Adolescence, created by Stephen and writer Jack Thorne, tells the story of British teenager Jamie Miller, who is found guilty of murdering a female classmate after being drawn into the manosphere online. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot and has been widely praised for addressing topics such as online radicalisation and misogyny.
The Netflix series also won in the Limited Drama category, beating shows like Fought The Law (ITV), Trespasses (Channel 4), and What It Feels Like For A Girl (BBC Three).
Other Winners and Highlights
In addition to the wins for Adolescence, several other shows and individuals were recognised at the TV BAFTAS. Code Of Silence scooped the Best Drama award, while Narges Rashidi won the Lead Actress BAFTA for her performance in Passenger 951.
Amandaland starring Lucy Punch won the BAFTA for Scripted Comedy. However, Lucy and her co-star Philippa Dunne missed out on the Actress In A Comedy gong, which went to Katherine Parkinson for her performance in BBC One’s Here We Go.
Meanwhile, The Celebrity Traitors won Best Reality, days after the BBC announced the celebrity line-up for the second series of the hit spin-off. Comedian Alan Carr was recognised in the public-voted memorable moment category after breaking down in tears during the series.
Controversies and Recognition
The documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the Current Affairs category, despite controversy surrounding the BBC’s decision not to broadcast the film over impartiality concerns. The documentary was later picked up by Channel 4. Journalist Ramita Navai criticised the BBC while accepting the award.
Channel 4 received additional recognition for its reporting on the Iran conflict, while historian Simon Schama won for his BBC Two documentary The Road to Auschwitz.
The factual series category went to Channel 4’s See No Evil, which examined the Church of England abuse scandal involving serial abuser John Smyth and contributed to renewed scrutiny of safeguarding failures within the institution.
