Matt Smith and His Sister Laura Jayne Shine at BAFTA TV Awards
At the recent BAFTA TV Awards held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Matt Smith once again had the support of his devoted sister, Laura Jayne. The actor, known for his role in Doctor Who, was nominated for Leading Actor for his performance in The Death of Bunny Munro. He made a striking appearance in a classic black suit, layered with a double-breasted blazer over a polka dot shirt, completing the look with a black tie and leather boots.
Laura Jayne also turned heads in a pink bejewelled gown that accentuated her figure. The dress featured ostrich feather embellishments, and she styled her long dark hair into loose waves. This is not the first time Laura has supported Matt at high-profile events; she has been by his side since 2012, attending premieres for his movies and TV shows.
Nominations and Big Names
The nominations were announced in March, with Stephen Graham leading the pack with 11 nominations for his drama Adolescence and seven for his Disney+ series A Thousand Blows, where he serves as an executive producer. Adolescence, created by Stephen and writer Jack Thorne, follows the story of British teenager Jamie Miller, who becomes involved in online radicalisation and ends up guilty of murdering a female classmate.
Each episode of Adolescence is filmed in one continuous shot and has received widespread acclaim for addressing important issues such as online radicalisation and misogyny. The show is up for Limited Drama and Leading Actor, including the Craft Awards. Stars like Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, and Christine Tremarco are all in the running for awards.
Stephen will compete against Colin Firth from Lockerbie, Matt Smith from The Death of Bunny Munro, and Taron Egerton from Smoke in the Leading Actor category. Ashley Walters will face off against his co-star Owen Cooper in the Supporting Actor category, alongside Paddy Considine, Rafael Mathe, Joshua McGuire, and Fehinti Balogun.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Erin Doherty and Christine Tremarco will go up against each other and Aimee Lou Wood from The White Lotus, Chyna McQueen from Get Millie Black, Emilia Jones from Task, and Rose Ayling-Ellis from Reunion. Erin and Aimee will face off again in the Leading Actress category, this time for their roles in A Thousand Blows and Film Club respectively.
The category includes Siân Brooke from Blue Lights, Narges Rashidi from Prisoner 951, Sheridan Smith from I Fought the Law, and Jodie Whittaker from Toxic Town.
Streaming Services and Entertainment Awards
Netflix has 29 nominations in total, but it’s the BBC that leads with 73 nominations. Five of these are for The Celebrity Traitors, which became the highest-rated show on British TV last year. Host Claudia Winkleman is up for Best Entertainment Programme.
Prime Video’s Last One Laughing will compete against the all-stars version of The Celebrity Traitors. Bob Mortimer, a star of the show, is up for Best Entertainment Performance.
Before the ceremony, Fleur East and Roman Kemp will present live on the red carpet via BAFTA’s YouTube channel. Cat Burns, a star of The Celebrity Traitors, will perform How To Be Human, while Norwegian singer-songwriter AURORA will perform Through the Eyes of a Child from the BAFTA-nominated Netflix series Adolescence.
Honoring Excellence
The BAFTA Fellowship will be presented to Dame Mary Berry DBE, and Martin Lewis CBE will receive the BAFTA Television Special Award.
Dame Mary Berry expressed her gratitude for the honor: “I couldn’t believe it was true, what a huge honour to be presented with the BAFTA Fellowship. For over 50 years, I have enjoyed every moment of teaching my passion on television and I thank all the generous professionals along the way who have given me guidance and support – and I am still learning. This amazing BAFTA Fellowship is the icing on the cake!”
