BAFTA Television Awards 2011: The Winners

The BAFTA Television Awards were held last night. Below you can read the full list of winners, a reminder of my largely incorrect predictions, and a few thoughts on the outcomes:

Leading Actor

• Jim Broadbent - Any Human Heart (Channel 4)
• Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock (BBC One) – PREDICTION
• Daniel Rigby - Eric & Ernie (BBC Two) - WINNER
• Matt Smith - Doctor Who (BBC One)

My thoughts: One of the night's big surprises, as everyone thought it was a toss-up between Cumberbatch and Smith, but BAFTA seemed to prefer the accuracy of Daniel Rigby's Eric Morecambe impersonation. I don't agree it was the best performance, but it was a good performance.

Leading Actress

• Anna Maxwell Martin - South Riding (BBC One)
• Vicky McClure - This Is England '86 (Channel 4) - PREDICTION / WINNER
• Natalie Press - Five Daughters (BBC One)
• Juliet Stevenson - Accused (BBC One)

My thoughts: I suspected McClure would win for This Is England '86, and win she did. I'm pleased, mainly because she's a relatively fresh talent on the scene.

Supporting Actor

• Brendan Coyle - Downton Abbey (ITV1)
• Martin Freeman - Sherlock (BBC One) - WINNER
• Johnny Harris - This Is England '86 (Channel 4)
• Robert Sheehan - Misfits (E4) - PREDICTION

My thoughts: I thought Sheehan would scrape a win as a rising star, but Freeman took home the BAFTA. I really don't mind, as playing Watson to a Sherlock is the very definition of a supporting role.

Supporting Actress

• Gillian Anderson - Any Human Heart (Channel 4)
• Lynda Baron - The Road To Coronation Street (BBC Four)
• Lauren Socha - Misfits (E4) - WINNER
• Jessie Wallace - The Road To Coronation Street (BBC Four) - PREDICTION

My thoughts: A big surprise! I love Misfits, but I don't really see what's so special about Socha's performance--she's essentially playing herself, and her character didn't even get much to do in series 2. Maybe BAFTA love human-gorilla love stories?

Entertainment Performance

• Rob Brydon - The Rob Brydon Show (BBC Two)
• Stephen Fry - QI (BBC One)
• Harry Hill - Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1)
• Graham Norton - The Graham Norton Show (BBC One) - PREDICTION / WINNER

My thoughts: Pleased to see I got this one right, as Norton's three-guest format is surprisingly joyous most of the time, and the quality of his Friday night guests has shot up recently.

Female Performance In A Comedy Programme

• Jo Brand - Getting On (BBC Four) - WINNER
• Dawn French - Roger & Val Have Just Got In (BBC Two)
• Miranda Hart - Miranda (BBC Two) - PREDICTION
• Katherine Parkinson - The IT Crowd (Channel 4)

My thoughts: Oh dear, what's going on? Brand's such a tedious screen presence, I'm not sure what happened here. I guess it's not as "lazy" as picking Hart, but Dawn French deserved the BAFTA over Brand.

Male Performance In A Comedy Programme

• James Buckley - The Inbetweeners (E4)
• Steve Coogan - The Trip (BBC Two) - WINNER
• Tom Hollander - Rev (BBC Two) - PREDICTION
• David Mitchell - Peep Show (Channel 4)

My thoughts: I'm okay with this win for Steve Coogan, who's was very good in The Trip.

Single Drama

• Eric & Ernie (BBC Two) - PREDICTION
• I Am Slave (Channel 4)
• The Road to Coronation Street (BBC Four) - WINNER
• The Special Relationship (BBC Two)

My thoughts: Disappointed BAFTA went with The Road To Coronation Street over Eric & Ernie, but it was a close call.

Drama Series

• Being Human (BBC Three)
• Downton Abbey (ITV1) - PREDICTION
• Misfits (E4)
• Sherlock (BBC One) - WINNER

My thoughts: Pleasantly surprised--I predicted Downton Abbey, but actually wanted Sherlock to win. Maybe voters had enough distance from both shows to make this correct judgement?

Drama Serial

• Any Human Heart (Channel 4) - WINNER
• Mad Dogs (Sky1)
• The Sinking Of The Laconia (BBC Two)
• The Promise (Channel 4) - PREDICTION

My thoughts: Hmmm, Any Human Heart starred award-magnet Jim Broadbent, I forgot.

Continuing Drama

• Casualty (BBC One)
• Coronation Street (ITV1)
• EastEnders (BBC One) - PREDICTION / WINNER
• Waterloo Road (BBC One)

My thoughts: Yeah, wha'ever.

International

• Boardwalk Empire (Sky Atlantic/HBO)
• Glee (E4/Twentieth Century Fox)
• The Killing (BBC Four/DR/ZDF Enterprises) - PREDICTION / WINNER
• Mad Men (BBC Four/Lionsgate Television)

My thoughts: See! I knew The Killing would beat that competition. It has subtitles and it's in a foreign language.

Factual Series

• Coppers (Channel 4)
• One Born Every Minute (Channel 4) - PREDICTION
• Welcome To Lagos (BBC Two) - WINNER
• The Young Ones (BBC One)

My thoughts: I can't really comment--I didn't see Welcome To Lagos.

Specialist Factual

• Alan Bennett & The Habit Of Art (The Making Of) (More4)
• Flying Monsters 3D (Sky3D) - WINNER
• Human Planet (BBC One) - PREDICTION
• Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town (BBC Two)

My thoughts: Really? I didn't see the show, but the clips of Flying Monsters looked rather weak. Are BAFTA closet 3D fans? Or did the Sir David Attenborough attachment swing it?

Single Documentary

• Between Life and Death (BBC One) - WINNER
• The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan (More4)
• Pink Saris (More4)
• Scenes From A Teenage Killing (BBC Four)

My thoughts: I didn't see any of those.

Features

• Come Dine With Me (Channel 4)
• Hugh's Fish Fight (Channel 4) - WINNER
• Mary Queen of Shops (BBC Two)
• Pineapple Dance Studios (Sky1) - PREDICTION

My thoughts: Really? Wonders never cease.

Current Affairs

• Kids In Care (Panorama) (BBC One)
• Lost Girls of South Africa (Dispatches) (Channel 4)
• Secret Iraq (BBC Two)
• Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children (BBC Four) - WINNER

My thoughts: I missed them all.

News Coverage

• BBC One Ten O'Clock News: Handover of Power (BBC One/BBC News 24)
• Channel 4 News: From Chile's Ecstasy to Congo's Agony (Channel 4)
• ITV News At Ten: The Cumbria Murders (ITV1) - WINNER
• Sky News: Egypt Crisis (Sky News)

My thoughts: Again, strange category to judge.

Sport

• 6 Nations: England v Wales (BBC One)
• FA Cup Final: Chelsea v Portsmouth (ITV1)
• Formula 1: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (BBC One) - WINNER
• Wimbledon 2010 (BBC One)

My thoughts: This is always a strange category. Is any of the coverage appreciably better?

New Media

• LabUK/Brain Test Britain
• Misfits
• Malcolm Tucker: The Missing Phone
• Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention - PREDICTION / WINNER

My thoughts: Wallace & Gromit were probably the only example of new media anyone was actually aware of. But where was Becoming Human in the nominations? That webseries was so good it actually got aired as a special by BBC3!

Entertainment Programme

• The Cube (ITV1) - PREDICTION / WINNER
• The Graham Norton Show (BBC One)
• Have I Got News For You (BBC One)
• The X Factor (ITV1)

My thoughts: I have a soft spot for ITV's The Cube, despite its repetitiveness, so I'm glad it won. It beats having The X Factor dominate the category.

Comedy Programme

• Catherine Tate's Little Cracker (Sky1)
• Come Fly With Me (BBC One) - PREDICTION
• Facejacker (E4)
• Harry and Paul (BBC Two) - WINNER

My thoughts: Oh wow, a slight upset for Matt Lucas and David Walliams' mockumentary Come Fly With Me. The BBC were close to axing Harry & Paul, too!

Situation Comedy

• Mrs Brown's Boys (BBC One)
• Peep Show (Channel 4)
• Rev (BBC Two) - WINNER
• The Trip (BBC Two) - PREDICTION

My thoughts: Slightly disappointed, but I know Rev has its fans. It's very BAFTA, isn't it.

BAFTA Special Award
Peter Bennett-Jones
producer, talent agent, Comic Relief co-creator

YouTube Audience Award

• Downton Abbey
• Miranda
• My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
• Sherlock
• The Killing
• The Only Way Is Essex - WINNER

BAFTA Fellowship

Sir Trevor McDonald
journalist, newsreader