British actress Michaela Coel was the star of the night at the just concluded Bafta TV Awards 2021 held on Sunday June 6, at London’s iconic Television Centre in celebration of the best and brightest talent from the British TV industry from the past year.
Michaela Coel came tops at the event as her BBC and HBO series I May Destroy You scooped two of the biggest prizes of the evening during the awards ceremony hosted by Richard Ayoade, who won Best Male Comedy Performance BAFTA for The IT Crowd seven years ago.
She walked away with the best leading actress for her performance as s3xual assault survivor Arabella, while I May Destroy You also scooped best mini-series, beating Steve McQueen’s Small Axe.
“I am very surprised, actually. I genuinely was not expecting to win for leading actress, so I’m still feeling a bit stunned and so grateful to BAFTA,” Coella said after scooping the two awards.
Referencing the series’ storyline and her character Arabella being inspired by some of her worst experiences in the TV industry, she added: “It really helped me get past some troubling stuff.
“And what it enabled me to do is to sort of pair something quite tragic with something quite beautiful and that was being able to make a show and create opportunities and see everybody’s talents come together. It has kind of replaced bad memories with really nice ones.”
Other award winners at the event include; Paul Mescal, who took home the BAFTA for best leading actor for his turn in BBC Three and Hulu drama Normal People. He beat hotly-tipped rivals including John Boyega (Small Axe) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown).
See full list of other winners below;
Entertainment performance
Adam Hills The Last Leg; Channel 4
Bradley Walsh Beat the Chasers’; ITV
Claudia Winkleman Strictly Come Dancing; BBC One
David Mitchell Would I Lie to You? at Christmas; BBC One
Graham Norton The Graham Norton Show; Channel 4
Romesh Ranganathan The Ranganation; BBC Two – WINNER
Scripted comedy
Ghosts BBC One
Inside No 9 BBC Two – WINNER
Man Like Mobeen BBC Three
This Country BBC Three
Supporting actress
Helena Bonham Carter The Crown; Netflix
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Leila Farzad I Hate Suzie; Sky Atlantic
Rakie Ayola Anthony; BBC One – WINNER
Siena Kelly Adult Material; Channel 4
Sophie Okonedo Criminal: UK; Netflix
Weruche Opia I May Destroy You; BBC One
Virgin Media’s must-see moment (voted for by the public)
Bridgerton Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown; NetSKY TV
Gangs of London; Sky Atlantic
I Hate Suzie; Sky Atlantic
Save Me Too; Sky Atlantic – WINNER
The Crown; Netflix
Leading actor
John Boyega Small Axe; BBC One
Josh O’Connor The Crown; Netflix
Paapa Essiedu I May Destroy You; BBC One
Paul Mescal Normal People; BBC Three – WINNER
Shaune Parkes Small Axe; BBC One
Waleed Zuaiter Baghdad Central; Channel 4
Leading actress
Billie Piper I Hate Suzie; Sky Atlantic
Daisy Edgar-Jones Normal People; BBC Three
Hayley Squires Adult Material; Channel 4
Jodie Comer Killing Eve; BBC One
Letitia Wright Small Axe; BBC One
Michaela Coel I May Destroy You; BBC One – WINNER
Short form programme
Criptales BBC Four
Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Band With Learning Disabilities Vice/Noisey
The Main Part BBC iPlayer
They Saw The Sun First Red Bull TV – WINNER
Current affairs
America’s War on Abortion (Exposure); ITV – WINNER
Italy’s Frontline: a Doctor’s Diary; BBC Two
The Battle for Hong Kong (Dispatches); Channel 4
The Cyprus Papers Undercover (Al Jazeera Investigations); Al Jazeera
Single documentary
American Murder: The Family Next Door Netflix
Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me BBC One
Locked In: Breaking the Silence (Storyville) BBC Four – WINNER
Surviving Covid Channel 4
International
Little America Apple TV+
Lovecraft Country HBO/Sky Atlantic
Unorthodox Netflix
Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge (Storyville); BBC Four – WINNER
Sport
Bahrain Grand Prix Sky Sports Formula One
England V France: The Autumn Nations Cup Final Amazon Prime Video
England V West Indies Test Cricket Sky Sports Cricket – WINNER
London Marathon 2020 BBC One
News coverage
BBC News at Ten: Prime Minister Admitted to Intensive Care BBC One
Channel 4 News: Deterring Democracy Channel 4
Newsnight: Covid Care Crisis BBC Two
Sky News: Inside Idlib Sky News – WINNER
