Bafta TV Craft Awards 2009

The Bafta TV Craft Awards are the annual celebration of those responsible for the magic behind the scenes of the best British shows on TV. Familiar faces from in front of the camera spend one glamorous night applauding the talented technicians, writers and directors who make their enviable lives possible. This year’s ceremony was held at the luxurious London Hilton. A place so fancy it should probably come with a free top hat and monocle. Crystal chandeliers drip from every ceiling, staircases sweep in all directions and there’s opulence in the air.

The surroundings add a sense of grandeur to what is otherwise a pleasantly low key affair. Unlike the televised spectacle of the acting awards, tonight is more about industry acclaim than public praise. The guests and nominees don’t seem to mind the lack of media glare. They’re mostly just happy for the rare chance to escape their editing suites and sound stages. Wearing big grins and black tie, they pour into the hall, in search of free drinks and a moment of glory.

In the press room, impatient journalists glance at the winners list, spoiling any surprises. It feels like peeking at someone else’s Christmas presents. Eventually back in the hall, the lights dim, the speeches start and the long evening grinds into life.

The rumbling thunder of noisy applause means that we no longer have nervous hopefuls; we’ve now got genuine winners. They arrive backstage dazed, delighted and burdened with heavy gold. Between the photos and interviews, their frantic phone calls spread the good news to absent family and friends. There are a few more proud mothers out there in the real world tonight. Those mums would certainly want me to tell you who won, so here’s the way it went...

Kenneth Branagh’s Scandinavian detective drama Wallander picked up three more awards to add to its recent best drama win. Doctor Who finally picked up a well deserved award for visual effects. Peter Moffat won best writer for his dramatic exploration of the British justice system in ‘Criminal Justice’. Rowan Joffe won best director for fact based drama ‘The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall’. The BBC was also rewarded for their brave but welcome choice to advertise the Olympics with cartoon monkeys.

Aardman Animation studio received this year’s special award, for decades of joyous creations, such as Wallace and Gromit, Creature Comforts and Chicken Run. The founders of Aardman announce that not only have they got more stop-motion magic on the way, but that they’re also working on a feature length foray into CGI. Pixar, consider yourself warned.

I was lucky enough to chat to Jason Isaacs. He’s Harry Potter villain Lucius Malfoy and the walking epitome of charm. News sure to please Potter fans is that for the first time he’s going to be making an appearance on the red carpet for the forthcoming Half Blood Prince premiere. We can only hope he escapes the clutches of screaming fans in time to finish making the last film. Good luck Jason, I recommend a big stick.

I managed to get my hands on an award before the ceremony started. In accordance with the well known legal principle of ‘finders keepers’, I think that makes it mine. Unfortunately, security was not familiar with the concept. Perhaps one day the Academy will rectify this cruel injustice...

Link below to the chat with Jason Isaacs, prepare to be swept away on a tsunami of charm..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTWLH-rS2rw

Aardman Animation founders chat about the future and job opportunities for budding animators..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlTQEUjI0UE

BAFTA TV Awards 2009

Last Sunday the red carpet rolled out for the 2009 BAFTA TV awards, the annual celebration of big success on the small screen. Having abandoned its usual venue at the London Palladium, this year’s prestigious event took place in the more spacious surroundings of Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank. The attending stars and glorious sunshine brought with them the usual throngs of excited fans and media. The atmosphere was jubilant but not quite as frenzied as the hysteria which tends to accompany the BAFTA film awards and its A-list parade. Ant and Dec don’t have quite the same effect on a crowd as Brad and Angelina. The likes of Michelle Ryan, Mischa Barton and Dame Helen Mirren did at least give Sunday’s Red carpet a light splash of Hollywood glamour.

Wearing a shiny silver mistake Graham Norton was this year’s competent but unexceptional host. There were surely many better candidates for hosting duties, but it’s unlikely that they would have wanted the job. At least Norton’s inoffensive and tamely scripted quips kept proceedings going at a brisk pace. Perhaps the organizers were fearful of how easily a genuinely fierce wit could have sunk their teeth into the stars and the ceremony itself. The entire evening is essentially an exercise in vigorous backslapping, as the British TV industry congratulates itself on being British and for making it onto to TV despite the flood of consistently brilliant and popular American programmes.

This year French and Saunders were honoured with the outstanding achievement award, Harry Hill was crowned most entertaining performance and the ‘X factor’ won yet again. No, you’re right... it’s really not good enough is it. The problem is that beyond documentaries and occasional one off dramas it’s hard to find legitimate domestic brilliance on British TV. David Attenborough deserves his rapturous applause for ‘Life in Cold Blood’, but he is in a minority of greatness. It would be worrying if a bald man with ‘wacky’ glasses and a novelty shirt really was the most entertaining thing on British television.

Rounding up the rest of this year’s winners... the Skins cast won the public vote award and went home delighted to be 15 and popular. The Bill won best soap for the first time in 25 years, thus proving the law of averages. Kenneth Branagh failed to make it through his acceptance speech for ‘Wallander’ without referencing Shakespeare. Stephen Dillane (‘The shooting of Thomas Hundall’) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Poppy Shakespeare) collected gilded trophies for best actor and actress respectively. The Comedy awards went to David Mitchell (apparently still funny after those awful PC/MAC ads) and Harry Enfield/Paul Whitehouse (apparently still funny after a 100years).

When the curtain fell, the winners and guests scurried off to the after-party to try and get their picture taken near to David Tennant whilst drinking free booze. Hopefully this year’s marvels and mediocrity will inspire even greater things for British TV in 2010.