ALMOST 50 years after his first win, the veteran naturalist David Attenborough won the third Bafta television award of his career yesterday in a night of upsets in which many famous names and favoured programmes were eclipsed.
Attenborough won the specialist factual Bafta for a BBC1 documentary programme about reptiles, Life in Cold Blood. The naturalist first won a Bafta in 1961 and he and his programmes have won a total of eight Baftas.
Others were not so lucky. June Brown, who had been favourite to win the best actress Bafta for her role as EastEnders' ever doleful Dot Cotton, lost to Anna Maxwell Martin, who won her second Bafta in a row for playing a troubled, malevolent mental patient in Channel 4's Poppy Shakespeare, having been a surprise winner last year for Bleak House.
Graham Norton presented the awards, which were held in the Royal Festival Hall.
He immediately zeroed in on the controversy over Jonathan Ross's suspension for making a lewd telephone call with Russell Brand to former Fawlty Towersactor Andrew Sachs. "Looking around the room at everyone who contributed to a great 12 months of television – nine months if you are Jonathan," he said.
In the features category, The Apprentice, Top Gearand Celebrity MasterChefwere eclipsed by The Choir: Boys Don't Singon BBC2, about the determination and drive to establish a singing group in a boys' school.
Harry Enfield won his first Bafta for BBC1 comedy Harry and Paul Show.
ITV, just days after announcing it was seeking a new chief executive, won five awards, dominating in its traditional stronghold of soap and entertainment, but also won the news and sport awards.
As ITV's executive chairman Michael Grade said he would move upstairs to become non-executive chairman of the cash-strapped broadcaster, his content- led recovery policy bore fruit with a return to form for singing content, with The X Factorwinning for best entertainment programme, and Harry Hill beating Jonathan Ross to take home the Bafta for an entertainment performance for the second year in a row, for his TV Burp, a look at the week's television.
While a strong showing in entertainment was expected, few predicted a win for ITV's veteran police drama The Bill, which is soon to be reduced from two hours to one hour a week, due to budget cuts. It won the continuing drama award for the first time, beating EastEnders, Casualtyand Emmerdale. Bafta snubbed Coronation Streetfor the second year running, failing to nominate it.
ITV1's News at Tenwon the news award, while the disbanded team that produced the network's formula one Brazilian Grand Prix coverage beat the BBC Olympics team to win the sport category. The BBC has won the rights for formula one from this season.
Apart from The Bill's triumph, the BBC won every other drama award. Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh as a Swedish detective, won the drama series award, beating Doctor Who, Spooksand Shameless. Criminal Justicewon the drama serial award.
Channel 4 had the upper hand in comedy, with Peep Show's David Mitchell winning comedy performance and The IT Crowdwinning situation comedy. The channel won eight awards, including the audience award, which went to the teen drama Skins, shown on the digital channel E4.
Channel 4 won again in the best actor category. After an acting career spanning 24 years, Stephen Dillane won the best actor Bafta for his role as a grieving father fighting for justice after his son was killed in Gaza, in The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders collected the award for their body of work including Absolutely Fabulousand The Vicar of Dibley. In the international category, Mad Men, the drama set in a 1960s advertising agency, edged out The Wireand The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Channel 4 won seven Baftas, plus the audience award, to ITV’s five. BBC channels won eight awards. – (Guardian service)