A round-up of the 2022 BAFTAs
As the biggest stars in British TV gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for this year’s BAFTAs, stars all had one thing on their mind: how did It’s a Sin not pick up any awards?
It’s a Sin was one of the biggest shows of the year. The one-off series followed the lives of young queer people set amidst the AIDS pandemic, from 1981 to 1991. The show mainly followed Ritchie Tozer, played by Years and Years’ lead singer Olly Alexander. Ritchie was a young gay man, who moved from the quiet suburbs to the bustling streets of London. Drunk on freedom — having felt suppressed for most of his life — a young and confident Ritchie began exploring his sexuality, which became a minefield of danger. Soon enough, Ritchie began to feel sick, and AIDs became a reality. The hard-hitting storylines in It’s a Sin produced some of the most powerful scenes in TV history. No wonder BAFTA’s snub felt such a let-down.
Despite the flop, the show’s creator, Russell T Davies, remained in good spirits. Posting on Instagram, he said, “We had 11 nominations at this year’s BAFTAS !!! that’s really amazing!! thank you so much for all the love for the show and congratulations to all the winners tonight. I LOVE BEING GAY.” Sharing a post, he continued, “Look at these winners. We had a very happy night. Great shows won and great shows didn’t, and UK TV is wonderful. Long live #ItsASin.”
However, some fans of the show and fellow nominated actors were furious with the snub. Doctor Who star, Barnaby Edwards commented, “No awards? Either BAFTA can’t recognise ground-breaking television drama when they see it or they simply don’t like the gays. I’m hoping it’s the former. #ItsASin.”
Whilst novelist Melanie Blake said, “#ItsASin was THE drama of that year. Absolutely dreadful snub.” It’s a Sin was up for 11 nominations, so it felt particularly devastating that they were unable to pick up even a single award.
But this wasn’t the only letdown of the night, as Britain’s most loved Drag Queen, Bimini, missed out on Virgin Media’s Must-See Moment when their verse in RuPaul Drag Race lost out to Strictly Come Dancing’s Rose and Giovanni.
At first, the 2022 BAFTAs was shaping up to be a very different night, but suddenly it returned to its predictable self as Ant and Dec took home the award for best entertainment program for Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Another predictable win came from Gogglebox, which saw fan favourites Marcus and Mica collect the award for best reality show.
A particularly dull show had a bit of colour added to it when Lorraine Kelly presented an award, which poked fun at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent interview on Good Morning Britain, where he shocked viewers by saying “Who’s Lorraine?” The TV host said to a chuckling audience, “Hello, and a special hello to Boris, I’m Lorraine. Lovely to see you.”
The night’s biggest awards went to some of Britain’s biggest stars. Jodie Comer continued her upwards trajectory, taking home the best leading actress award for her memorable performance in Help, a Channel 4 drama following the struggles of care workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m still shaking,” she says backstage. “It’s such an honour to be a part of Help, I came away from that job feeling like I never had before from any other role. I really realised the power we have in the stories that we choose to tell. Plus I got to film in Liverpool [her hometown], with Stephen [Graham], who I adore,” she said, after dedicating the award to the care industry.
So, the BAFTAs once again lived up to its dull and predictable reputation. Let’s hope that in future years, quality shows will win and get recognised.
Some of the night’s biggest winners:
Best Entertainment Programme – Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – WINNER
Leading Actor – Sean Bean, Time – WINNER
Leading Actress – Jodie Comer, Help – WINNER
Female Performance in a Comedy Programme = Sophie Willan, Alma’s Not Normal – WINNER
Male Performance in a Comedy Programme Jamie Demetriou, Stath Lets Flats – WINNER
Entertainment Performance – Big Zuu, Big Zuu’s Big Eats – WINNER
Single Drama – Together – WINNER
Scripted Comedy – Motherland – WINNER
News Coverage – ITV News at 10, Storming of the Capitol – WINNER
