The British Academy Television Awards 2008

The British Academy Television Awards was held on Sunday April 20th 2008 at the London Palladium, London, W1A 3AB

The event was hosted by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC One

Please find winners highlighted in red below

Harry Hill and Gavin and Stacey both claimed double victories at this year’s British Academy Television Awards supported by Sky+. Harry Hill picked up two coveted BAFTA masks for Harry Hill’s TV Burp in the Entertainment Programme  category (beating Strictly Come Dancing, Have I Got News For You and Britain’s Got Talent) and in the Entertainment Performance category for the same programme. James Corden took the prize for Comedy Performance for Gavin and Stacey and the show won the Sky+ Audience Award, the only Award voted for by the public.

Eileen Atkins who was last nominated 39 years ago pipped her screen sister Judi Dench to the post for her performance in Cranford, in the prestigious Actress category.  Andrew Garfield took the Actor award for his touching portrayal of a juvenile child-killer haunted by the actions of his past in Boy A.

Among the thirteen first-time winners were hospital saga Holby City which won the hard-fought Continuing Drama battle; Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares in the Features category and Channel 4’s Fonejacker for the Comedy Programme award. 

It was also a first for Heroes which was victorious in the International category.  Peter Kosminsky’s powerful drama about Muslims in post 7/7 Britain gave Britz the coveted prize for Drama Serial beating Cranford, Five Days and Murphy’s Law and after two previous nominations, Peep Show picked up the award for Situation Comedy.

The final honours of the evening went to Bruce Forsyth who received the highest accolade the Academy can bestow, the Fellowship.  The ultimate showman was presented the award by huge fan Paul Merton and the Palladium was a fitting scene as he was thrust into its spotlight from virtual obscurity when he hosted Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium back in 1958.  Since then Bruce’s prodigious credits include Beat the Clock, The Bruce Forsyth Show, The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right, and latterly the huge Saturday night ratings-winner Strictly Come Dancing. 

This year the BAFTA website is providing online videos of red carpet highlights and backstage interviews with all the winners. Clips of all the nominated programmes and all the latest images from the night’s events will also be free to view online.
All the exclusive online content will be available on the night of the Awards at www.bafta.org/awards/television.

WINNERS & NOMINEES:

Actor
Andrew Garfield for Boy A
Tom Hardy for Stuart: A Life Backwards
Matthew Macfadyen for Secret Life
Antony Sher for Primo

Actress
Eileen Atkins for Cranford
Judi Dench for Cranford
Gina McKee for The Street
Kierston Wareing for It’s A Free World

Entertainment Performance
Simon Amstell for Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Alan Carr & Justin Lee Collins for The Friday Night Project
Stephen Fry for QI
Harry Hill for Harry Hill’s TV Burp 

Comedy Performance
Peter Capaldi for The Thick of It
James Corden for Gavin and Stacey
Stephen Merchant for Extras Christmas Special
David Mitchell for Peep Show

Single Drama
Boy A
Coming Down The Mountain
The Mark Of Cain
The Trial of Tony Blair

Drama Series
Life on Mars
Rome
Skins
The Street

Drama Serial
Britz
Cranford
Five Days
Murphy’s Law

Continuing Drama
The Bill
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Holby City

International
Californication
Family Guy
Heroes
My Name Is Earl

Factual Series
Meet The Natives
Paul Merton in China
Tribe
The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities

Specialist Factual
Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain
Earth: The Power of the Planet
The Genius of Photography
The Relief of Belsen

Single Documentary
Beautiful Young Minds
Lie of the Land
Malcolm and Barbara: Love’s Farewell
Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives

Features
Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
The Secret Millionaire
Top Gear

Current Affairs
China’s Stolen Children – A Dispatches Special
Dispatches – Fighting The Taliban
Honour Kills
Panorama: Dog-Fighting Undercover

News Coverage
BBC Ten O’Clock News: War in Afghanistan
Channel 4 News: Iraq-The Surge
ITV Evening News: Zimbabwe – The Tyranny and the Tragedy
Sky News – Glasgow Airport Attack

Sport
Boat Race
ITV F1: Canadian Grand Prix Live
Rugby World Cup 2007: England V France Semi-Final
Wimbledon – The Men’s Final

Interactivity
Big Art Mob
Doctor Who Comic Maker
Spooks Interactive
The X Factor

Entertainment Programme
Britain’s Got Talent
Harry Hill’s TV Burp
Have I Got News For You
Strictly Come Dancing

Comedy Programme
The Armstrong & Miller Show
Fonejacker
Russell Brand’s Ponderland
Star Stories

Situation Comedy
Benidorm
The IT Crowd
Peep Show
The Thick of It

Sky+ Audience Award for the Programme of the Year
The Apprentice
Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain
Britain’s Got Talent
Cranford
Gavin & Stacey
Strictly Come Dancing