Martin Lewis delivers emotional speech, and nine other Bafta TV moments

7 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNoor NanjiCulture correspondent at Royal Festival Hall

There were tears, there were surprises, there were fabulous outfits – as one of the biggest nights for UK television, the Bafta TV awards, took place.

The ceremony is now over and we know all the winners and losers.

Netflix’s mega hit Adolescence scooped several awards on the night, while there was also a special prize for the high queen of the kitchen, Dame Mary Berry.

We were on the red carpet before heading backstage to get all the gossip from the winners. Here are all the moments you may have missed.

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Broadcaster, journalist and campaigner Martin Lewis received the special award, in recognition of his career advising people about their money.

He noted that he was receiving the award thanks to his ITV show, which he joked was basically “a power point presentation with a Q&A afterwards”.

But then he became emotional as he recalled the death of his mother when he was 12, and the impact it had on him.

“For six years, barring school, I barely left the house, and now I’m picking up a Bafta,” he said. “So to all of you out there struggling with your own demons, life can be transformed, it can get better.”

Later, there was a lighter mood in the backstage press room when journalists asked the question many of us have wondered – has he ever made an impulse purchase?

Lewis admitted he has. And the answers may surprise you – a Van de Graaff generator and a theremin. (I hope I’m not the only one who had to Google what a theremin is).

Dame Mary Berry knew in advance she was getting the Bafta fellowship at the annual television awards.

But speaking backstage to reporters, she said waiting in the front row for it all to happen was still “agony”.

“I listened to everybody giving the most wonderful speeches and laughs and so on, but [I was thinking] it’s going to be me soon. I hope they’ll laugh,” she said.

The 91-year-old TV cook was awarded the British Academy’s highest honour for her exceptional contribution to television.

Earlier on stage, she thanked her three children, including her son William, who died in 1989, aged 19. “William is in heaven, but I thank him.”

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Famous faithful and traitors mingled on the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.

They included the winner of the first ever series of Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr, who, awkwardly, also caught up with Paloma Faith – who he famously “murdered” in the show, much to everyone’s surprise given the pair were friendly in real life.

But they smiled and posed for pictures, leading Bafta to post on its X account: “Breaking news: Alan Carr and Paloma Faith are still friends.”

Inside the ceremony, there was a further nod to the row.

“Celebrity Traitors managed to turn Alan Carr into a manipulative serial killer,” host Greg Davies deadpanned, adding: “We all know he’s a good person”.

Sitting next to Carr, Faith begged to differ, smiling as she wags her finger at the camera.

Later in the night, Carr scooped up the memorable moments award for the scene in which he hoodwinked his fellow finalists into believing he was a faithful.

Accepting his award, his final word was for none other than – Paloma Faith.

“I dedicate this to Paloma – there ‘s no one else I would rather murder more than you, I love you,” he said.

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It was a father-daughter double act at the Baftas, as Rivals star Danny Dyer and his daughter, Love Islander Dani, teamed up to present an award.

Taking to the stage to hand out the prize for best reality show, Danny quipped: “Two Danny Dyers at the Baftas. Do you know how people tell us apart? My chins.”

“I love your chins, dad,” Dani responded, sweetly.

Backstage, I asked Danny senior what it feels like to have become a heartthrob for Gen Z, thanks to his role in the Disney+ show.

“Who’s Gen Z again?” he asked, before his daughter jumped in: “I’m on the cusp of a Gen Z.”

“Nah, I don’t think I’m a heartthrob to that age group,” Danny said. “It’s more older women, in their 40s.”

He went on to say that in the new series of Rivals, “I’m very much exposed, naked a lot. So I do apologise for that… I will shatter the myth.”

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The Baftas are the end of a victory run for Adolescence, which has already swept up almost every available award of the past year.

But 16 year old Owen Cooper, who won best supporting actor for his role as young teen Jamie Miller, still remembers where it all began.

“Every time we are at these sort of events, and your name gets called out, your mind just flashes back to the first audition, the first time on set, the first time meeting the cast and stuff like that,” he told reporters backstage.

“So it’s been an unreal two years.”

Stephen Graham, who starred in and co-wrote Adolescence, said backstage he was “exceptionally proud” of what they had created, but insisted he was “just one piece in the puzzle” as he paid tribute to his colleagues.

The current affairs prize went to Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which was pulled by the BBC last year, which the broadcaster said was because of impartiality concerns. It was later shown by Channel 4 instead.

Ben de Pear, the founder of Basement Films behind Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, added he had a question for the BBC: “Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?” He also thanked the journalists on the ground in Gaza.

Extracts of De Pear’s speech were later included in BBC One’s broadcast of the awards, as part of a round-up of some of the winners.

When the BBC shelved the documentary, it said in a statement that it “was determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly”.

Speaking to reporters backstage, De Pear said it was “the commissioners at the BBC who had the problem engaging with the material, not the doctors who lost their families or the viewers”.

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I’m always impressed at how celebrities don’t seem to feel the cold.

It was a chilly day in London, but that didn’t stop the stars turning up to Royal Festival Hall in strappy dresses and sleeveless gowns.

And if Sunday’s red carpet is anything to go by, orange is here to stay.

We spotted Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh wearing an orange pantsuit, content creator Ayamé Ponder in a flowy orange dress, and Amandaland star Lucy Punch in an orange outfit that would find the approval of her vainglorious character – Amanda.

During the ceremony, host Greg Davies tried to persuade veteran BBC News presenter Kirsty Wark – the winner of last year’s Bafta fellowship – to help present the next award, but she wasn’t keen.

Staying in the audience, he went over to her in her seat, while she made him repeat his request, more politely each time.

She then simply turned away and playing the diva, gave an emphatic “No”.

This left Davies mock-floundering next to her, before she winked at the camera and grinned.

Comedian Judi Love was hilarious on stage when she presented the Daytime award.

She did a mini-routine, with jokes including one about having a fling with host Greg Davies.

She went on to flirt with Louis Theroux in the audience, calling him “sexy”, and then joked that Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, who are currently filming the next series, would be seen together on TV yet AGAIN.

She then pointed to her own face, indicating she should be in the next series, to much laughter.

Finally, it wasn’t just Alan Carr’s antics on Celebrity Traitors that were highlighted during the show.

Host Greg Davies also said he hoped Celia Imrie wasn’t feeling too relaxed, not sparing her blushes as he reminded her of the moment when she accidentally farted during filming, a moment which went viral.

Seth Rogen also joked about the actress, after a video of her time on the BBC reality show was aired during the ceremony.

He said: “I assume this woman in the green dress is a very skilled and talented woman. All I know is that she farted on a reality show. I’m interested in your other work now, obviously – what else have you done?”

Adolescence makes history at Bafta TV Awards

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Stars on red carpet at Bafta TV Awards – in pictures

Alan Carr and Paloma Faith are still friends, and nine other Bafta TV moments

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