After controversy at thefilm Baftasover the broadcasting of a racial slur, the last thing the BBC needed was another flashpoint at the television awards. All involved can rest easy because not only was the ceremony lacking in contentious moments – for long stretches it seemed to be missing a pulse altogether.
Taskmaster’s Greg Davies was the new host, taking over from Alan Cumming, who has vowed to never again helm the Baftas following the fall-out over the film awards (which he also presented). Davies was off to a respectable start with a funny pre-recorded sketch in which he introduced an eye-rolling teenager to the joys of British television down the decades – the elephant pooing on Blue Peter, people shouting at each other onEastEndersand so forth.
But it was a different story once he stepped on stage for the live broadcast (not actually live, of course – the BBC was airing it with a delay and with new protocols to ensure there was no repeat of the shambles at the film Baftas). Nervous throughout, Davies had the air of someone happy to simply get through the evening. His jitteriness deprived the two-hour ceremony of the one essential for an awards show: a sense of fun.
Instead of fun, there was lots of silliness. Too much, it quickly became clear. Many of the celebrities dragged up to dole out awards had decided to seize the spotlight with less than hilarious results. Comic actresses Lucy Punch and Philippa Dunne seemed to be improvising a scene from their seriesAmandalandon the spot – to tepid guffaws from a generally stony room. Next camenew Harry Potteractor Paapa Essiedu, who thought it would be hilarious to refer to his co-star Nick Frost by the name of his Rowling-verse character, Hagrid – with a pay-off about as funny as a real-life game of Quidditch.
Hollywood glamourwas sprinkled courtesy ofSeverance’s Adam Scott and rapper-turned-actress Awkwafina, who turned up to present awards. They were mere warm-ups for Tinsel Town comedian Seth Rogen, who won Best International Show forThe Studioand approached the Bafta podium like someone who had tumbled through the back of a wardrobe into a parallel dimension.
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“This award show is so cool,” he said, before pointing to Davies, who was watching from a corner of the stage. “I love that this guy sits there in a little chair.” Rogen then gestured towards veteran actress Celia Imrie, whoseflatulence onThe Celebrity Traitorsprovided the evening with one of its running gags. “I assume this woman is very skilled and talented. All I know is she farted on a reality show.”
It was not the last time the Traitors was name-dropped. The Claudia Winkleman backstabbing festival was one of the evening’s duo of big winners (it scooped two awards). The other wasAdolescence, which continued the victory lap which it has seemingly been on since the invention of television itself.
Ethereal pop star Aurora provided the evening with one of its emotive high points as she performed her haunting ballad,Through the Eyes of a Child– from the score to, yes,Adolescence. She was soundtracking an in memoriam section which marked the passing of Prunella Scales, Desmond Morris, James Van Der Beek and others – though there was no mention ofSchitt’s CreekstarCatherine O’Hara, to whom Studio co-star Rogen had paid tribute.
The tone was often jarring. Amid all the wackiness and bantering, rapper-turned-DIY expert Tinie Tempah was the rare award presenter to maintain a straight face – just as well as he was about to hand Simon Schama an accolade for a documentary about the Holocaust. Meanwhile, a skit in which news presenter Kirsty Wark was rude to Davies landed oddly – her “fake” annoyance containing flashes of genuine irritation.
Tellingly, many of the more serious awards were relegated to a highlights section. They included the current affairs category, which was won byGaza: Doctors Under Attack, broadcast by Channel 4 after the BBC declined to air it. “Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?”, wondered Ben de Pear, the founder of the production company that made the film. He got his answer – the comments were broadcast but during a montage that was over almost before it began.
The message repeated from the podium was that television has no rival when it comes to the shared viewing experience. It’s a fair point. How ironic that it was made during a titanically tepid ceremony that would have had many viewers reach for their phones and scrolling furiously.