Appropriate Adult, ITV’s chilling drama exploring the Fred West murders took a hat-trick of acting prizes at the British Academy Television Awards on Sunday night, with actors honoured for their portrayals of Fred and Rose West, and the appropriate adult of the show’s title, Janet Leach.
Dominic West, Emily Watson and Monica Dolan paid tribute to West’s victims and a sensitive script that avoided sensationalism.
West and Watson said they had initially been reluctant to take the roles. “Of course [I had doubts], but the script answered a lot of questions about the focus of the film,” said West, who took the best actor award for his portrayal of the Gloucester killer.
“I was sure that this case should be addressed and that human depravity should be addressed. The question was how you do it – and I think we did it right.”
Watson, named best actress, said she found playing Leach a gruelling experience.
“By the end of it, I was so happy to flee that set,” she said. “I felt I had been run over by a truck. I know things that I wish I didn’t know about that case. Truly terrible depravity. Did I hate Rose West? I think it goes beyond hate. The more we studied, the more we learned, the less we understood.”
West beat Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch to best actor, but Andrew Scott, who plays the consulting detective’s nemesis Moriarty, took best supporting actor – beating his co-star Martin Freeman to the award.
Sherlock’s co-creator Steven Moffat received Bafta’s special award from Cumberbatch and Matt Smith, who plays Doctor Who in the writer and producer’s other BBC1 hit show. They introduced him as their “great friend and colleague”.
There were a few upsets in the event at London’s Royal Festival Hall, although the Fades – a BBC3 drama series that was awkwardly axed after its first season – took the award for best drama series.
BBC3 also won the best factual series category with Our War.
For the second year running, the international Bafta went to a Danish show, with Borgen, a series about the intricacies of coalition politics, winning out over the second series of The Killing. “We owe a lot to The Killing,” said Borgen creator Adam Price. “They really paved the way everywhere and made people form everywhere notice the drama we are doing. We are on a wave right now.”
Random, Debbie Tucker Green’s poetic film about youth violence for Channel 4, adapted from her Royal Court play of the same name, took the Bafta for single drama, while the channel also took the award for mini-series, thanks to the bleakly brilliant This is England ’88.
Best comedy series was Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle on BBC2, set to return to the channel for another two series, which in its manner could almost not have provided more of a contrast to the winner of best sitcom, BBC1’s broad comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys.
Twenty years after Absolutely Fabulous first won a Bafta, Jennifer Saunders took best female comedy performer for reprising her role as Edina Monsoon. The equivalent best male award went to Darren Boyd, star of Sky One’s Spy.
The award for best single documentary went to Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die, which controversially showed the moment of Peter Smedley’s death, who received a tribute from Pratchett as he collected the award.
Arqiva British Academy Television Awards 2012 – all the winners
Leading actor Dominic West (Appropriate Adult, ITV1)
Leading actress Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult, ITV1)
Supporting actor Andrew Scott (Sherlock, BBC1)
Supporting actress Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult, ITV1)
Entertainment performance Graham Norton (The Graham Norton Show, BBC1)
Female performance in a comedy programme Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, BBC1)
Male performance in a comedy programme Darren Boyd (Spy, Sky One)
Single drama Random (Channel 4)
Mini series This Is England ’88 (Channel 4)
Drama series The Fades (BBC3)
Soap and continuing drama Coronation Street(ITV1)
International Borgen (BBC4)
Factual series Our War (BBC3)
Specialist factual Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret (Channel 4)
Single documentary Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die (BBC2)
Features The Great British Bake-Off (BBC2)
Reality and constructed factual The Young Apprentice (BBC1)
Current affairs Panorama: Undercover Care – The Abuse Exposed (BBC1)
News coverage Channel 4 News: Japan Earthquake (Channel 4)
Sport and live event The Royal Wedding (BBC1)
New media Psychoville (BBC Online)
Entertainment programme Derren Brown: The Experiments (Channel 4)
Comedy programme Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle (BBC2)
Situation comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC1)
YouTube audience award Celebrity Juice (ITV2)
Special award Steven Moffat
Bafta fellowship Rolf Harris
For the full article: Guardian
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