There has always been something charmingly underdoggy about the television Baftas. It’s the biggest night for the British TV industry, but it almost feels like an afterthought. The awards are dwarfed in glamour and scale not only by the Emmys but by the other Baftas; the film Baftas, the Baftas that famous people actually go to. Yet as comparatively small-fry as they are, the TV Baftas still have their reputation. They might be an increasingly old-fashioned awards show that celebrates several genres that won’t exist a decade from now, but if the right winners keep winning, that’s all that matters.
The big question, then, is whether or not the right winners won. The answer is a resounding ‘sort of’. Ever idiosyncratic, the Baftas this year scattergunned their trophies all over the place, sometimes going with the consensus and other times wandering off and – let’s not beat around the bush – giving a best comedy actor award to Danny Dyer. But we’ll get to that.
On the positive side, the ceremony seemed to understand exactly what was good about Baby Reindeer. Netflix’s horrifying miniseries instantly caused a firestorm of discourse upon release, with discussions about the subject matter (not to mention the witch-hunt to locate its real-life inspirations) quickly drowning out everything that deserved to stand out about it. Foremost, it deserved to be defined by Jessica Gunning’s star-making performance as a stalker. Gunning’s spectacular turn was like watching someone whirl a rolodex of extreme emotions at speed. She worried you, horrified you, angered you and made you feel sorry for her with equal weight, and Bafta rewarded her for this. Her best supporting actress award might have been the most greatly deserved of the night.
