FANS of hit show It’s A Sin were upset during Sunday night’s BAFTA ceremony as the sound was “muted” out of clips from the programme.
The miniseries, which follows a group of gay friends in London living through the 1980s Aids crisis, has been a hit with critics and members of the public, with TV journalist Scott Bryan describing the show as “one of the most necessary, powerful life-affirming dramas in recent years”.
But despite leading the nominations this year with a total of seven, Channel 4’s acclaimed series ended the ceremony empty-handed.
While viewers were disappointed by what they felt was a snub to the programme, they also expressed their anger after the sound was cut during a number of clips from It’s A Sin.
As the presenters talked the audience through the nominees for each category, short segments from the TV shows played. However, several clips from It’s A Sin – including a moving scene where character Colin (below) is diagnosed with Aids – had their audio cut in places.
Fans were confused by the lack of sound, with Rob Anderson writing online: “The fact that It's A Sin created such an incredible [conversation] around HIV/Aids, was one of the most talked-about dramas last year and has walked away empty-handed tonight with the BBC muting every clip is utterly baffling.”
Others urged the organisers to explain why the scenes had been “muted”, asking if the decision had been made due to the discussions around HIV/Aids being deemed inappropriate before the watershed, or if there had been bad language in the selected clips.
However, it was pointed out that awards recipients had sworn, unmuted, during the ceremony, and other clips had featured violent content such as shootings.
The BBC blamed the issue on a sound glitch and insisted the “muting” was not deliberate.
Meanwhile, at the ceremony, stars took the opportunity to voice their opposition to the Tory privatisation of Channel 4.
Comedian and actress Aisling Bea said it is “really important” to fight the plans.
She said: “When you see people trying to turn a public body that breaks stories like the Windrush scandal and you see people trying to take that over, it is really scary. It is the kind of thing that can slide away if you don’t stand bigger beside it.
“It is a really important thing to fight. It seems small, like it doesn’t affect everyone, but it truly affects everyone’s life, particularly from news and the journalism side of things.”
Actor, writer, and director Clint Dyer, who is nominated for the small-screen version of the National Theatre play Death Of England: Face To Face, said the prospect was “quite appalling”.
He said: “There is no good news about it. It’s not a happy story. It is actually quite appalling. I just hope they turn it around and they can keep hold of Channel 4 as a part of our property.”
