HISTORY OF BAFTA
Notable Occurances
Notable hosts- Stephen Fry, 6 years (2001-06)
Jonathan Ross, 2 years (1999, 2007)
• The classic 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia was voted the best Bafta winner from the last 60 years by members of the academy
• The first awards, designed by Henry Moore, were statues in the form of a large, bronze, seated lady valued at UK £550 each at the time, but of great value today
• In 1955 a small work, a trophy mask, was commissioned by Andrew Miller-Jones of the [then] Guild of Television Producers, which later merged with the British Film Academy to become BAFTA
•
First Presenter- Edith Evans, 7 years (1954-51)
In 1992 a controversial selection was made in the Best Drama Serial category, when Prime Suspect beat G.B.H. to win the award. Following the ceremony, four of the seven voting members of the jury signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G.B.H. to win. Irene Shubik, who as chairman did not cast a vote, refused to publicly comment on the affair, but BAFTA Chairman Richard Price stated that the ballot papers passed on to him by Shubik had shown four votes for Prime Suspect and three for G.B.H.. Price claimed that the ballot papers could not be recounted as they had subsequently been destroyed. No blame was ever attached to Shubik by the four judges, and it was to her that they had initially turned to raise the apparent discrepancy with BAFTA.
Brief History of BAFTA
• Formed 1947 as The British Film Academy by Sir Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell, Anthony Asquith, Michael Balcon, Frank Launder, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger and Paul Rotha, with fellow founder David Lean becoming the first chairman
• Merged with The Guild of Television and Film Producers and Directors in 1958 to form The Society of Film and Television Arts
• In 1976 became known as The British Academy of Film and Television Arts
• BAFTA/LA holds its own awards show each year
Important dates of BAFTA
1. 1947, British Film Academy founded (BFA)
2. 1953, Guild of Television Producers and Directors founded (GTPD)
3. 1958, BFA and GTPD merge to become The Society of Film and Television Arts
4. 1962, Prince Philip becomes the academy’s first president
5. 1971, Alfred Hitchcock is awarded first academy fellowship
6. 1973, Princess Royal becomes new president
7. 1976, SFTA becomes The British Academy of Film and Television Arts
8. 1976, Richard Cawston appointed new chairman
9. 1998, First year of separate awards ceremonies for TV and Film
10. 2000, Television Craft Awards has first year as a separate event
11. 2001, Lord Attenborough is appointed new president
BAFTA Participants
This year’s BAFTA awards are celebrating their 60th birthday and to commemorate this they have invited a host of past and present BAFTA winners who represent the decades of BAFTA gone by.
The Noughties
The Kumars at No. 42
The Kumars at no 42 is an innovative combination of the sitcom and the chat show. It follows The Kumars who are an Asian family that host a variety of guests from their front room. Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal were both nominated in 2003 for Best Entertainment Performance and the show was nominated twice for Best Programme or Series in 2002 and 2003.
Halle Berry
Multi-award winning Hollywood actress Halle Berry was nominated for a BAFTA for her role as widowed waitress Lecticia Musgrove in the film Monster’s Ball in 2003.
The musical/film Billy Elliott
Billy Elliot tells the emotional story of a young, working class boy who secretly chooses ballet slippers over boxing cloves, unbeknownst to his father. The film was nominated for, and won, several BAFTAs and its leading actor Jamie Bell won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Ricky Gervais
Comedian Ricky Gervais is best known for his dry humour and wit. His stand-up shows are sell-outs and his writing and directing talents, along with friend and colleague Stephen Merchant, are behind the success of the TV series The Office and Extras. He’s been nominated for a massive 10 BAFTAs and won seven of those for both his performances and writing skills.
The 80s, 90s and Noughties
Victoria Wood
Comedian Victoria Wood possesses a host of talents from actress and writer to composer and producer. She has been nominated for a record 12 BAFTAs to date reflecting her many roles in both drama and comedy.
Coronation Street – programme
Fifteen times nominated soap Coronation Street has been presented with the award for Best Continuing Drama and Best Soap more than just a few times and this years Happy Birthday BAFTA celebration will see cast members from the previous five years reunited.
The 80s and 90s
Sir Ben Kingsley
Critically acclaimed actor Sir Ben Kingsley has been nominated four times for a BAFTA. He was awarded both Best Actor and Best Newcomer for his debut film role in Ghandi (1982).
The 70s
Stanley Baxter Glaswegian comedian and impressionist Stanley Baxter is a three times BAFTA nominee in the Best Light Entertainment category winning in 1975 with his series The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show.
Ronnie Corbett (OBE)
Ronnie Corbett, stand-up comic, actor, presenter and one half of comedy genius double The Two Ronnies, won his first BAFTA in 1971 for Best Light Entertainment Performance in No, That’s Me Over There! He shared a further four nominations with Ronnie Barker for The Two Ronnies for Best Light Entertainment Performance. They won the BAFTA for this category in 1972.
Morecambe and Wise/Armstrong and Miller
Comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise collected five consecutive BAFTAs (1970-1974) for Best Light Entertainment Performance for their sketch show The Morecambe and Wise Show. At Happy Birthday BAFTA funnymen Armstrong and Miller will be performing a classic Morecambe and Wise tribute sketch.
Upstairs Downstairs, as a programme.
1970s filmed period drama Upstairs, Downstairs was set in a London Edwardian town house in the 1930s and depicted the lives of the servants ‘downstairs’ and their superiors ‘upstairs’. The TV series was nominated for an impressive nine BAFTAs for the time that it ran for and won the awards for Best Drama Production in 1972 and Best Drama Series/Serial in 1974. This years BAFTAs will see 11 of the cast re-united, including Jean Marsh and Pauline Collins.
Cabaret – film
Following the 1966 legendary Broadway production of Cabaret, the musical film version was released in 1972 and was a huge success. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the leading lady Sally Bowles and was directed by Bob Fosse and was nominated for an astonishing 11 BAFTAs in 1973, winning 7 of those which included Best Film, Best Soundtrack and Best Actress.
Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli has graced both the stage and the big screen during her career and has numerous successful albums to her name. Her part as ‘Pookie’ Adams in The Sterile Cuckoo earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Promising Newcomer and in 1973 she won the BATFA for Best Actress for her lead role in the smash hit musical Cabaret.
The 60s
Rita Tushingham
Rita Tushingham, British actress and 60s icon, has three BAFTA nominations to her name winning Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for A Taste of Honey in 1961.
Notable Occurances
Notable hosts- Stephen Fry, 6 years (2001-06)
Jonathan Ross, 2 years (1999, 2007)
• The classic 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia was voted the best Bafta winner from the last 60 years by members of the academy
• The first awards, designed by Henry Moore, were statues in the form of a large, bronze, seated lady valued at UK £550 each at the time, but of great value today
• In 1955 a small work, a trophy mask, was commissioned by Andrew Miller-Jones of the [then] Guild of Television Producers, which later merged with the British Film Academy to become BAFTA
•
First Presenter- Edith Evans, 7 years (1954-51)
In 1992 a controversial selection was made in the Best Drama Serial category, when Prime Suspect beat G.B.H. to win the award. Following the ceremony, four of the seven voting members of the jury signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G.B.H. to win. Irene Shubik, who as chairman did not cast a vote, refused to publicly comment on the affair, but BAFTA Chairman Richard Price stated that the ballot papers passed on to him by Shubik had shown four votes for Prime Suspect and three for G.B.H.. Price claimed that the ballot papers could not be recounted as they had subsequently been destroyed. No blame was ever attached to Shubik by the four judges, and it was to her that they had initially turned to raise the apparent discrepancy with BAFTA.
Brief History of BAFTA
• Formed 1947 as The British Film Academy by Sir Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell, Anthony Asquith, Michael Balcon, Frank Launder, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger and Paul Rotha, with fellow founder David Lean becoming the first chairman
• Merged with The Guild of Television and Film Producers and Directors in 1958 to form The Society of Film and Television Arts
• In 1976 became known as The British Academy of Film and Television Arts
• BAFTA/LA holds its own awards show each year
Important dates of BAFTA
1. 1947, British Film Academy founded (BFA)
2. 1953, Guild of Television Producers and Directors founded (GTPD)
3. 1958, BFA and GTPD merge to become The Society of Film and Television Arts
4. 1962, Prince Philip becomes the academy’s first president
5. 1971, Alfred Hitchcock is awarded first academy fellowship
6. 1973, Princess Royal becomes new president
7. 1976, SFTA becomes The British Academy of Film and Television Arts
8. 1976, Richard Cawston appointed new chairman
9. 1998, First year of separate awards ceremonies for TV and Film
10. 2000, Television Craft Awards has first year as a separate event
11. 2001, Lord Attenborough is appointed new president
BAFTA Participants
This year’s BAFTA awards are celebrating their 60th birthday and to commemorate this they have invited a host of past and present BAFTA winners who represent the decades of BAFTA gone by.
The Noughties
The Kumars at No. 42
The Kumars at no 42 is an innovative combination of the sitcom and the chat show. It follows The Kumars who are an Asian family that host a variety of guests from their front room. Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal were both nominated in 2003 for Best Entertainment Performance and the show was nominated twice for Best Programme or Series in 2002 and 2003.
Halle Berry
Multi-award winning Hollywood actress Halle Berry was nominated for a BAFTA for her role as widowed waitress Lecticia Musgrove in the film Monster’s Ball in 2003.
The musical/film Billy Elliott
Billy Elliot tells the emotional story of a young, working class boy who secretly chooses ballet slippers over boxing cloves, unbeknownst to his father. The film was nominated for, and won, several BAFTAs and its leading actor Jamie Bell won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Ricky Gervais
Comedian Ricky Gervais is best known for his dry humour and wit. His stand-up shows are sell-outs and his writing and directing talents, along with friend and colleague Stephen Merchant, are behind the success of the TV series The Office and Extras. He’s been nominated for a massive 10 BAFTAs and won seven of those for both his performances and writing skills.
The 80s, 90s and Noughties
Victoria Wood
Comedian Victoria Wood possesses a host of talents from actress and writer to composer and producer. She has been nominated for a record 12 BAFTAs to date reflecting her many roles in both drama and comedy.
Coronation Street – programme
Fifteen times nominated soap Coronation Street has been presented with the award for Best Continuing Drama and Best Soap more than just a few times and this years Happy Birthday BAFTA celebration will see cast members from the previous five years reunited.
The 80s and 90s
Sir Ben Kingsley
Critically acclaimed actor Sir Ben Kingsley has been nominated four times for a BAFTA. He was awarded both Best Actor and Best Newcomer for his debut film role in Ghandi (1982).
The 70s
Stanley Baxter Glaswegian comedian and impressionist Stanley Baxter is a three times BAFTA nominee in the Best Light Entertainment category winning in 1975 with his series The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show.
Ronnie Corbett (OBE)
Ronnie Corbett, stand-up comic, actor, presenter and one half of comedy genius double The Two Ronnies, won his first BAFTA in 1971 for Best Light Entertainment Performance in No, That’s Me Over There! He shared a further four nominations with Ronnie Barker for The Two Ronnies for Best Light Entertainment Performance. They won the BAFTA for this category in 1972.
Morecambe and Wise/Armstrong and Miller
Comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise collected five consecutive BAFTAs (1970-1974) for Best Light Entertainment Performance for their sketch show The Morecambe and Wise Show. At Happy Birthday BAFTA funnymen Armstrong and Miller will be performing a classic Morecambe and Wise tribute sketch.
Upstairs Downstairs, as a programme.
1970s filmed period drama Upstairs, Downstairs was set in a London Edwardian town house in the 1930s and depicted the lives of the servants ‘downstairs’ and their superiors ‘upstairs’. The TV series was nominated for an impressive nine BAFTAs for the time that it ran for and won the awards for Best Drama Production in 1972 and Best Drama Series/Serial in 1974. This years BAFTAs will see 11 of the cast re-united, including Jean Marsh and Pauline Collins.
Cabaret – film
Following the 1966 legendary Broadway production of Cabaret, the musical film version was released in 1972 and was a huge success. The film starred Liza Minnelli as the leading lady Sally Bowles and was directed by Bob Fosse and was nominated for an astonishing 11 BAFTAs in 1973, winning 7 of those which included Best Film, Best Soundtrack and Best Actress.
Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli has graced both the stage and the big screen during her career and has numerous successful albums to her name. Her part as ‘Pookie’ Adams in The Sterile Cuckoo earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Promising Newcomer and in 1973 she won the BATFA for Best Actress for her lead role in the smash hit musical Cabaret.
The 60s
Rita Tushingham
Rita Tushingham, British actress and 60s icon, has three BAFTA nominations to her name winning Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for A Taste of Honey in 1961.