I May Destroy You, the BBC One show, won five out of eight nominated categories at the British Academy Film and Television Awards held on Sunday. Writer, director, and actor Michaela Coel won in the Best Leading Actress category.
The mini series that deals with the question of sexual consent in contemporary life, also won in Best Editing, Best Mini Series, Best Writer in the Drama category, and Best Director in the Fiction category. It is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, available for premium subscribers.
I May Destroy You made news after Lily Collins and her Netflix show Emily in Paris were nominated for the Golden Globe Awards, while Coel was not. Collins faced flak for the same and the Globes curator, Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), went on to receive a streak of backlash from across the globe in due to its lack of inclusion and diversity policies. It culminated into around a 100 studios including Netflix and Amazon distancing themselves from the HFPA and compelling the association to redraw its plans.
Emily in Paris writer Deborah Copaken came out in support for the same.
Dear @MichaelaCoel: I was a writer on Emily in Paris, but your show was my favorite show since the dawn of TV, & this is just wrong. I loved I MAY DESTROY YOU, and I thank you, personally, for giving us your heart, your mind, your resilience, & your humor. https://t.co/5KcTVdkZLQ
— Deborah Copaken (@dcopaken) February 3, 2021
While Paul Mescal won in the leading actor category for Normal People, Black actors Malachi Kirby and Rakie Ayola won in the best supporting actor roles for their respective shows Small Axe and Anthony.
Small Axe, an anthology series based on the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community, received 15 nominations, nine in craft and six in television, out of which it won in six categories- Best Scripted Casting, Best Production Design, Best Photography and Lighting: Fiction, Best Make-Up and Hair Design, and Best Costume Design.
Other shows with non-white actors in the leading roles include Save Me Too and Sitting in Limbo, which won the best Drama Series and Single Drama award, respectively. However, inclusion and diversity still lag behind in terms of performance categories.
Netflix’s Sex Education saw Aimee Lou Wood win her first award for the Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.
Other shows like The Crown, that left an indelible mark on the awards season with three wins at the Golden Globe Awards and four wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards, failed to garner a single win.
The list of winners include:
COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME – The Big Narstie Show – Obi Kevin Akudike, Nathan Brown, Rina Dayalji, Ben Wicks, Toby Baker – Expectation, Dice Productions Entertainment/Channel 4
CURRENT AFFAIRS – America’s War on Abortion (Exposure) Deeyah Khan, Darin Prindle, Andrew Smith – Fuuse Films/ITV
DAYTIME – The Great House Giveaway Production Team – Chwarel/Channel 4
ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE – Romesh Ranganathan The Ranganation – Zeppotron/BBC Two
Recommended
FACTUAL SERIES – Once Upon a Time in Iraq James Bluemel, Jo Abel, Miriam Walsh, Simon Sykes, Andrew Palmer, Will Anderson – KEO Films/BBC Two
MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME – Charlie Cooper- This Country – BBC Studios/BBC Three
SCRIPTED COMEDY – Inside No. 9 – Adam Tandy, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Matt Lipsey, Guillem Morales – BBC Studios/BBC Two
SOAP & CONTINUING DRAMA – Casualty – Simon Harper, Loretta Preece, Sarah Beeson, Jenny Thompson – BBC Studios/BBC One
EMERGING TALENT: FICTION sponsored by Sara Putt Associates – Georgi Banks-Davies (Director) I Hate Suzie – Bad Wolf/Sky Atlantic
EMERGING TALENT: FACTUAL – Marian Mohamed (Director) Defending Digga D – Lambent Productions/BBC Three