| Award: | British Academy Television Awards |
| Number: | 67 |
| Date: | 6 June 2021 |
| Host: | Richard Ayoade |
| Best Comedy Series: | Inside No. 9 |
| Best Drama Series: | Save Me Too |
| Best Actor: | Paul Mescal |
| Best Actor Show: | Normal People |
| Best Actress: | Michaela Coel |
| Best Actress Show: | I May Destroy You |
| Best Comedy Perform1: | Charlie Cooper |
| Best Comedy Perform1 Show: | This Country |
| Best Comedy Perform2: | Aimee Lou Wood |
| Best Comedy Perform2 Show: | Sex Education |
| Most Awards: | I May Destroy You (2) |
| Most Nominations: | Small Axe (6) |
| Channel: | BBC One |
| Last: | 2020 |
| Next: | 2022 |
The 2021 British Academy Television Awards were held on 6 June 2021, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2020. The nominees were announced along with the nominees for the 2021 British Academy Television Craft Awards on 28 April 2021, while the shortlist for the Virgin Media Must-See-Moment were announced the day before, on 27 April 2021.[1] [2] The ceremony was hosted for the second year in a row by Richard Ayoade.[3]
The only television programme to win multiple awards at the ceremony was I May Destroy You, with star and creator Michaela Coel collecting both Best Miniseries and Best Actress.
In October 2020, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced several changes in its rules and categories, both to achieve a wider variety of nominees and in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the television industry:[1] [4] [5]
BAFTA suspended its Fellowship and Special Awards while reviewing its selection processes, after facing criticism for honouring Noel Clarke in April 2021 despite being aware of misconduct allegations against him.
| Best Drama Series | Best Mini-Series |
|---|---|
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| Best Single Drama | Best Soap and Continuing Drama |
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| Best Actor | Best Actress |
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| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
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| Best Male Comedy Performance | Best Female Comedy Performance |
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| Best Scripted Comedy | Best Comedy and Comedy Entertainment Programme |
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| Best Entertainment Performance | Lew Grade Award for Entertainment Programme |
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| Best Factual Series or Strand | Huw Wheldon Award for Specialist Factual |
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| Robert Flaherty Award for Single Documentary | Best Feature |
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| Best Reality and Constructed Factual | Best Live Event |
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| Best News Coverage | Best Current Affairs |
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| Best Daytime | Best Short Form Programme |
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| Best International Programme | Virgin TV's Must-See Moment |
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| Best Sport | |
| |
The ceremony had a traditional red carpet, and nominees could attend via video or in-person. They sat in the venue in socially-distanced groups by television programme. Some award presenters, like Bob Mortimer and Catherine Zeta-Jones, also presented virtually.[6] Tom Allen and AJ Odudu hosted red carpet coverage.[9]
To open the ceremony, Olly Alexander performed "Starstruck"; the performance was outside the venue. Alexander also presented an award with It's a Sin co-star Lydia West. During the ceremony, Alexis Ffrench performed a piano version of "Bluebird" for the In Memoriam.[9]
The public vote for the "Must-See Moment" awarded dance troupe Diversity performing a routine based on the Black Lives Matter movement; the performance was conversely also the most complained-about television moment of the year. Lead dancer Ashley Banjo said that the award win "is what change looks like", as many of the complaints had been racially-charged.[6] In accepting her award for Best Actress for I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel, who had created the show based on things that had happened to her, spoke about the importance of intimacy coordinators.[6]
In entertainment programming, the spoken word show Life & Rhymes was considered a surprise win, competing in a category against programmes the BBC described as "heavyweights", as was entertainment performance winner Romesh Ranganathan.[6]
Source:[10]
Viewers commented on the lack of presence of Dame Barbara Windsor's name; BAFTA responded that she had been included in the In Memoriam of the Film Awards ceremony in April.[11]