“Adolescence”created by the British Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, tells the story of Jamie (Owen Cooper), a 13-year-old boy accused of the murder of a classmate at his school, and throughout its four chapters—shot in sequence—it explores how the Internet drives violence, bullying and misogyny among adolescents.
The Netflix crime drama, which has accumulated 142 million views and is the second most viewed title in the history of the platform — only behind the first season of “Wednesday”—, also started as a favorite for these television BAFTAs.
In fact, the initial award of the night, best supporting actor, went to the young Owen Cooper, who, at only 16 years old, has established himself as one of the great promises of the current scene, thanks to his acting debut in “Adolescence”.
Winks to the Beatles
Cooper thus added the first BAFTA to his record, after having won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and an Actor Award, and paid tribute to the Beatles when he went up to collect the golden mask.
“In the words of John Lennon: you won’t achieve anything if you don’t have the vision to imagine it. So, I think you only need three things to be successful: an obsession, a dream and, thirdly, the Beatles,” commented the young actor.
“What we need is love, namaste,” said Stephen Graham – continuing Cooper’s reference to the quartet from his native Liverpool – after winning the BAFTA for best leading actor for his role in “Adolescence”because in addition to being behind the creation of the series he also plays Eddie, the child’s father.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts also recognized Christine Demarco, who plays Manda, Jamie’s mother in “Adolescence”as best supporting actress.
To the four masks won by the Netflix series this Sunday, we must add two other awards – best direction and best sound – in the technical awards, which were held in a different ceremony last weekend.
A focus on the Middle East
The big surprise of the night came in the best actress category, where Narges Rashidi won, for her leading role in the BBC miniseries Prisoner 951, who recalled during her acceptance speech that she was a girl born in Iran “who survived the war at the age of seven.”
“Many other children now in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan will never have that opportunity. The stories we tell matter,” the actress added.
The conflict in the Middle East, or rather its journalistic follow-up, also obtained several recognitions. The documentary Gaza: Doctors under attackfrom the British channel Channel 4, won the BAFTA in the current affairs category, and Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War, Also from the same medium, he won the mask for best news coverage.
“The Studio” and “Code of Silence”, also awarded
The BAFTA for best drama series went to the ITV title Code of Silence (Silence code), about a deaf person who offers his help to the police thanks to his ability to read lips. It can be seen in Spain through Filmin.
While the bulk of the ceremony celebrated excellence in British television, it also recognized American comedy from Apple TV+, The Studio, starring the Canadian Seth Rogen and the late Catherine O’Hara, as the best international series.
The ceremony, presented by British comedian Greg Davies, showcased characteristic British humor and was more casual than the BAFTA film ceremony. There were no shortage of emotional moments, such as that of the Norwegian artist Aurora, who gave voice to the traditional In Memoriam.