McGovern’s Bafta win follows his Emmys for television drama The Street

Apr 21 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool writer, Jimmy McGovern (smiling) _320

JIMMY McGOVERN’S The Street won its second television Bafta in two years as it was named best drama series in a glittering London ceremony last night.

It beat the racy BBC historical series Rome, teen drama Skins and the popular Life on Mars to take the prize.

Last night’s award was one in a long line for the powerful programme, now in its third series, which follows the lives of different residents of one street.

It won two International Emmy awards in November last year, as well as a Royal Television Society award for best drama series.

It was a night of surprises in other categories at the TV Bafta Awards, as cult BBC3 sitcom Gavin and Stacey and veteran actress Dame Eileen Atkins triumphed.

James Corden, 29, the co-creator of Gavin and Stacey, won the Bafta for best comedy performance for his role as Smithy in the surprise hit comedy.

Gavin and Stacey also beat big-hitters like The Apprentice, Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing to the Audience Award for programme of the year, the only gong of the night voted for by the public.

Veteran actress Dame Eileen was awarded her first Bafta at the age of 73 for her performance as moral guardian Miss Deborah Jenkyns in the 19th Century period drama Cranford.

Her co-star Dame Judi Dench, also 73, had been favourite for the award, which was handed out by Liverpool actor David Morrissey.

Other winners of the night included Harry Hill, who won two Baftas – entertainment performance for Harry Hill’s TV Burp as well as entertainment programme for the ITV1 show.

Paul Watson, the director who hit the headlines last year about whether or not he had filmed the dying moment of Alzheimer’s sufferer Malcolm Pointon in his film Malcolm and Barbara, won this year’s special award.

Holby City took the soap category for the first time while US-born British actor Andrew Garfield, 24, won best actor for his portrayal of a juvenile child killer haunted by his past in Channel 4 drama Boy A.

Strictly Come Dancing host Bruce Forsyth, 80, received a Fellowship – the highest accolade the Bafta Academy can award – presented by Paul Merton, a panellist on Have I Got News for You, the show that relaunched his career.