BAFTA Awards 2018: The Baffling omissions

The BAFTA nominations have been announced and for the most part, they represent the best of what 2017's TV had to offer. There are some glaring and baffling omissions that I feel I need to mention. Luckily I have this website platform to do just that so that's handy.

Last year's drama is well served in the best drama category but I'd substitute Netflix's The Crown for ITV's absorbing crime drama Unforgotten which has been unfairly ignored in the nominations this year. The show's second series aired in January and focused on how abuse when you're younger, can affect you in adulthood. Chris Lang's six-parter was brilliantly crafted with superb and filled with emotional performances from the likes of Mark Bonnar (who deserved a nom in the supporting actor category for that moving monologue alone) and Rosie Cavaliero who plumbed new emotional depths in her role as nurse Marion. It's not just shining light for ITV but it's one of the best dramas on British television and the fact the BAFTA judges have completely ignored is the first truly baffling omission I have to moan about.

Next, I'd like to turn your attention to Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. This is the category I have the biggest issue with. The nominees are Asim Choudry (People Just Do Nothing),
Rob Brydon (The Trip to Spain), Samsom Kayo (Famalam) and Toby Jones (Detectorists). This category is a real mess. Where's Peter Kay for Car Share? His co-star Sian Gibson has been rightfully nominated for 'female performance' but that show is a two-hander with Kay at his very best. Surely his performance worthy a nomination? The other BIG bugbear is the truly bizarre decision not to include This Country's Charlie Cooper. His sister/co-star and co-writer Daisy gets a deserved nomination again for female performance but to exclude Charlie is unfair and bonkers! His part in the hit BBC Three comedy is just valid and nomination worthy as his sister's. This is the one I really can't understand. I'm a fan of Brydon but The Trip doesn't ask much of them outside of recycling impressions we've seen in previous series of  'The Trip' surely Charlie, who made his debut to much acclaim with This Country deserves the nomination over him!?

I'm also surprised that Channel 4's triumphant take on The Great British Bake Off hasn't be recognised. This sceptic was won over bt the unlikely pairing of Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding who proved themselves naturals in the tent. It's interesting that the BAFTA's which has awarded the show before ignored now that it's on Channel 4.

Then there's a truly sad omission. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's genre-bending anthology comedy Inside No.9.  I appreciate it's probably a difficult one for the BAFTA judges to pin down but surely we should rewarding its imagination and daring nature? When I posed this question on Twitter producer Adam Tandy said:

We can only enter one film each year. We are excluded (slightly spuriously) from the drama categories. Scripted comedy comprises sitcoms and sketch shows, and we only loosely fit that definition, and even then only with a couple of films each year. It is inevitable.

— Adam Tandy (@adamtandy) April 4, 2018

It's a shame to me that a show which is so creative isn't recgognised. 

Moan over.. That's until the winners announced.