Mr Bates and Mr Loverman win top Bafta Awards

Mr Loverman and Mr Bates vs the Post Office were among the large winners astatine Sunday's Bafta TV Awards, successful a nighttime which threw up respective astonishment winners.

ITV's dramatisation of the station bureau scandal, which led to wide nationalist outcry astir the mendacious convictions of sub-postmasters, was named champion play series, portion ITV was fixed a peculiar grant to recognise the show's impact.

Producer Patrick Spence said: "This communicative lone had the interaction it did due to the fact that the radical that watched it stood up and demanded enactment with rage."

Meanwhile, Mr Loverman, astir an aged antheral whose matrimony falls isolated aft his semipermanent matter with his antheral person is revealed, won 2 large acting prizes.

Accepting the prize for constricted bid connected behalf of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Spence said the effect to the amusement proved that the nationalist "cannot abide liars and bullies".

He added that "maybe it is simply a informing to those who are expected to person our backs, that they'd amended not maltreatment that power", and said: "Our amusement didn't alteration the law, the radical of this federation did that."

Managing manager of ITV Studios, Kevin Lygo, said it was "part of a agelong contented connected TV of these genres that existent stories that radiance a airy connected corruption, criminality, miscarriages of justice... but nothing, I think, has had rather the effects Mr Bates has had."

However, 2 of the drama's main stars Toby Jones and Monica Dolan missed retired connected acting prizes.

Instead, champion starring histrion went to Industry prima Marisa Abela, portion champion starring and supporting histrion were won by Mr Loverman's Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare respectively.

"I didn't deliberation this was coming my way," said James, describing his triumph arsenic a "fantastic honour", arsenic helium paid tribute to his chap nominees, including David Tennant, Martin Freeman and Richard Gadd.

James thanked Bernardine Evaristo, who wrote the publication the bid was based on. "Thank you for trusting america with your characters," helium said.

Bakare, who played his lover, said: "This grant stands connected the shoulders of those who came earlier me, those who mightiness person been acrophobic to travel out, to beryllium who what they privation to be, and I conscionable accidental convey you for them."

Abela, who has besides played Amy Winehouse successful the philharmonic biopic Back To Black, described her starring histrion triumph arsenic "insane".

She noted that she was formed successful the show, astir a radical of young concern graduates, "when I was successful my last twelvemonth of play school, and my cause who signed maine successful my last twelvemonth is present contiguous - Saskia convey you truthful overmuch for believing successful me".

"I've been filming Industry for astir six years now, and Bad Wolf and HBO, the information that they fto america transportation connected aft play one, it's mental. They're the best."

Ruth Jones won champion pistillate drama show for her relation successful Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, which was broadcast astatine Christmas and brought the hugely fashionable sitcom to a close.

She accepted her grant successful quality arsenic Nessa, opening her code successful her alter-ego's distinctive Welsh accent and saying: "I'm not gonna lie, this is immense.

"I've won a Bafta before, people I have, successful 1976," she continued arsenic Nessa. "It was the Barry Arcade Fruit Technician Award."

She concluded her code - returning to herself - by thanking her "dear, talented, lovely, kind, comic friend, James Corden, with whom I person shared this astonishing travel for the past 17 years, and without whom, Nessa Shanessa Jenkins would not exist".

There was different Gavin & Stacey notation elsewhere successful the ceremony, erstwhile big Alan Cumming asked Rob Brydon to yet reply the question of what happened connected the show's notorious sportfishing trip.

As Brydon began to speak, Cumming interrupted: "Oh, sorry, Rob. We've got to spell consecutive connected with the adjacent award. We'll prime it up astatine adjacent year's Baftas."

Danny Dyer won champion antheral drama show for his relation successful Mr Bigstuff, successful which helium played 1 of 2 brothers with wildly antithetic personalities who effort to spot up their sibling rivalry.

Dyer said helium was "choked up" by his win, earlier joking: "So my acting was truthful bad, it was funny?"

In an expletive-laden speech, helium said it had been "an honour to stock the screen" with his co-star Harriet Webb, and thanked writer and co-star Ryan Sampson, who helium called the "best happening to travel retired of Rotherham".

"He's ne'er done the aforesaid happening twice, which is not thing I tin say," Dyer joked. "You wrote this part, you won this for maine mate, I truly admit it."

Blue Lights, a constabulary play acceptable successful Northern Ireland, was named champion play series, Alma's Not Normal won champion scripted comedy, and EastEnders was named champion soap, successful the twelvemonth it celebrates 40 years connected air.

The Traitors missed retired connected the 3 prizes it was nominated for, with champion world bid alternatively going to Channel 4's Jury: Murder Trial, which restaged a proceedings of execution successful beforehand of 2 juries of mean people.

Baby Reindeer prima Jessica Gunning won champion supporting actress, repeating her earlier wins astatine the Golden Globes, Emmys and SAG Awards.

"Gosh convey you Bafta, wow," she said. "I sometimes bash this benignant of cheesy happening wherever I look backmost connected the younger maine and moments successful my life, and I ideate the benignant of past me, seeing maine now, and think, 'little did we know'."

She said she was truthful arrogant to beryllium portion of this amusement earlier saying co-star Richard Gadd "changed my life". She concluded by wishing him: "Happy birthday, nipple."

Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder won the factual amusement prize for their Italian question series, Rob & Rylan's Grand Tour.

"We didn't cognize what we were making erstwhile we landed successful Venice," reflected Clark.

When helium saw the programme's edit, "I said, 'we're either going to get cancelled oregon we're going to triumph a Bafta, and I'm truthful gladsome it was the latter!"

Rinder thanked the pair's mothers, "for allowing america to beryllium our existent selves," earlier Rylan joked: "And BBC Arts, present we won a Bafta, tin we person a bigger styling budget?"

Elsewhere, Would I Lie To You? was named champion amusement programme.

Panelist Lee Mack noted the amusement had ne'er antecedently won contempt being nominated 8 times, and joked that Bafta's alteration of sponsor to P&O Cruises, which big Rob Brydon utilized to beforehand adverts for, mightiness person had an effect.

"The whiff of ungraded hangs dense successful the air," laughed Brydon, but reassured the audience: "I stopped those adverts 5 years ago, determination is nary connection."

Kirsty Wark, who near BBC Two's Newsnight past summertime aft 30 years, received the Bafta Fellowship, the highest honour bestowed by the British Academy.

Wark said it was a "privilege and an honour" to beryllium recognised.

"Things person changed truthful overmuch and truthful radically since the 70s, not slightest the enarthrosis pads, the bureau drinks trolley, and movie crews the size of shot teams, but ever the accidental to larn and go.

"I've been fortunate to interviews politicians to painters, architects to economists, musicians and a fewer monsters." She paid tribute to her colleagues, saying: "It takes a colony to rise a programme."

Strictly Come Dancing won the memorable infinitesimal prize, the lone grant of the nighttime voted for by the public, for unsighted comedian Chris McCausland's waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone

His nonrecreational creation spouse Diane Buswell said it was "such an honour" to win, joking: "Chris is not present tonight, but that's what happens erstwhile helium insists connected driving himself to these kinds of events."

"He told maine to accidental that," she laughed, earlier speechmaking retired a connection connected McCausland's behalf: "After 22 years successful comedy, I triumph a Bafta for dancing. It hurts, but I'll instrumentality it."

The winning couple's "blackout" creation saw McCausland spot his hands implicit Buswell's eyes arsenic the country faded to black, mimicking his mundane experience, earlier the brace continued their creation erstwhile the lights returned and pyrotechnics flared.

Buswell said: "In 1 infinitesimal and 30 seconds of a dance, I consciousness similar this told specified a story. A communicative of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability."