It was entertainment mogul Simon Cowell’s night at the British Academy Television Awards on Sunday.
In news category, Mumbai terror attacks coverage propelled Channel 4 to victory: Terror in Mumbai documentary on Channel 4 Dispatches was selected for the Bafta, which was the sixth for the Dispatches programme.
Irrepressible Cowell, who rules reality television in Britain, was presented the special award “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and for his development of new talent.”
“I have had a blast. I have been able to do things that I never thought I would be able to do. But I have done it because I genuinely have most talented group of people working with me on the show,” an uncharacteristically modest Cowell said after receiving his first Bafta. Billionaire Cowell, who became famous worldwide for his role as a judge of reality programme American Idol, produces Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor for UK television.
In a double win, Cowell’s reality television show, Britain’s Got Talent, won entertainment programme award for the first time.
In a surprise win, television presenters Ant and Dec finally scooped their first ever Bafta after five earlier nominations. They won the entertainment performance award for I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Actor-director Kenneth Branagh and actor Matthew Macfadyen of Pride and Prejudice fame won their first acting Baftas. Branagh, who has won before as a director and a producer, won for his leading role in Wallander.