EXCLUSIVE: This Sunday’s BAFTA TV Awards will “celebrate and remember the power of storytelling” during a “challenging” time for the industry, according to the 77-year-old body’s new chairman.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline in the days leading up to the London ceremony, Sara Putt, who replaced Krishnendu Majumdar last year, said the awards act in part as a tonic against the bad times and allow “a community to come together, connect and work together.” be”. creative and supportive of each other.”
She admitted that 2023 would be a “challenging year for many in the industry, whether freelancers or small indies”, just months after BAFTA research found a third were considering leaving.
“We [at BAFTA] They have many roles to play and it is important to celebrate during difficult times and remember the power of storytelling,” Putt said.
Nominated shows about local British stories such as BBC One The sixth commandment or ITVs The long shadow Show that great storytelling can be “inspirational” in times of conflict, she added. Huge success Mr. Bates versus the Post Office was ineligible for this year’s awards because it premiered in January 2024, but will likely be a strong contender for the 2025 awards.
Without giving much away, Putt said her first speech at the BAFTA TV Awards will address these difficult topics. Speaking at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards two weeks ago, she described the situation for talent behind the camera as “bleak” given the economic slowdown and the fallout from US strikes.
She said BAFTA could play a role in helping the community through hardship by being an “academy of practitioners” from the film, television and also games industries. “Career agility is important and we’re talking about breaking down the boundaries between film, television and gaming so that individuals can best equip themselves to maximize their opportunities in different areas.”
Noms show “mixed economy”
The crown. Image: Netflix
The Crown, Black Mirror, Happy Valley And Top boy are all multiple nominees for this year’s BAFTAs and Putt said the sheer number of nominations showed the UK TV industry is a “mixed economy”, packed with major streamer shows alongside groundbreaking broadcast talent such as comedy screenwriter nominee Kat Sadler Such brave girls for the BBC.
The awards panel has come under scrutiny in the past for a lack of diverse nominations, but Putt said this year’s nominees are broadly consistent with last year’s in terms of the proportion of people from underrepresented backgrounds, including high-profile examples top boy’S Kane Robinson. The Lazarus Project Paapa Essiedu and Black mirrors Anjana Vasan.
BAFTA has made contributions at both the beginning and end of the diversity pipeline, Putt explained, helping people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the industry at the junior level and then showcasing their talents once they do were nominated at the awards level. Since she took over as chair, the board has focused on improving the situation for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who have “limited opportunities,” she said.
The question has been repeatedly raised as to whether more international stars should be given the opportunity to win BAFTAs for shows hosted by Brits such as: Succession Duo Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin, who are ineligible because they are not British and do not regularly work or live in the UK.
But without dwelling too much on the work of the BAFTA TV committee she used to oversee, Putt said: “You have to remember that these are the British Academy awards, which are the amazing TV landscape in this country and we want to do that too. “Celebrate British talent”, although she is happy to be celebrating British talent who are making waves on international television.
Agency hat
Putt has run Sara Putt Associates, an agency representing off-screen talent, for more than three decades, making her only the second BAFTA chair to double as an agent.
She said this experience gave her a unique perspective on the industry and how to recognize talent through BAFTA.
“My job is about supporting talent and BAFTA is about celebrating, inspiring and supporting talent. So the nice thing for me is that they’re all part of the same community,” Putt said. “I don’t want to be arrogant [about my agency] But there is absolutely some overlap, both in terms of BAFTA’s work through our awards and through initiatives where we support talent on a very intersectional level.”
Elsewhere, Putt used her first letter to members in September 2023 to highlight, in coded form, the allegations made against Russell Brand, as well as wider issues surrounding bullying and harassment in the UK film and television industry. Eight months later, she told us that tackling bullying and harassment continues to be a collaborative effort, with BAFTA working on it with organizations such as the BFI, The Film & Television Charity and the new independent standards body CIISA, which will follow a few years later Doctor Who Actor Noel Clarke’s alleged behavior was uncovered by a Guardian investigation on the same weekend he won Outstanding British Contribution for Cinema BAFTA. Both Brand and Clarke deny the allegations made against them.
“The work continues and we all have responsibilities,” said Putt. “The more we can share information and launch initiatives, the more we can both take preventative measures and find ways for people to safely report bad behavior. These conversations are complex, nuanced and incredibly important.”
Reflecting on her almost first year in the BAFTA post, a role she took on immediately after Jane Millichip’s appointment as CEO, Putt said it had been a “learning curve” and that the storied organization was “more complicated than I imagined.” could have imagined”. ”
“I am a free man [at the awards] It’s always exciting to sit in the audience and enjoy a great show,” she added. “When you look at the rigor of our jury system, you realize why being nominated by your peers is a huge deal. The judges say this is the best conversation they’ve had on television all year.”
The BAFTA TV Awards take place on Sunday. Deadline revealed earlier this week that BAFTA President Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton would not be in attendance, but that William recorded a video message instead.