Michaela Coel is big winner at BAFTA Television Awards

7 June 2021

Michaela Coel was the big winner at the BAFTA Television Awards.

Michaela Coel

The 'I May Destroy You' star was overjoyed to take home the Leading Actress prize as well as the Best Mini-Series award and the Best Writer (Drama) at the event on Sunday night (06.06.21).

Collecting the Leading Actress gong, she said: "Thank you BAFTA and thank you to the jury for selecting me as your winner today. A huge shoutout to Billie [Piper], Daisy [Edgar-Jones], Hayley [Squires], Jodie [Comer] and Letitia [Wright] because you guys are literally sick. Also, I shouldn't really say it but I wrote my words and I know that your talent to take words that a writer has written and make it sound like your own is unbelievable and I really hope I get to work with each of you one day.

"I did write a speech, I want to dedicate this award to the director of intimacy, Ita O'Brien. Thank you for your existence in our industry, for making the space safe, for creating physical, emotional and professional boundaries so that we can make work about exploitation, loss of respect, about abuse of power without being exploited and abused in the process. I know what it's like to shoot without an intimacy director - the messy embarrassing feeling for the crew, the eternal devastation for the actor. Your direction was essential to my show and essential for every production company that wants to make work exploring themes of content. Thank you BAFTA."

Elsewhere, Paul Mescal picked up the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'Normal People' and used his speech to pay tribute to his co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones.

He said: "I fully was not expecting to be here so I have no clue what I'm going to say. I want to thank everyone at the BBC, I want to thank everyone at Element ... I want to thank the cast, I want to dedicate this to Daisy, who is the best scene partner and one of the best people I know. I'm probably forgetting people and I'm incredibly nervous. My mum and dad at home, I love you."

It was also a good night for 'Casualty', who won Best Soap and Continuing Drama whilst Romesh Ranganathan took home the Entertainment Performance prize and Diversity's Black Lives Matter performance on 'Britain's Got Talent' was named Must-See Moment.

An abridged list of winners at the BAFTA Television Awards are as follows:

Leading Actress - Michaela Coel, 'I May Destroy You'

Leading Actor - Paul Mescal, 'Normal People'

Supporting Actress - Rakie Ayola, 'Anthony'

Supporting Actor - Malachi Kirby, 'Small Axe'

Entertainment Performance - Romesh Ranganathan, 'The Ranganation'

Male Performance in a Comedy Programme - Charlie Cooper, 'This Country'

Female Performance in a Comedy Programme - Aimee Lou Wood, 'Sex Education'

Drama Series - 'Save Me Too'

Single Drama - 'Sitting In Limbo'

Mini-Series - 'I May Destroy You'

Soap and Continuing Drama - 'Casualty'