BAFTA Cymru has revealed the Special Awards recipients for this year’s BAFTA Cymru Awards.
The BAFTA Cymru Outstanding Contribution to Television Award will be presented to Russell T Davies, who, for the last two decades, has been a trailblazer within LGBTQIA+ drama, while also leading BBC hit Doctor Who, as showrunner. One of BAFTA Cymru’s highest honours, the Award is presented to a Welsh individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Television and will be presented at the BAFTA Cymru Awards, taking place at ICC Wales, Newport, on Sunday 5 October.
Russell T Davies OBE said: “Awards are both mad and lovely. Receiving this Outstanding Contribution Award is an honour. It means people have watched something and remembered something that you’ve done. It’s our peers who decide on awards like this, which is an enormous compliment.
”Who would have ever imagined that Doctor Who would win a BAFTA back then? Then there’s Cucumber, which couldn’t be a more different drama from Doctor Who and was very personal and close to my heart. I’m very proud of winning the BAFTA for the hundredth episode of Children’s Ward too, which was a great delight.”
Journalist and presenter Bethan Rhys Roberts is to be honoured with the Siân Phillips Award – presented to a Welsh individual who has made significant contributions to film and/or television.
Bangor-born, her varied work has been guided by purpose-led journalism, taking her across the world, from harrowing war zones in Bosnia and Turkey to refugee camps in Sudan. Bethan co-anchors Newyddion S4C and co-hosted the weekly current affairs programme Wales Live (BBC One Wales), which delved into topical political and social issues.
Previous Siân Phillips Award recipients include actress Rakie Ayola, director Euros Lyn, actor Rhys Ifans, writer Russell T Davies, actor Michael Sheen, actor Ioan Gruffudd, writer/actress/producer Ruth Jones and actor Mark Lewis Jones, recipient of last year’s award.
Bethan Rhys Roberts said: “It is an absolute honour to be given this prestigious award in the name of such an inspirational Welsh and international icon. It is truly humbling and is recognition of the excellence of amazing colleagues and teams I have been privileged to work with, to tell people’s stories in Wales and beyond.
“I hope receiving this will inspire young journalists – especially women – to challenge and to keep searching for the truth.
“In Sudan, I vividly remember one little girl’s face. She followed me around as we were filming. I often wonder what happened to her. For me, seeing children suffering is always the most difficult part of the job. Whatever the circumstances, they are often the first to smile – they make toys out of shrapnel and seem to look for the good when the grown-ups have created conflict and terrible hardship.
“You are driven by the demands of the job – the adrenaline, the need to tell the story and to meet deadlines. That just keeps you focused. It’s when you stop that it can really affect you.”
Lee Walters, BAFTA Cymru Chair, said: “Bethan has, for more than three decades, embodied the highest standards of journalism. In an age of fast-changing media, her work has consistently upheld the vital role of communicating truth with integrity, clarity and fairness.
“Whether reporting on politics, major events or the everyday stories that shape our nation, Bethan has become a trusted voice for audiences across Wales. She is not only a journalist who reports the news, but also someone who helps us to understand it with her authority, warmth and sense of responsibility making her a role model for a new generation of broadcasters.
“Russell has shown the extraordinary power of drama to reflect and shape our culture. His stories have consistently broken new ground and are bold and unforgettable, yet, above all, they are deeply human.
“These stories capture emotional truths that resonate far beyond the screen. He has a unique ability to entertain while also challenging audiences to think, to feel and to see the world (and beyond) differently.”
Staff Reporter
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