BAFTAs viewers vent their fury as they declare Happy Valley was ‘ROBBED’

The 2024 BAFTA Television Awards sparked a social media frenzy, with viewers quick to make their feelings known over the nights big winners, and losers.

Leading the pack this year was the acclaimed BBC police drama Happy Valley, and the hard-hitting Netflix series Top Boy, which received two gongs each.

But some fans were quick to vent their fury that Happy Valley failed to win the Best Drama gong for its third and final series, after coming to and end with a heart-stopping final.

The series, that saw star Sarah Lancashire scoop the Leading Actress gong, was beaten by Top Boy, with many fans quickly complaining it was ‘totally robbed’ of the big prize.

Posts included: ‘Happy Valley was robbed not winning Best Drama series;’

‘Happy Valley absolutely totally and utterly robbed. Be ashamed #BAFTA be very ashamed. Literally incandescent with rage here;’

‘How can that not be the winner Happy Valley! The best ever British TV drama series!!’

Accepting the prize, producer Charles Steel thanked Netflix and the production team for the show. 

Jasmine jumped in to say thank you on stage, saying it is important to stand out. ‘Top Boy you changed my life. We got two,’ she shouted. 

And in a shock, The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki missed out on the Best Supporting Actress gong – in a mark of a disappointing night for the Netflix series which left empty-handed despite eight nominations. 

Top Boy’s Jasmine Jobson picked up the award instead for her incredible role as Jaq.

Accepting her Supporting Actress award, Jasmine, 29, said: ‘Oh my goodness, my dress is making me slide everywhere. I don’t know what to say, I’m so overwhelmed, I was not expecting this.’

Then, sweetly shouting out her niece, she said: ‘My baby girl, Auntie Jasmine did it, I did it! The girl finally brought it home.’

Happy Valley did walk away with two gongs, including Leading Actress for Sarah Lancashire, and the Memorable Moment Award for Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce’s final kitchen showdown. 

Accepting her Best Actress Award Sarah, 59, said: ‘I feel very, very privileged to have been surrounded by these brilliant actors. Thank you to the BBC for giving this very British drama a very British home.’

Sarah beat Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Helena Bonham Carter (Nolly) to win in the Leading Actress category. 

Viewers were also quick to share their confusion as Lorraine Kelly received the BAFTA Special Award for her 40-year career in broadcasting.

Accepting the BAFTA, the TV show host said it was an ‘amazing’ honour and took a moment to thank everyone she had worked with over the years.

‘I never ever take it for granted that so many people trust me with their stories. I would just say don’t pull up the ladder… I just want everyone to have the best opportunities.’

But fans quickly took to X to question why Lorraine had been given the prize.

Tweets included: ‘Who are these viewers who think of Lorraine Kelly as a friend #BAFTATVAwards;’

‘Are Lorraine Kelly’s fans hiding somewhere?? Who are they??’

‘Lorraine getting the Lifetime Acheivement Award?!’

Others were quick to share their thoughts around the ceremony itself, with some branding it ‘cringe and awkward.’

Posts included: ‘I enjoy award shows. But god they’re so cringe and awkward;’

‘I normally love watching the @BAFTAs but there’s just way too much cringey and awkward chatter and not enough celebration of the awards themselves or the programmes/actors/production teams winning them;’

‘The Rob/Romesh combo is so awkward. The silences after each joke are excruciating;’

‘I wish awards shows were just strictly mechanical. The waffling speeches, acceptance speeches, and awkward jokes ruin it.’ 

Happy Valley and Top Boy were the big winners at the ceremony itself, which took place at The Royal Festival Hall in London.

Sarah Lancashire scooped the Leading Actress Award for her iconic role as Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the BBC’s Happy Valley – which follows the dramas of policing in Yorkshire – and broke down on stage accepting the award.

The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki missed out on the Best Supporting Actress gong – in a mark of a disappointing night for the Netflix series which left empty-handed despite eight nominations. 

Elsewhere Timothy Spall won for Best Actor Award on the night for his role in The Sixth Commandment – a true crime series based on the murders of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin. 

Accepting the BAFTA, he joked to viewers to look on IMDB for details of those involved in the show because he hadn’t prepared a speech.

He added: ‘I’m over the moon about this. So often the bridesmaid, today I caught the bouquet.

‘It’s lovely to win. When you keep losing awards you think they’re a load of b*****ks. But acting is a dodgy, shaky and insecure profession that we sometimes congratulate ourselves on. And this is a very old award and it’s a privilege.’

Matthew Macfadyen won the Best Supporting Actor gong for his role in the hugely-popular series Succession.

He scooped the gong – which was presented by Helena Bonham Carter – beating the likes of Amit Shah for Happy Valley and Jak Lowden for Slow Horses.

Elsewhere Strictly Come Dancing won the Best Entertainment Bafta, defeating shows including Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas.

Ted Lasso and West End star Waddingham, 49, could be hilariously seen swigging from a hip flask as the camera cut to her.

Collecting the gong, Strictly host Tess Daly said: ‘We are properly and genuinely overwhelmed. Thank you Bafta for making it worth putting on Spanx on the hottest day of the year. We have been on for 20 years, so this is the best birthday present.’

Strictly also beat Michael McIntyre‘s Big Show and Later with Jools Holland in the Entertainment category. 

The Memorable Moment Award went to Happy Valley for Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce’s final kitchen showdown on BBC One.

They beat the Netflix Beckham documentary where David teases Victoria about her ‘working class’ upbringing and Logan Roy’s death in Succession. 

Also during the ceremony Joe Lycett accepted the Entertainment Performance Award for Late Night Lycett and wore a quirky regal silver outfit on stage. 

Elsewhere Squid Game: The Challenge won the Reality gong, while The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 won the award for Live Event Coverage.

Hannah Waddingham, who co-hosted the contest in Liverpool last year, accepted the trophy.

She said: ‘The week we had this time last year was, I know for everybody here, the most exceptional, stressful week but so fabulous.’

Mawaan Rizwan accepted the Male Performance in a Comedy Programme Award for Juice and looked thrilled as he headed up onto the stage. 

Meanwhile the Female performance in a Comedy Programme Award went to Gbemisola Ikumelo for her role in Black Ops – a BBC series which follows two hapless community support police officers who are unexpectedly recruited into an off-the-books undercover operation.

The Sixth Commandment won the Limited Series Award – which was presented by Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning.

The BBC One show is based on a real-life story about a teacher who is courted by a student, triggering a criminal case. 

Elsewhere hosts Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett accepted the Comedy Entertainment Award onstage. 

Lockerbie on Sky Documentaries won the Bafta for Best Factual Series. The award was presented by Anita Rani.

It looked at the true story of Britain’s deadliest terrorist atrocity and the most fatal terrorist attack on America before 9/11: the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988. 

Mobility on BBC Three – a comedy short about disabled teenagers from Huddersfield – won the Short-Form Bafta, while White Nanny, Black Child won the specialist factual prize.

Casualty won the Soap gong, beating Emmerdale and EastEnders, after Coronation Street was snubbed in the nominations this year. 

Such Brave Girls – which follows a single mother and her two daughters attempt to piece their lives back together after their husband and father leave – won the Scripted Comedy Award.

The show beat Channel 4’s Big Boys and Dreaming Whilst Black on BBC Three.

The Shamima Begum Story on BBC Two won the Current Affairs Award. The show beat the likes of Inside Russia: Traitors And Heroes (Storyville) on BBC Four and  Russell Brand: In Plain Sight (Dispatches) on Channel 4.

Cheltenham Festival Day One won the Sports Coverage Award beating Wimbledon and the Women’s World Cup in the category. 

The Best International Award went to Netflix’s Class Act and the News Coverage gong went to Inside Gaza: Israel And Hamas At War (Channel 4 News).

The Factual Entertainment Award went to Celebrity Race Across The World – a series which follows stars on an epic 10,000km race from Africa to the Arctic.

Awards hosts Rob and Romesh kicked off the ceremony by issuing stern instructions to the star-studded audience.

Beckett said: ‘We are back for a second year as hosts. There were a few mistakes made last year so if you win, we love a good acceptance speech – but keep it tight.’

Ranganathan added: ‘Actually don’t say anything at all. Producers, you can come up to the stage if you must, but please stand at the back and let the famous people talk.

‘To the actors, it’s impossible to ‘fall in love with a script’ – you read it, you liked it and thought it would make you some money.’

Beckett continued: ‘If you have got to make a political point, remember we have got to follow you – so keep it light.’

The Single Documentary gong went to Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family on ITV.

As she accepted the award, Ellie said she hadn’t planned anything to say, but started by thanking both her adoptive and birth parents.

‘I don’t know if you’ve watched it, but I cry a lot,’ she added as she thanked a number of her team members.’If you want to adopt, adopt different disabilities,’ she said.