Record Haul for Sky at British Academy Television Awards

Sky collected five BAFTAs at the May 12 British Academy Television Awards.

• Comedy Entertainment Program
  'A League of Their Own' David Taylor, Jack Shillaker, Ish Kalia, Murray Boland – CPL Productions / Sky One
• Mini-series
  'Patrick Melrose' Production Team – Two Cities / SunnyMarch TV / Little Island Productions / Sky Atlantic
• Scripted Comedy
  'Sally4Ever' Production Team – Various Artists / Hush Ho Productions / Sky Atlantic
• International
  'Succession' Production Team – HBO Entertainment / Project Zeus / Gary Sanchez Productions / Sky Atlantic
• Leading Actor
  Benedict Cumberbatch 'Patrick Melrose' – Two Cities / SunnyMarch TV / Little Island Productions / Sky Atlantic

In a record haul for the company, Sky collected awards for three of its Sky originals. Benedict Cumberbatch triumphed in the leading actor category for Patrick Melrose; the Sky original drama also took home the BAFTA for Mini-Series.

The Sky original comedy Sally4Ever won the award for Scripted Comedy and A League of Their Own won for Comedy Entertainment program.

The HBO drama Succession took home the International award, demonstrating Sky’s continuing commitment to bring its viewers the very best in US content.

At the ceremony, Sky Arts presenter and broadcaster Joan Bakewell was honored with the BAFTA Fellowship.  Sky was also recognized at this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Awards last month, picking up two further awards for Patrick Melrose (Writer: Drama, David Nicholls; Production Design). These accolades together makes 2019 Sky’s most decorated year for BAFTA-winning content.

Zai Bennett, Director of Programs, Sky UK and Ireland, said: “With five BAFTA awards it’s been a record year for Sky. Our success is testament to those in the creative industries whose storytelling we have helped nurture and support. I’d like to thank the British Academy for recognizing excellence in our Sky originals and most importantly our viewers, whose appetite for series like Patrick Melrose, Sally4Ever and A League Of Their Own continues to go from strength to strength.”

Sky received 16 nominations for BAFTA awards in 2019 (six nominations for BAFTA Television Craft Awards and 10 nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards) for shows including A League of Their Own, Britannia, Patrick Melrose, Sally4Ever, Save Me and Succession, as well as a nomination in the Sport category for Sky Sports Cricket.

This awards season has seen a record number of wins and nominations for Sky’s original content including three Royal Television Society Programme Awards (Arts, The Art of Drumming; Drama Series, Save Me; Writer - Drama, Lennie James for Save Me).

Sky continues to invest in the cultural economy of the UK and Ireland with the very best original content, spanning drama, comedy and entertainment. Highlights on screen in May include Chernobyl, a co-production with HBO, which in the last week has received five-star reviews from The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Independent, among others. Viewers will also be able to catch Julia Stiles reprise her role as the glamorous Georgina Clios in the returning Sky original drama Riviera. Later this year viewers can look forward to Catherine the Great starring Helen Mirren, Temple starring Mark Strong, and comedy Brassic, written by and starring Joe Gilgun, as well as a second series of In the Long Run created by and starring Idris Elba.

Read the full release here.