BAFTA TV Awards

Last night was the BAFTA TV Awards. As you should know if you follow this blog anything like regularly (or if you read it once during February/March) you'll know I love awards! The TV BAFTAs are great because they celebrate British TV, unlike the BAFTA film awards which celebrate a lot of American films as well, generally the only American or foreign programmes that are nominated for the BAFTA TV awards are in the International or Audience Award category.

Graham Norton is a fabulous host. Serious isn't his style, his dry wit and sarcasm are always something I personally enjoy! He isn't a very gracious loser, losing out twice to Ant & Dec, but he makes us laugh regardless and if there was an award for Sassiest Host he'd win every time.

There were some very very worthy winners last night, highlights for me were Olivia Colman winning Best Leading Actress. She is just fantastic. I was also very pleased to see Katherine Parkinson and Richard Ayoade both win for The IT Crowd, I loved that show and I thought they really deserved it.
I have to admit I was also very happy when Gogglebox won Best Reality and Constructed Factual, Gogglebox started out as a guilty pleasure and now I watch it every week. I don't know why, it's just great!

What was surprising though, is that BBC1 only got two awards, BBC2 got none, but BBC3 also received two. I'm sure it'll raise some debate that if BBC3's original programming is winning BAFTAs, why is it being axed from TV. I know the audience is younger and therefore accessing iPlayer is much more commonplace than say those who watch BBC4, but, the budget being reduced should definitely be questioned!

Image from bafta.org

The TV BAFTAs marks the last big awards show now, which is sad, but there's lots of great TV to be watching, so it's OK!

Locke

On paper, Steven Knight's Locke doesn't sound like one of the best films of the year (so far), but that is, in my opinion, exactly what it is. The basic plot is that Ivan Locke, a well respected construction manager, see's his life unravel in the space of a 90-minute car journey from somewhere around Birmingham to London. What makes the film so unique is the fact that there is only one face in the entire movie, Locke himself (Tom Hardy). That is why it doesn't instantly leap out as a gripping emotional thriller, but it is.

Tom Hardy keeps all eyes firmly on the screen, giving an undeniably brilliant performance. Every emotion, every twist and turn that his life makes on the journey, you are right there with him. Surely, realism at its most real. The rest of the small cast is made up through voices only, and although they aren't unknown actors (Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, and Ruth Wilson are the bigger names in the small voice cast) so putting a face to a voice isn't hard, the fact we only see Locke is what makes the film so special.

The visuals are not dull either, as could have easily been the case on a nighttime drive across English motorways. The cinematography is kept interesting, with different angles and styles created with the motorway lights. I was also pleased that, while there was some obvious product placement, it wasn't a 90-minute advert for BMW either.

What this film is, is a film that deserves a great deal of recognition for being brave and taking a risk that really paid off. I highly recommend Locke.