Bafta viewers were left upset after veteran actor Dame Maggie Smith appeared to have been “snubbed” from the TV Awards’ In Memoriam segment on Sunday (11 May).
The star-studded ceremony was held at the Royal Festival Hall at the South Bank Centre, and an edited version was later broadcast on BBC One, hosted by Traitors US presenter Alan Cumming, who left viewers divided with his presenting skills.
A full list of the big winners of the night, including Marisa Abela (Industry), Lennie James (Mr Loverman), Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey) and Danny Dyer (Mr Bigstuff), can be found here.
During the ceremony, French violinist Esther Abrami performed the song “Apple Tree”, as tribute was paid to the TV careers of several prominent actors, presenters and other notable figures. Among them were TV doctor and author Michael Moseley, EastEnders and The Bill star Roberta Taylor, Going for Gold host Henry Kelly, Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne, and Dr Kildare and Shogun actor Richard Chamberlain.
Coronation Street actor Timothy West and Man About the House star Brian Murphy were also included after their omission from the Bafta Film Awards earlier this year sparked criticism.
But fans were left unimpressed as they noticed that Downton Abbey and Harry Potter star Smith, and Enchanted April actor Dame Joan Plowright had been missed from the list. However, there was good reason for their exclusion from the segment, as the pair had received special tributes at the Bafta Film Awards In Memoriam segment in February earlier this year.
Actors who are more closely associated with television and known for their TV achievements are usually honoured at the TV event, while those whose roles are more aligned with movies are honoured at the Film Awards.
“No Maggie Smith?? Feels like quite an oversight,” wrote one person on X/Twitter. “They left out Dame Maggie Smith from the list of those who died during the last year. DISGUSTING. SHAME on you,” added another furious viewer.
“Bafta TV Awards snubbed Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright, even if they are know mostly for film/theatre,” wrote another. “They did a lot of TV, especially in the early days when they did plays on TV and period dramas especially Shakespeare. Maggie Smith was in iconic Downton Abbey. Plowright has a Golden Globe and Emmy for TV!”
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Smith died in September 2024, aged 89. In a career spanning 60 years she won two Oscars: for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979. Smith gave life to a host of memorable characters, from Muriel Spark’s passionate Edinburgh girls’ school teacher Jean Brodie, to Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and Violet Crawley in the ITV drama Downton Abbey.
Plowright, who officially retired in 2014 after becoming legally blind, died in January this year. She was best known for her roles in Dennis the Menace, 101 Dalmatians and The Entertainer, as well as Enchanted April, which earned her an Oscar nomination in 1993. The actor was also married to industry veteran Laurence Olivier.
