British actor Phil Davis says he has resigned his membership from BAFTA in the wake of Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards which he called “an embarrassing travesty.”
In a Twitter post, Davis, who was a Supporting Actor BAFTA nominee for his role in Mike Leigh’s 2004 Vera Drake, wrote, “The BAFTA awards were an embarrassing travesty. Cutting deserving winners speeches for toe curling non interviews. Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbens in memorium. I resigned my membership”
His comments came following Sunday’s ceremony which has received criticism. Inside the Royal Festival Hall, the show hit a lull after around the two-hour mark, with talent interviews appearing to pad out proceedings in order to sync up with the BBC One broadcast so that the final four categories could be aired live. Some categories and acceptance speeches were condensed for the broadcast. There has also been criticism of a lack of diversity amongst winners. A group picture of all the laureates appeared to feature just a single Black person: Alison Hammond, who co-hosted the BAFTAs with Richard E Grant. Deadline has reached out to BAFTA for comment.
Davis’ many credits also include features Quadrophenia, High Hopes, Secrets & Lies and In the Name of the Father as well as TV series Doctor Who, Sherlock, Poldark, Riviera, Trying and the latest season of Slow Horses.
His reference to late Doctor Who actor Bernard Cribbins, a BAFTA Film Award nominee for 1970’s The Railway Children, came as Cribbins was not included in the In Memoriam segment of Sunday’s show. This too sparked the ire of Doctor Who show runner Russell T Davies.
BAFTA later said that Cribbins would be remembered at the TV Awards in May, according to The Independent.