Michaela Coel came out as the big winner at the Bafta TV Awards 2021 - taking home the Leading Actress award Sunday for her show "I May Destroy You." It won the miniseries category.
Hosted by comedian Richard Ayoade, some nominees attended the event at London's Television Centre and following COVID-19 health protocols, while others accepted awards remotely.
This isn't the first time Coel won for "I May Destroy You." According to the BBC, she was honored for "creating, writing, directing, starring in and executive producing" the series at the Bafta TV Craft Awards May 24.
The 12-part drama is about a woman who tries to remember and comes to terms with a sexual assault. This story is said to be inspired by an incident that happened to Coel.
In her acceptance speech, via Entertainment Weekly, she praised the series' intimacy coach, Ita O'Brien, for letting her make a show about "exploitation, loss of respect and abuse of power without being exploited or abused in the process."
She dedicated the award to the show's staff and crew - who she called the "unsung heroes" who were behind everything viewers "see, hear and feel."
The Best Actor award went to "Normal People's" Paul Mescal. Diversity then got Virgin Media's Must-See Moments, voted by the public, despite the group's most-complained stint on Britain's Got Talent, reflecting George Floyd's killing and the Black Lives Matter movement. Ashley Banjo said their victory wasn't an award only.
"This is what change looks like...So thank you all so, so much," he said. "Let's keep having difficult conversations. Let's keep standing up for what's right, regardless of the color of our skin and we will achieve that equality."
Elsewhere, Aimee Lou Wood didn't expect to win the Female Performance in a Comedy Program for her role as Aimee Gibbs in Netflix's "Sex Education," according to Metro.
It was a big surprise for the 26-year-old star when Tom Allen and Rob Beckett called her the big winner, saying "What the hell?!" as she took the stage.
Other big winners are Charlie Cooper for Male Performance in a Comedy Program, Malachi Kirby for Supporting Actor, Rakie Ayola for Supporting Actress, and many more.
