On 12 May, the usual array of stars gathered for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. But this year, beyond the glitz, some stars used the platform to highlight important political messages.
“They did tell me not to say it…”
In June 2018, EastEnders star Danny Dyer perfectly captured the feelings of many people when he questioned the “mad riddle” of Brexit. He also called former PM David Cameron a “twat“. And with no end in sight to Brexit chaos, Dyer’s sharp analysis is the gift that keeps on giving.
Asked to present the ‘Must See TV Moment’ award alongside Holly Willoughby, Dyer asked if he’d been nominated. As Willoughby replied “no”, Dyer responded:
I should have been nominated for calling Cameron a t***, but we’ll let it go. We’ll let it go for now. They did tell me not to say it
Dyer clearly spoke for many people. Some called him a “working class hero”:
https://twitter.com/RachelBroady/status/1127694649454469120
Others, meanwhile, suggested he deserves a knighthood:
Knighthood for this chap please
"Danny Dyer called David Cameron a 't***' onstage at the BAFTAs" https://t.co/ln4iJvOwzQ
— Navdeep Singh Rajwanshi (@TheGameVeda) May 13, 2019
Because Cameron’s actions won’t ever be forgotten:
Danny Dyer is right though, David Cameron is a twat. He ran away from office when the vote didn’t go the way he wanted and to me he will always be that coward who ran away.
— Dr Bloo (@Doctor_Bloo) May 13, 2019
Best dressed
Although much of the corporate media went into a frenzy over who wore what on the red carpet, there was a clear winner this year. Daisy May Cooper stole the show.
Instead of spending a fortune on an expensive designer dress, she wore bin bags. Her full-length gown, strewn with rubbish, was made by her mother and friends. When asked by the BBC what she was wearing, Miller said:
I am wearing 60-litre bin bags… There is a reason behind it… I thought rather than spending money on a dress this year, I’d donate it to a local foodbank.
🗑 “Who are you wearing?”… “My mum…” There’s a good reason behind Daisy May Cooper from #ThisCountry’s #BAFTATV outfit. pic.twitter.com/OjVcjaj13a
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) May 12, 2019
Many people celebrated Cooper’s iconic dress and political statement:
Be the Daisy May Cooper you need to see in the world https://t.co/EZdLnJ1VOA
— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) May 12, 2019
the fact that daisy may cooper turned up to #baftatv in a bin bag dress made by her mum and donated what she would have spent on a dress to a food bank… the definition of iconic pic.twitter.com/yKW1VoX55l
— liv 🌹 (@ahumanmoon) May 12, 2019
We have a lot of love for #DaisyMayCooper this morning: last night at the #BAFTAs she rocked a dress made from bin bags and rubbish so she could donate the cost of a real dress to a local food bank. #respect #foodwaste #EatGood #DoGood @FareShareUK https://t.co/RQYKesVyX5 pic.twitter.com/PCmuntS0o2
— Honestcrustfood (@honestcrustfood) May 13, 2019
Undercover
The other stand-out moment at this year’s BAFTAs was Channel 4 News winning an award for its undercover work on the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
In March 2018, the Observer revealed that the data analytics company employed by Donald Trump’s election campaign, and allegedly by Brexit campaign Leave.EU, ‘harvested’ millions of Facebook profiles. A Channel 4 News feature further exposed the dealings of the company. Alexander Nix, head of Cambridge Analytica, allegedly offered to discredit political rivals, arrange smear campaigns, and use sex workers to entrap political opponents.
So the award was well-deserved:
Congrats to everyone @Channel4News for our @BAFTA win tonight and thanks and huge respect to @chrisinsilico everyone at the @ObserverUK & @nytimes but massive respect and love to our undercover team pic.twitter.com/nJR891Lx0g
— Ben de Pear (@bendepear) May 12, 2019
Christopher Wylie, one of the key whistleblowers who helped break the scandal, also celebrated the award:
https://twitter.com/chrisinsilico/status/1127828714786414592
Since Trump took power in the US, actors have increasingly used the Oscars and Golden Globes as a political platform. This year, several UK actors seemed to follow this trend. It’s timely, much needed, and really does show who the real stars are.
Featured images via YouTube – PeterDltd / Twitter – Dan Wootton
