Danny Dyer’s Bafta acceptance speech was too sweary for TV – but that didn’t stop him from delivering a heartfelt and hilarious message after winning Best Male Performance in a Comedy.
The EastEnders icon scooped the award for his role as Lee in Sky’s Mr Bigstuff, and while a toned-down version of his speech aired on BBC One, the real, expletive-laden version was reserved for those in the audience.
Taking to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall, Dyer started by poking fun at himself: “The acting was so bad it was funny,” before thanking his family and calling co-star Ryan Sampson “the best thing to come out of Rotherham.”
Despite being warned earlier about the Bafta rules, an emotional Dyer let rip with several F-bombs, which left the majority of his speech on the cutting room floor.
The 47-year-old said: “I want to thank Sky for giving our show a shot. F***ing hell, I’m choked up”.
Dyer then praised Sampson again, saying: “One of the best actors this country’s ever produced, I’m telling you. Never done the same thing twice. Which is not something I can say.
“He wrote this part for me, so you know… I’m getting choked up again, f**k me. So you won this for me, mate, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.”
The Rivals actor ended the speech by shouting out his daughters, Dani, 28, and Sunnie, 18, who were watching from the audience: “Girls, Sunnie and Dani… I’ve done it, girls, I’ve f**king done it!”
Presenter Alan Cumming was quick to apologise for the “naughty language” as Dyer left the stage, Bafta in hand.
Backstage, Dyer was still buzzing, telling press he wasn’t expecting to win and joked: ‘Oh, there’ll be some people fuming!
“I don’t know, man. I’ve earned it. I only want one; I don’t need more than this. I’m happy. I’ve lifted a couple of NTAs over the years, and I always like to win awards and lose them, do the moody clap [pretending] that you’re happy for someone else… I’ve done all that b******s, and I thought I’d be doing that tonight.
Reflecting on his recent success, with both Mr Bigstuff and Rivals, he added: “I’ve had a really good run this year. Rivals has been so well received.
“A bit odd, really. I’ve got Rivals sitting there, and I’ve got Mr Bigstuff there. I’ve made it.”
Dyer beat strong contenders including Bilal Hasna (Extraordinary), Dylan Thomas-Smith (G’wed), Nabhaan Rizwan (Kaos), Oliver Savell (Changing Ends), and Phil Dunning (Smoggie Queens) to nab the Bafta.
Other Bafta winners on the night included Mr Bates vs The Post Office for Best Limited Drama, Marisa Abela scooped Best Leading Actress for her role in Industry while Mr Loverman stars Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare won Best Leading and Supporting Actor, and EastEnders, which claimed Best Soap.
