Bafta viewers were left baffled after Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Joan Plowright were left out of the In Memoriam tribute.
The star-studded Bafta TV Awards were held at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s South Bank Centre on Sunday and an edited version was later shown on BBC One, hosted by actor Alan Cumming.
Harry Potter and Downton Abbey actress Smith died aged 89 last September and Enchanted April star Plowright passed away aged 95 in January.
The In Memorian section, which pays tribute to prominent actors, presenters and other esteemed figures who have died in the past year, failed to mention the two beloved stars in their list.
Famous faces like TV doctor Michael Moseley, EastEnders star Roberta Taylor, Going for Gold host Henry Kelly, Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne, and Dr Kildare actor Richard Chamberlain were honoured in the emotional segment, set to a performance by French violinist Esther Abrami to the song Apple Tree.
Coronation Street actor Timothy West and Man About the House star Brian Murphy were also commemorated in the section.
The reason Smith and Plowright were excluded from the list was because they had received special tributes at the Bafta Film Awards’ In Memorian segment in February.
Actors who are best known for television are usually honoured at the TV Awards, while stars who are more aligned with film are celebrated at the Film Awards.
Viewers at home were confused by the omission nonetheless, with one raging on X: “No Maggie Smith?? Feels like quite an oversight.”
Another added “They left out Dame Maggie Smith from the list of those who died during the last year. DISGUSTING. SHAME on you.”
“Bafta TV Awards snubbed Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright, even if they are know mostly for film/theatre,” a third posted.
Viewers also got to see their favourite shows pick up accolades during the awards ceremony.
Jeff Goldblum performs a moving piano tribute during the In Memoriam portion of the #BAFTAs #BAFTA2025 #BAFTAFilmAwards pic.twitter.com/fIEVCcfUMp
— 𝙲𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚊 𝙱𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚝 (@CinemaBurst) February 16, 2025
Baby Reindeer snapped up a win, with Jessica Gunning earning the best supporting actress prize for playing a stalker in the hit Netflix series.
The Bafta for limited drama was awarded to ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which has renewed public attention on the subpostmasters who fought to clear their names in the wake of the Horizon scandal.
The best supporting actor prize went to Ariyon Bakare for the BBC LGBT+ drama Mr Loverman, based on the Bernardine Evaristo novel of the same name.
In the comedy performance categories former EastEnders star Danny Dyer won for Sky’s Mr Bigstuff, with Welsh actress Ruth Jones winning for her role playing Vanessa Shanessa “Nessa” Jenkins in the Gavin And Stacey finale.
