Davies ‘fury’ as Doctor Who costumes snubbed by Bafta

Published Tuesday 11 April 2006 at 09:35 by Liz Thomas

Doctor Who has missed out on nominations for its costume, make-up and special effects at the Bafta Craft Awards, a result that will anger creator Russell T Davies, who recently hit out at the “snobbery” surrounding the awards system.

The writer, who is credited with helping revive Saturday night family viewing, said that the industry found it easier to pick out the craft in period productions rather than science fiction.

Speaking out during a podcast for a national newspaper, he said “You watch a Charles Dickens adaptation and you’re clapping [at] all those antique lace collars but if you watch a bird woman from the 57th century you don’t imagine that someone put two weeks’ thought and work into it.”

He added that situation made him angry. “There’s nothing that you can do about it and it always sounds a bit stupid raging about awards, they don’t matter in the end - but if our design, costume, make-up and effects departments aren’t nominated I will be furious.”

BBC and Channel 4 historical productions To The Ends of The Earth, Elizabeth I, Bleak House and The Queen’s Sister have all been nominated in the category for costume design. Bleak House, Casanova, Elizabeth I and BBC comedy Help are nominated in the make-up and hair category while docu-dramas Hiroshima, and Supervolcano are battling BBC2 epic Rome and Walking with Monsters.