ITV’s Take That defeats dramas at Bafta Craft Awards

Published Monday 23 April 2007 at 11:40 by Matthew Hemley

Costume dramas lost out to Take That at the Bafta Craft Awards last night as the boy band’s An Audience With Take That… Live! became the first non-drama ever to walk away with one of the prestigious awards.

The ITV show won the award for production design, beating competition from the BBC’s Jane Eyre, Life on Mars and Channel 4’s Longford.

However, Longford was triumphant in other categories, with Peter Morgan picking up an award for best writer, seeing off competition from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s Extras, Matthew Graham’s Life on Mars and Frank Deasy’s Prime Suspect: The Final Act. The programme also won in the editing fiction section.

In the director category, Edmund Coulthard took home the Bafta for BBC thriller Soundproof, beating rivals Life on Mars, Longford and Low Winter Sun.

Meanwhile, the award for breakthrough talent went to Shoot the Messenger writer Sharon Foster, who was up against competition from Neil Biswas, the writer and director of Bradford Riots, Fear of Fanny writer Brian Ellis and Guys and Dolls producer Nick Holt.

Shoot the Messenger also won in the photography and lighting fiction/entertainment category.

Costume drama fared well in the hair and make-up awards, with Anne Oldham recognised for the BBC’s Jane Eyre and Amy Roberts for her costume designs in The Virgin Queen.

Elsewhere, Prime Suspect picked up an award in the original television music category and Sky’s adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather won for its visual effects.

The Bafta Craft Awards were held at the Dorchester Hotel in London and hosted by Jon Snow. Presenters included Emilia Fox, Martin Freeman and David Jason.

For a full list of winners, visit www.bafta.org/site/page132.html