BAFTA TV Craft Awards: This Is Going to Hurt leads winners as Heartstopper and Big Boys lose out
Heartstopper’s Alice Osman (L) and Big Boys’ Jack Rooke (R) at BAFTA Craft Awards. (Getty)
Heartstopper and Big Boys lost out at the BAFTA Craft Awards as House of the Dragon and This is Going to Hurt swept the board.
The BAFTA Television Craft Awards celebrate the very best behind-the-scenes television talent, with major categories ranging from Best Writing to Best Production Design.
In the lead up to the Emmys, creators from 2022’s best shows attended in the hope of winning – with Alice Oseman in the running for Best Writer (Drama) for the Netflix adaptation of her coming of age LGBTQ+ comedy-drama Heartstopper.
On Sunday (23 April), Oseman lost out to Adam Kay for his hard-hitting biographical NHS drama This Is Going to Hurt.
Although she didn’t win, the best-selling author took to Instagram to celebrate the nomination, writing: “Very very very honoured to have been nominated for a BAFTA for Heartstopper!!!
“As you can see I was very excited to be there tonight.”
Fans shared their gratitude to the author, with one fan tweeting: “Alice is still a winner in our hearts and souls.
“And what important is what a big impact the show was on us and their writing is so impactful for our community and it saved lives. LIVES. This is what [is] important, but not some prize.”
Meanwhile, Jack Rooke, the creator of witty and touching gay student comedy Big Boys was nominated for Best Writer (Comedy), but lost out to Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee in her first BAFTA win.
Emerging Talent (Fiction) was snapped up by Somewhere Boy‘s Pete Jackson.
Finally, LGBTQ+ favourite The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman and featuring a range of queer characters and storylines, lost out on its only award nomination from the night – Special, Visual and Graphic Effects – to House of the Dragon.
Despite the losses, there were also some wins for the LGBTQ+ community. Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt won three out of four awards it was nominated for, including Scripted Casting and Editing (Fiction). Based on Kay’s bestselling book of the same name, it explores the trials of a gay junior doctor working in the NHS.
“Such an important story! Very deserved win congrats,” one person wrote. While another added: “Thank you for showing our real working life and highlighting suicide amongst doctors. It was a very hard watch but fantastic.”
As Adam Kay gracefully put it after his win: “Bloody hell.”
Elsewhere, House of the Dragon won big, taking home all three awards it was nominated for, including Makeup and Hair Design, Sound and Special, Visual and Graphic Effects
The HBO Game of Thrones prequel, starring non-binary actor Emma D’Arcy in the lead role as Rhaenyra Targaryen, premiered in August 2022 and has been confirmed for a second season.
The main BAFTA TV Awards 2023 will take place on 14 May with Heartstopper, Big Boys and This Is Going To Hurt all up for awards again.
Nick and Charlie’s first kiss scene from Heartstopper has been nominated for Memorable Moment, alongside the “Running Up That Hill” scene in Stranger Things and the Derry Girls finale.
