When working class access to the arts has never been more difficult, the abundance of Merseyside talent at the BAFTAs is something to celebrate, writes Ryan Paton
“The British are coming”, is how the late, great Colin Welland ended his famous Academy Award winning speech in 1982. The Liverpool-born scriptwriter had just won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his part in writing the iconic sports drama, Chariots of Fire.
As he held the prestigious statue in Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Welland seized the opportunity to fire a warning sign to Hollywood on how British cinema was entering a new golden age. It was hard not to think back to his words earlier this week when I read the nominations for the upcoming BAFTA TV awards.
The challenges faced by the arts are well known, as recent figures showed working class representation in British television is at its lowest ever level. But, despite this increasingly difficult climate, a group of creatives from Merseyside are fighting against the tide to ensure their voices are heard on the national stage.
It was a proud moment for our region as you looked through the many nominations to find an abundance of Merseyside talent. The critical darling Adolescence continued its dominance over the award season as the powerful Netflix drama received a whopping 11 nominations.
The four part show has reshaped the discourse in British society about how we raise our children and it was good to see the Scouse heartbeat deservedly recognised for its part in bringing the story to life. Kirkby’s Stephen Graham and Tuebrook’s Christine Tremarco are up for the Best Actor and Best Actress prizes respectively for their roles as the distraught Miller parents, whose ordinary lives have been turned upside down after their son has murdered a fellow pupil.
Stephen has come a long way since he was inspired to pursue a career in acting after renting some films from L32’s Quarry Green video shop. From humble beginnings, he is now aiming to complete a prestigious set by adding a BAFTA to his Emmy and Golden Globe prizes.
However, he’s got some Liverpool compatriots standing in his way in the most stacked Scouse category of the lot. Liverpool has become a hub for film and television production over recent years as we’re now got the most filmed city in the UK outside of London.
It’s good to see this is now bearing fruit as the city is now home to one of the BBC’s prestige dramas, This City Is Ours. The Liverpool crime show is up for the prize of Best Drama and lead star, James Nelson-Joyce, is up against his mentor Stephen in the Best Actor category.
The 36-year-old from Walton has proven his leading man credentials in the past 12 months and this nomination is the icing on the cake as he was privileged to be nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in TV. On Instagram, he said: “I never thought I’d be able to say I’m nominated for a BAFTA…..Looks like I’ll have to dust the suit off.”
James has spoken many times about his working class identity and how it’s something he is deeply proud of that has defined his path in the notoriously difficult TV industry. He told us last year: “We’re not the most privileged city in the world when it comes to finances, but culturally I’d say we are the most privileged.
“There is a beauty of Liverpool where we have a freedom to express ourselves and be unapologetic for our views. There’s also a flipside to that as I love it when I’m home and you’re kept in check. You could never step out of place and anybody who does step out of place is quickly told. Maybe I’m just biased, but I feel proud and lucky to be where I’m from.”
Another of Walton’s finest is nominated in the same category, as Ellis Howard has been recognised for his incredible performance in the groundbreaking drama, What It Feels Like For A Girl. The series is adapted from Paris Lees’ coming of age memoir and Ellis received universal acclaim for the role as a queer teen grappling with gender identity.
It was a proud moment for the actor when he received his nomination as he took to Instagram to reflect on the special nomination. He said: “I’ve been nominated for a bloody BAFTA. Cried my eyes out.
“Thank you so so much to everybody who voted for me. Madness. Mostly thank you Paris Lees and team WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A GIRL. I f*****g love you lot so much.”
While Ellis is at the start of his promising career, the other Merseyside representative is well used to award recognition. Taron Egerton was born in Birkenhead before he moved to North Wales early on in his life.
The 36-year-old already has a Golden Globe in his cabinet for his role as Elton John in Rocketman and has been recognised by BAFTA for his performance in the Apple TV show, Smoke.
That four of the six actors in the Best Actor category at the BAFTAs hail from our region is truly remarkable and a sign of the creative talent that has been fostered here. When working class access to the arts has never been harder, we should take a moment to celebrate that one of the most prestigious awards in television is championing so much talent from Merseyside who are representing our city on the national stage.
To paraphrase Welland’s iconic quote, “The Scousers are coming”. The BAFTA TV Awards will be held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on May 10.
