For the last few months, we have been running a poll on this fansite :
Should Nicola Walker be nominated for a BAFTA* for her exemplary work in Spooks Series 9?
- 92% of you said, Yes, absolutely!
- 7% of you said, No, it was good work, but not good enough for a BAFTA yet.
- 1% asked, What’s a BAFTA?
(A big THANK YOU to everyone who cast a vote in this Poll!)
The 2011 BAFTA Television Awards nominees were announced on 26 April 2011. Nicola was not named as one of the nominees. There could be several reasons for this :
- No entry was submitted for consideration by or on behalf of Nicola for Spooks Series 9
- An entry was submitted for consideration by or on behalf of Nicola but it did not make the shortlist in the relevant category announced today.
To be up for consideration for a BAFTA in the performance category, an entry must be submitted by the actor/actress in question, or someone on his/her behalf, such as a Director or the production company. Whilst it is possible for a BAFTA member to originate the nomination process, this is rarely done, except perhaps in the case of the Fellowship (i.e. Lifetime Achievement) Award. These nominations are not generated by fans. For Nicola, she would have been eligible for a nomination in either the Lead Actress or Supporting Actress categories for Spooks Series 9. Unlike the Emmy Awards in the US, the TV BAFTAs do not have a category which rewards excellence as a guest performer in either a Drama or Comedy series. So Nicola’s guest appearances in Luther and Being Human would not have been eligible for consideration. As for her guest appearance in Law & Order : UK, that episode was broadcast in the UK on 21 March 2011, i.e. after the deadline was closed on 28 February 2011, so even if there was a category for guest performances, it would not have been eligible for consideration.
Although the BAFTA rules say that there is no entry fee for the performance categories (there is a small fee payable for submitting entries in the production categories), performers and production companies must still incur considerable expense in mounting a BAFTA campaign, from the production of copies of the submitted episodes to the BAFTA voters for consideration, meeting and greeting the voters to solicit votes, to attending the actual ceremony, dressed to the nines.
Whilst it would have been nice if Nicola did receive a nomination for her work in Spooks Series 9, we have to remember that there are many, many talented British actors and actresses who have never been nominated, or have been nominated but didn’t win an award. As long as Nicola continues to be gainfully employed, us fans would be happy for the chance to watch her on screen or listen to her dulcet tones via audio programmes.
To understand more about the BAFTA nomination and voting process, you can download a copy of the Rules and Guidelines for the British Academy Television Awards HERE.
You can view a full list of the nominees HERE.
The winners will be announced at a gala event to be held on 22nd May 2011. This event is usually televised live on British TV on the day.
*BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and Television Arts
You make it sound like its all about money! Surely there’s more to getting a BAFTA nomination/award than just $$$ considerations?!
You’re right, Elaine, its not all about the money. I’m sure there are many other factors which influence an actor’s decision as to whether or not an entry should be submitted. The point is, its not up to the fans, or popular opinion, to decide who gets a nomination and/or award. So as much as we are disappointed that there is no nomination for Nicola, we have to respect the BAFTA rules and exercise restraint in voicing our disappointment. 🙂
Shame there’s no repeat of last year’s nomination for Spooks in the Drama Series category either… perhaps this will be remedied next year though if S10 lives up to expectations!
The fact that there is no nomination this year means that none of the cast will dress up and walk the red carpet to attend the award ceremony 🙁 . It was fun watching Peter Firth and Nicola Walker walk the red carpet last year! As for next year, its kind of rare for a production company to spend money (which they don’t have) in order to mount a BAFTA campaign, especially for a show which is already 10 years old. But one can live in hope 🙂 .
Well, presumably Kudos spent the money last year to get it nominated, perhaps they will again, especially if it’s the final series. Personally I’d prefer they spent whatever budget they have set aside for Spooks on the show rather than running for a BAFTA, but then the actors may think differently! Who knows?
BTW, your red carpet experience last year must have been fun – expect you’re especially glad you went as there won’t be a repeat this year!
I didn’t go last year. Apologies if my previous comments gave you the wrong impression :). A good friend of mine did go and her short video clip of Peter and Nicola on the red carpet is available on YouTube.
Ah ok, I see – I expect your friend’s glad she went then (and took the video clip)!
Oh yes, and she got a pic with Peter Firth which she uses as her Twitter pic! She’s @meegat who runs the Peter Firth fansite.
Cool, worth the trip up from Penzance then!
Hope someone did something about Luther that aired during the qualifying period I believe for Emmys. Not sure of category related to it airing on cable channel, but cable has trounced the networks in recent years. Still, not sure of the dates. LOUK performance was good but not as dramatic or unexpected as Luther, so I hope it gets a nod here somewhere in U.S. I know the submission process just closed. I remember when Upstairs Downstairs did so well with Emmys (original version).
There is no category within the Emmy Awards where Nicola’s guest performance in Luther can be considered. Besides, its far more costly to mount an Emmy campaign than a BAFTA campaign. If they had any spare cash in this regard, I would have thought that they’d spend it on pushing for a nomination for the star of the show, Idris Elba, who has a much higher profile in the US on account of the HBO series, The Wire, than any of the guest stars in Luther.