EASTENDERS TO RECIEVE BAFTA TV CRAFT SPECIAL AWARD, STACEY DOOLEY RETURNS TO HOST CEREMONY

BAFTA has today announced that EastEnders are the recipients of this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Special Award; one of the highest honours bestowed by the academy.

In the year that EastEnders celebrated 40 years on screen, the award will honour the show’s long-term commitment to nurturing new talent through their production process, which has enabled the development of many of the UK and international film and television industry’s top behind the camera talents.

The show has a rich history of identifying, investing in and nurturing new talent through a variety of trainee schemes. Starting in 2015, it participated in the BBC’s Continuing New Directors’ Training Scheme, whilst in 2021 it demonstrated its commitment to addressing the chronic underrepresentation of talent from minority groups in the field of directing, by partnering with Directors UK on the Diversity Director Training Scheme.

In the past year, it has also launched three new talent schemes: the Writers Studio, Ascend Acting Workshops and the Multi-Camera Directing Course.

Additionally, EastEnders offered further opportunities through its WEBBY winning spin-off EastEnders: E20 (2010) with credits including future BAFTA-winning writer Nicôle Lecky, writer and actress Emer Kenny, and actor Tosin Cole (Doctor Who, Supacell), all of whom worked on the show at the beginning of their careers.

EastEnders was the first programme to test a carbon calculator to measure a production's carbon footprint. Its pioneering role in sustainability is one of the inspirations behind the name of BAFTA albert's carbon footprint calculator, named after EastEnders' Albert Square.

The iconic British soap is known for its pool of talent behind the camera, attracting some of the best talent in the industry.

Previous names that have worked on EastEnders include director, Tom Hooper, who has since gone on to win a plethora of awards including an Academy Award for his work on The King’s Speech, BAFTA-winning writer Sarah Phelps (The Sixth Commandment), Executive Producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins (2013 – 2016) who has since gone on to produce hit shows including Rivals and A Very English Scandal, and Sumerah Srivastav who worked her way up to writer from researcher at EastEnders, with recent notable credits including Missing You, Manifest and Lupin.

The BAFTA Special Award will be presented to EastEnders during the BAFTA Television Craft Awards ceremony on Sunday 27 April. This year’s Craft Awards will return to The Brewery and will welcome back award-winning TV presenter Stacey Dooley as host for the second time.

Charlotte Moore, Outgoing Chief Content Officer at BBC added: “We are thrilled that BAFTA has awarded EastEnders with the Television Craft Special Award. It’s a testament to all those working behind the scenes who produce a continuing drama that has entertained the nation for over 40 years. The show has nurtured, trained, and produced some of the best talent within the industry, with many still working there, and, as an industry, we should be very grateful for what the show produces both on and off screen.”

Kate Oates, Head of Drama Productions at BBC Studios said: “On behalf of everyone at EastEnders we are absolutely delighted and honoured to receive the BAFTA Television Craft Award Special in our 40th anniversary year.  EastEnders and BBC Studios have a proud tradition of training new talent and broadening existing skillsets, and you only have to look at the industry to discover just how many individuals, who are now at the top of their game within their specific fields, started or spent some of their careers at EastEnders, as well as those who still work on the show today.”

Hilary Rosen, BAFTA Television Committee Chair, said: “EastEnders is a towering force in British television - an era-defining soap that has captivated audiences for over 40 years. What makes it even more remarkable is the work it does behind the camera, tireless dedication to nurturing fresh talent, championing underrepresented voices, and fuelling the engine at the heart of our industry. So many of today’s leading creatives got their start through this production, and its legacy continues to help shape the future generations of writers, directors, and producers. We’re thrilled to honour EastEnders and its powerful off-screen impact at this year's BAFTA Television Craft Awards with this Special Award.”

Previous recipients of the BAFTA Television Craft Special Award include: MAMA Youth Project, Production Head Alison Barnett; gateway organisation for deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent people in the arts, TripleC; joint founding directors of The Farm Group, Nicky Sargent & Vikki Dunn; script supervisor Emma Thomas; the production team behind Game of Thrones; prop-master Bobby Warans; and casting director Nina Gold.