BAFTA will take back awards given to people found to have acted dishonestly or criminally in the wake of the Huw Edwards scandal.
But the academy, which celebrates broadcasting and the arts in the UK, will not take back any of the seven gongs given to the disgraced broadcaster.
3
3
That is because the organisation has decided it will apply the rule only to awards won in competition from next year.
In September, Edwards was convicted of making indecent images of children and given a suspended sentence. He won seven individual Bafta Cymru awards for presenting between 2002 and 2017.
In an email sent to all Bafta staff yesterday, chairwoman Sara Putt said: “Following the news, deeply complex questions were raised regarding historic awards won by individuals and specifically whether awards won in competition should ever be removed retrospectively.
“Starting in 2025, a forfeiture process will be introduced . . . with specific guidance on what would lead us to consider revoking a competitive award.
“This will include entries rendered ineligible through proven dishonesty, and the rare instance of a winner being convicted of a serious criminal offence resulting in a prison sentence.”
She added: “Our awards span the last 78 years. Where would we reasonably draw the line?
“Would we choose to only look back one, five or 50 years? We agreed it would be impossible to do this properly.
“So we will look forward and apply this criteria to all competitive awards presented from 2025 onwards.
“No solution is perfect and there may be instances where the outcomes of this review are tested in the future.
“So we will review these principles and processes along with our other awards rules every year.”
3
