Prince William has opened a BAFTA segment on climate change praising television writers for raising awareness on green issues and urged them to ‘keep them high up on the agenda of programming’.
The duke appeared as part of a special video address highlighting ‘Planet Placement’, in which shows feature messages about sustainability throughout their ordinary programming.
The clip detailed how the ‘planet is on fire’, before he shared his hope that programme-makers will do more to prioritise environmental issues.
But William also praised the ‘innovative’ and ’emotive’ messages that are now being written into television shows to help raise awareness of climate change and persuade audiences to actively want to save the planet.
In the address, he said: ‘Now more than ever, programme makers have a unique opportunity to ensure climate change and sustainability remain at the forefront of our collective consciousness.
‘By creating innovative, educational and emotive content for television, writers and producers are playing a unique role in ensuring the future of our planet is something that we all want to talk about.
‘Over the past year, we’ve seen some fantastic examples of this across a wide variety of programmes and genres.
‘I hope you will all continue to carry on your invaluable work, keeping environmental issues high up on the agenda of programming in the years ahead.’
Prince William opened a video address on climate change during Sunday’s BAFTA Awards ceremony
The video address was part of a special segment highlighting ‘Planet Placement’, in which shows feature messages about sustainability throughout their ordinary programming.
It includes the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee competition featuring a section on transforming charity shop clothes with a view to sustainability and Sky’s coverage of the north London Derby containing a ‘sustainability-themed quiz’ between two footballers.
William created the Earthshot Prize, designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next decade, in conjunction with Sir David Attenborough in 2020.
Following the address, Dermot O’Leary later gave a ‘special thanks’ to William after accepting the Bafta best live event award for The Earthshot Prize, which the presenter described as the William’s ‘baby’.
The prize ceremony, hosted by O’Leary and radio host Clara Amfo in October last year, saw five projects awarded £1 million.
During the 75th Bafta TV awards on Sunday, the pair accepted the award for best live event, with O’Leary paying ‘special thanks’ to the Duke of Cambridge as it is ‘easy to be cynical about somebody who has come from privilege’, but the Earthshot Prize was ‘his baby’.
He described working on the show as a ‘privilege’ and ‘the most life-affirming experience for all of us’.
O’Leary said: ‘A word as well, just a special thanks to Prince William, because it is very easy to be cynical about someone who comes from such privilege but he approached the whole thing with this incredible empathy and enthusiasm, vitality and this really is his baby which is why Earthshot is now fourth in line to the throne!’
Amfo added: ‘I think the thing I’m really proud of about this show is that it wasn’t supposed to be preachy and ‘we’re all so terrible.’
Success! Ant and Dec picked up the Best Entertainment Show Award at this year’s BAFTA Television Awards held at London ‘s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday
Achievement: The Leading Actress award went to Jodie Comer for her role in the pandemic drama Help
All smiles: Elsewhere prison drama Time won in the Mini Series category – with Stephen Graham saying in his speech: ‘It was an absolute honour to get to act with my wife Hannah Walters’
‘I think it was the thing Maya Angelou once said ‘when you know better, you just do better. So I think this is about us learning to do better.’
Ant and Dec picked up the Best Entertainment Show gong for Saturday Night Takeaway at this year’s BAFTA Television Awards held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday – while elsewhere series Time and Help swept the board at the star-studded ceremony.
Presented by Olivia Colman – the Geordie duo, both 46, were delighted to scoop the first award of the night, which marked the fourth time they have won in the category and the eight time they have been nominated in it.
Elsewhere prison series Time and pandemic drama Help had successful nights – while notable snubs included Channel 4 series It’s A Sin which won no awards despite 11 nominations.
The awards recognised and celebrated the very best in television craft and television programmes broadcast in the UK in 2021 and the event was back to having a full live audience after the pandemic.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk