TV awards also go to ITV's Jimmy Savile exposé, Channel 4's Paralympics coverage, Michael Palin and Clare Balding
One of the stars of BBC1's hit drama Last Tango in Halifax used the programme's Bafta win on Sunday to thank the corporation for "at last" doing a love story about people over 35.
In the face of criticism that the BBC fails to put enough women, or older people, on screen, Anne Reid, who starred with Derek Jacobi in the romantic drama written by Sally Wainwright, said: "I am so glad the BBC has decided at last to do love stories about people who are over 35."
Reid, 77, who accepted the Bafta award for best drama series, was warmly applauded by the audience of TV personalities and executives when she told them: "Some of us do have quite interesting lives when we get to 70."
Her co-star Jacobi said: "Not only the oldies are watching it but the young people find something in it that attracts them. I just think people at home in a sense relax a little when they see the oldies like us doing it gently, as real as possible, no great trauma, no big stuff but hopefully reflecting their own lives."
The drama's executive producer Nicola Schindler said: "We never saw it as a drama about old people, or older relationships, we saw it as a love story. Because we put that at the centre of it people see beyond age and demographics. We did get a young audience, so hopefully it will have made some sort of difference."
ITV's documentary The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, which exposed the former Top of the Pops presenter as a sexual predator, was beaten in the current affairs category by BBC2's The Shame of the Catholic Church, part of its This World documentary series.
In another surprise of the night, Channel 4's Paralympics programming beat the BBC coverage of the Olympic Games opening ceremony and 'Super Saturday' - when Team GB won three athletics golds - in the sport and live event category.
Other award winners included BBC3's Afghanistan war documentary Our War, named the best factual series for the second year running.
The annual awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank was attended by some of the small screen's biggest names, including Homeland actors Damian Lewis and David Harewood, Sir Bruce Forsyth, BBC2 presenter Professor Brian Cox and Olivia Colman, who starred alongside former Doctor Who David Tennant in ITV's murder mystery hit Broadchurch.
It was not eligible for the awards because it was broadcast this year, but Colman was nominated twice – for BBC2's Olympics spoof Twenty Twelve and BBC drama Accused.
Peter Capaldi was also nominated twice, for BBC2 comedy The Thick Of It, which came to an end last year, and another BBC2 show, 1950s drama The Hour.
Michael Palin and Clare Balding picked up two of the night's biggest prizes.
Palin, best known in recent years for his travelogue, was presented with Bafta's highest accolade, the fellowship, by Terry Jones, a fellow member of the Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy team.
Bafta chairman John Willis said Palin's "onscreen manner belies the seriousness of his craft [and he] had made an incredible contribution to the medium over five decades".
Balding was given a special award to acknowledge a year in which she won plaudits for her presenting role on the London 2012 Olympics on BBC1 and anchoring the Paralympics on Channel 4.
Andrew Newman, chairman of Bafta's television committee, said Balding had become a "national treasure whose warmth and charisma helped bring the country together as we celebrated in Team GB and Paralympic GB's success".
The BBC's Olympics coverage was nominated for three awards, one fewer than Twenty Twelve, the sitcom which so effectively spoofed the preparation for the London games. Three other programmes were nominated four times: Accused, Last Tango in Halifax and BBC2's film about Alfred Hitchcock, The Girl.
It promised to be a good night for BBC drama, which had a record 25 nominations. Sky also had its most nominations with eight, led by the return of Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge in Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life. But several big-rating shows missed out, including ITV's Downton Abbey, without a Bafta nomination for the first time, and BBC1's Call The Midwife, which had to make do with a nomination in the audience award.
Doctor Who also had no nominations, but viewers were treated to a special video montage of the show including an exclusive new clip featuring its stars, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Colman.
The awards, hosted by Graham Norton, were broadcast on BBC1 last night. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.
One of the stars of BBC1's hit drama Last Tango in Halifax used the programme's Bafta win on Sunday to thank the corporation for "at last" doing a love story about people over 35.
In the face of criticism that the BBC fails to put enough women, or older people, on screen, Anne Reid, who starred with Derek Jacobi in the romantic drama written by Sally Wainwright, said: "I am so glad the BBC has decided at last to do love stories about people who are over 35."
Reid, 77, who accepted the Bafta award for best drama series, was warmly applauded by the audience of TV personalities and executives when she told them: "Some of us do have quite interesting lives when we get to 70."
Her co-star Jacobi said: "Not only the oldies are watching it but the young people find something in it that attracts them. I just think people at home in a sense relax a little when they see the oldies like us doing it gently, as real as possible, no great trauma, no big stuff but hopefully reflecting their own lives."
The drama's executive producer Nicola Schindler said: "We never saw it as a drama about old people, or older relationships, we saw it as a love story. Because we put that at the centre of it people see beyond age and demographics. We did get a young audience, so hopefully it will have made some sort of difference."
ITV's documentary The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, which exposed the former Top of the Pops presenter as a sexual predator, was beaten in the current affairs category by BBC2's The Shame of the Catholic Church, part of its This World documentary series.
In another surprise of the night, Channel 4's Paralympics programming beat the BBC coverage of the Olympic Games opening ceremony and 'Super Saturday' - when Team GB won three athletics golds - in the sport and live event category.
Other award winners included BBC3's Afghanistan war documentary Our War, named the best factual series for the second year running.
The annual awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank was attended by some of the small screen's biggest names, including Homeland actors Damian Lewis and David Harewood, Sir Bruce Forsyth, BBC2 presenter Professor Brian Cox and Olivia Colman, who starred alongside former Doctor Who David Tennant in ITV's murder mystery hit Broadchurch.
It was not eligible for the awards because it was broadcast this year, but Colman was nominated twice – for BBC2's Olympics spoof Twenty Twelve and BBC drama Accused.
Peter Capaldi was also nominated twice, for BBC2 comedy The Thick Of It, which came to an end last year, and another BBC2 show, 1950s drama The Hour.
Michael Palin and Clare Balding picked up two of the night's biggest prizes.
Palin, best known in recent years for his travelogue, was presented with Bafta's highest accolade, the fellowship, by Terry Jones, a fellow member of the Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy team.
Bafta chairman John Willis said Palin's "onscreen manner belies the seriousness of his craft [and he] had made an incredible contribution to the medium over five decades".
Balding was given a special award to acknowledge a year in which she won plaudits for her presenting role on the London 2012 Olympics on BBC1 and anchoring the Paralympics on Channel 4.
Andrew Newman, chairman of Bafta's television committee, said Balding had become a "national treasure whose warmth and charisma helped bring the country together as we celebrated in Team GB and Paralympic GB's success".
The BBC's Olympics coverage was nominated for three awards, one fewer than Twenty Twelve, the sitcom which so effectively spoofed the preparation for the London games. Three other programmes were nominated four times: Accused, Last Tango in Halifax and BBC2's film about Alfred Hitchcock, The Girl.
It promised to be a good night for BBC drama, which had a record 25 nominations. Sky also had its most nominations with eight, led by the return of Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge in Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life. But several big-rating shows missed out, including ITV's Downton Abbey, without a Bafta nomination for the first time, and BBC1's Call The Midwife, which had to make do with a nomination in the audience award.
Doctor Who also had no nominations, but viewers were treated to a special video montage of the show including an exclusive new clip featuring its stars, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Colman.
The awards, hosted by Graham Norton, were broadcast on BBC1 last night. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.