Rob Rinder: My mum is already planning how to bring up my Bafta in shul
Israeli co-production on the West Bank also took home a prize
Jewish talent was recognised at this year’s Bafta TV Awards, with standout wins for Rob Rinder and Marisa Abela, while a documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict also took home a major honour.
Rinder and Rylan Clark triumphed in the Factual Entertainment category for Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, which followed the pair’s whimsical journey through Italy exploring history, art and culture in the footsteps of Lord Byron.
“One nice Jewish boy and one national treasure in a Gucci tracksuit wandering through Europe, crying at Caravaggio and bickering over biscotti – and now we’ve won a Bafta!” said Rinder to Jewish News.
He added: “Grand Tour was all about making art and history feel accessible and a little bit fabulous. I’m proud beyond words – and somewhere, my mum is already planning how to casually bring this up at synagogue.”
The duo also thanked their mothers “who gave unconditional love and consequently the courage and safety to be our true selves”.
Marisa Abela, whose mother is the Jewish actress Caroline Gruber, won Leading Actress for her role as ambitious banker Yasmin Kara-Hanani in Industry, the BBC-HBO series set in the cut-throat world of high finance.
The 28-year-old, who also recently starred as Amy Winehouse in the biopic Back to Black, had previously been nominated for a Bafta Rising Star award.
In the Current Affairs category, Channel 4’s State of Rage, a film about the West Bank co-produced by an Israeli and a Palestinian, was recognised for its powerful portrayal of generational trauma and the psychological cost of conflict on both sides.
Director Marcel Mettelsiefen used the stage to reflect on ongoing violence in Gaza. “It would be wrong to stand here without acknowledging what’s happening in Gaza,” he said. “This violence needs to stop now… let’s break this silence together.”
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