TVDRAMA
BAFTA has honored EastEnders with this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Special Award in recognition of the show’s long-term commitment to nurturing new talent.
EastEnders has a long history of identifying and investing in new talent through a variety of training schemes. In 2015, it participated in the BBC’s Continuing New Directors’ Training Scheme, and in 2021, it partnered with Directors UK on the Diversity Director Training Scheme.
In the past year, EastEnders 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 spin-off EastEnders: E20.
EastEnders was also the first program to test a carbon calculator to measure a production’s carbon footprint. Its role in sustainability is one of the inspirations behind the name of BAFTA albert’s carbon footprint calculator, named after EastEnders’ Albert Square.
Previous names that have worked on EastEnders include director Tom Hooper, who has gone on to win many awards, including an Academy Award for The King’s Speech; BAFTA-winning writer Sarah Phelps (The Sixth Commandment); executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who has gone on to produce Rivals and A Very English Scandal; and Sumerah Srivastav, who worked her way up to writer from researcher at EastEnders and has recent credits for Missing You, Manifest and Lupin.
The BAFTA Television Craft Special Award will be presented to EastEnders during the ceremony on April 27.
“We are thrilled that BAFTA has awarded EastEnders with the Television Craft Special Award,” said Charlotte Moore, outgoing chief content officer at BBC. “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, commented, “On behalf of everyone at EastEnders, we are absolutely delighted and honored 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 skill sets, 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, added, “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 fueling 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 honor EastEnders and its powerful off-screen impact at this year’s BAFTA Television Craft Awards with this Special Award.”
