Prop Master Bobby Warans to Receive Special BAFTA Award

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is honoring renowned prop master Bobby Warans with the BAFTA Special Award at the 2017 British Academy Television Craft Awards.

Warans’ credits include Absolutely Fabulous, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, French and Saunders, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, Morecombe and Wise, Noel’s House Party, Strictly Come Dancing and The Two Ronnies. This year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards will take place on Sunday, April 23 at The Brewery in London.

Warans began his career in production buying with the BBC, where he took on a six-month contract and became the broadcaster’s youngest prop buying assistant in early 1970. He went on to be a production buyer on Top of the Pops. Over the course of his career, he has worked on many award-winning entertainment series and has also contributed to a range of dramas and live awards shows.

Krishnendu Majumdar, the chair of BAFTA’s television committee, said, “Bobby Warans is a true legend in the props industry so it’s no surprise that he will be receiving the Special Award this year. With a career spanning five decades, he has played an integral behind-the-scenes role on so many critically acclaimed productions, from the classic comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies, to the more recent BAFTA-winning series Strictly Come Dancing. The breadth of his work is admirable, a testament to years of his hard work and dedication in bringing excellence to every program he’s worked on and this is why the award is thoroughly deserved.”

Warans commented, “I’m incredibly humbled to be receiving such a prestigious award from BAFTA. When I left Art College, I didn’t know that jobs like this existed, so to start my career as the youngest prop buying assistant at the BBC, to now being the Special Award recipient is an honor. I have had the privilege of working on some great productions with talented individuals and I look forward to celebrating this award with them and my peers on Sunday, April 23.”