At Funny Women HQ we had our fingers crossed over the weekend for Funny Women favourite and double BAFTA Television Awards nominee (and now winner) Olivia Colman. Recently the 'Peep Show' actress has proved her serious acting chops with roles in ITV murder mystery 'Broadchurch' and BBC drama series 'Accused' – for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Award.
Having mouthed a profanity as her name was announced, as Colman graciously accepted her award and acknowledged her fellow 'Accused' cast member Anne Marie Duff: “If it’s alright with everyone it’s for Anne Marie and me to share – we’re Anne Malivia Colemuff, we did it together and I couldn’t have done it without her to play off.”
Colman has also continued with the comedy acting we know and love her for. To Colman's surprise “I’m not even the funniest one in our own programme,” her character Sally Owen, Ian Fletcher's personal assistant in BBC Olympic comedy 'Twenty Twelve' won her best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.
Colman was in good company in the category, with co-star Jessica Hynes, Miranda Hart for 'Miranda' and Julia Davis for 'Hunderby' also nominated, creating tough competition. This is the fourth year since the Comedy Performance Award was split into male and female categories.
Women in comedy were recognised across the categories at this year's BAFTA Television Awards. Lena Dunham's show 'Girls' picked up the International BAFTA and Nina Conti's 'A Ventriloquist's Story: Her Master's Voice' was nominated in the Single Documentary category. Funny Woman Awards 2005 runner up Sarah Millican was the only woman in the Performance in an Entertainment Programme category.
Discussing her double win backstage Colman revealed that she believed her appeal lay in her safeness: “I'm never going to take anyone's husband.” Rather than not threatening to run away with any husbands, it is undoubtedly her outstanding talent in both drama and comedy that has Colman winning both awards and being touted as the next Judi Dench. With two wins under her belt Colman is already halfway to matching Judi Dench's BAFTA record of four wins.
Colman may have some competition from other women able to make that leap from comedy to drama and back. With Nicola Walker making the transition from 'Spook's to 'Heading Out', Rebecca Front's switch between being serious in 'Lewis' and funny in 'Nighty Night', 2014's BAFTA Television Awards look set for another strong show of talented women.
Pictured: Olivia Colman with her two awards
