Bafta TV awards 2021: why Aimee Lou Wood’s “frantic” speech has won the hearts of viewers

Aimee Lou Wood, winner of the Best Female Comedy Performance award for her role in "Sex Education", poses in the Winners Room at the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards 2021 at Television Centre on June 6, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Credit: Getty

Under Her Eye


Bafta TV awards 2021: why Aimee Lou Wood’s “frantic” speech has won the hearts of viewers

By Kayleigh Dray

4 years ago

Here’s why the star of Netflix’s Sex Education won’t be sharing her Bafta as she previously promised…

When Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood won the award for Best Female Performance In A Comedy Programme at the 2021 Baftas, the Netflix star made sure to accept it with a genuinely hilarious speech.

“Oh my god, thank you so much,” she star said, smacking her lips as she noted that she’d been wearing her face mask all evening at the socially-distanced event.

“Now, I said that I’d break [this award] into pieces and share it with everyone,” Wood continued. Which, for all those who somehow didn’t get that ultra-millennial reference, was a clear call-back to the moment Mean Girls’ Cady Heron broke her Spring Fling queen crown into pieces and used them to celebrate all the other girls around her. 

Aimee Lou Wood

Credit: Getty

Unfortunately, however, Wood’s benevolent plans fell flat when she saw (and felt the weight of) the award IRL.

“It’s solid, Daisy [Haggard],” she called out to one of her fellow nominees. 

“It’s solid! So I’ll give you a metaphorical piece to everyone in my category, especially Emma Mackie who’s the best scene partner and best friend…”

Wood then went on to list off a number of people she’d like to thank (including the cast, the crew, her mum, her nanna, and “the whole shebang!”), before stopping with a start and noting: “Sorry, I’m meant to be doing this to a camera, aren’t I, Richard?”

Looking around wildly, she added comedically: “I don’t even know where it is.”

Check it out:

No wonder so many people are calling her win “utterly deserved,” eh?

The 2021 TV Baftas is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Images: Getty

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