BAFTA Creates Selection Committee for Special Awards in Wake of Noel Clarke Scandal

variety.com:

Manori Ravindran International EditorAlmost a year after BAFTA was engulfed in controversy for honoring Noel Clarke just weeks ahead of explosive sexual harassment allegations against the actor, the org has revealed that substantial vetting will be in place for its next batch of Special awards.BAFTA received extensive criticism for presenting Clarke with its Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award during its televised ceremony in April 2021, just weeks before he faced numerous allegations by multiple women as part of an investigation by The Guardian newspaper. (He has denied all allegations.)The outlet reported that BAFTA, which named Clarke as the recipient of the award in late March, knew about the allegations almost two weeks prior to the film awards; however, BAFTA has maintained that it wasn’t presented with sufficient evidence to investigate the anonymous emails and claims it had received about the actor.

The org paused its distribution of Special awards in June 2021 in order to carry out a wide review of its processes.On Monday, the results of that process were unveiled, with plans in place to create a Selection Coordinating Committee to provide another layer of accountability for Special awards, which will be reinstated in time for the TV prizes in May.

Variety understands that the new group won’t be doing investigative checks on prospective awards recipients, but rather serving as a sense check on who is put forward.This group will receive and review the awards candidates put forward by the film and TV committees before passing on the names to the BAFTA board.