BAFTAs 2021: 8 Ups & 7 Downs
3. Noel Clarke's Heartfelt Speech For Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema
Though it was certainly a little jarring to see actor-filmmaker Noel Clarke receive the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award - which in previous years has gone to the esteemed likes of Ridley Scott, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, John Hurt, and Andy Serkis - he certainly made the best of his time in the spotlight and gave an incredibly affecting acceptance speech.
Clarke spoke of his own struggles in the industry before dedicating the award to "the underrepresented, anyone who sits at home believing that they can achieve more," and especially to, "young black boys and girls out there who never believed that this could happen to them."
In a year which saw BAFTA and other awards bodies finally stepping up their efforts for diversity in a major way, this was a killer, timely speech.