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BAFTA a Life in Television, Julie Walters 3 December 2014 At BAFTA A Life in Television, Julie Walters 1 3 December 2014 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Andrew Newman: Good evening everybody, a national treasure. So it’s with thanks to our I’m Andrew Newman, I’m the chairman of host, James Rampton, who’s kindly stepped BAFTA’s TV Committee, and it gives me great in as Jenny Murray sadly can’t be with us pleasure to introduce tonight’s event. BAFTA and sends her apologies, and I’d also like to A Life in Television is a new strand of on-stage thanks our event sponsors, Rathbones, for events that will celebrate leading creative helping us put on tonight’s event. And a bit figures from the world of television. Shining a of housekeeping. We’re filming, as you can light on their talent, and expanding on what see, the event for future release on BAFTA makes them unique and relevant to British Guru and possible broadcast, and we’d television and culture. We’ll be announcing therefore ask you kindly not to film on mobile more guests early next year. And this is the phones or any other recording devices. If first one, so we really are kicking off in there are any press enquiries could you fantastic fashion and setting the bar pretty direct them to [email protected] and they’ll high, because tonight we will be celebrating respond to you quickly. I would also like to the career of Julie Walters CBE, the multi- trail some other events that we have coming award winning and multi-BAFTA winning up. On 6 January David Attenborough will actress and BAFTA Fellow. Since her be returning to BAFTA with his latest 3D offer, television debut in 1975, Julie Walters has Conquest of the Skies , on 8 January we’ll be firmly cemented her title as a national at the BFI with a craft masterclass from John treasure, and one of Britain’s best loved Conray, the cinematographer behind actresses across television, film and the stage. Broadchurch and Penny Dreadful and on 26 Walters’ versatility as an actress is pretty January we’ll be at the Totally Serialised film much unique. She can do comedy, and has Festival with a panel of screenwriters giving made iconic performances as Mrs Overall in their thoughts and advice on writing for TV. spoof soap Acorn Antiques, and the BAFTA’s learning and events programme is eccentric Petula Gordina in Dinnerladies . But designed to give you the best insights into not only can she make you laugh, she can the creative minds of TV film game so visit make you cry. In dramas, she’s embodied BAFTA Guru and you can see past examples raw and gritty characters including her of events we done. But now I'd like to hand BAFTA-winning performances in Murder, My over to James Rampton and begin to enjoy Beautiful Son, The Canterbury Tales, The Wife the evening. Please welcome James of Bath, and recently for her momentous Rampton and Julie Walters. portrayal of Mo Mowlam in Mo, which won her the BAFTA Leading Actress award in 2010. James Rampton: Hello, good evening, my This year, Walters received the BAFTA name’s James Rampton, thank you very Fellowship in recognition of her contribution much for coming tonight. Welcome to the to the moving image industries. When we first ever BAFTA A Life in Television. It’s a huge suggested, or when it was discussed at the honour to be hosting this interview with one BAFTA TV Committee it was pretty unusual of our most celebrated and best loved because normally comedy producers on the performers. Julie Walters is adored by TV Committee argue for comedians, the audiences all over the world and tonight will news and current affairs producers on the TV be exploring her remarkable career and Committee argue for newsreaders, and celebrating her unique talent. Let's take a drama producers fight their own corner. But look at some of her finest work. once someone said, what about Julie [clips package] Walters, it’s not really worth having much more of a discussion. I think that is because she is popular, warm funny and really, really BAFTA A Life in Television, Julie Walters 2 3 December 2014 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly _______________________________________________________________________________________________ JR: Please welcome to the stage, one of the breaking. And the Everyman was a real country's leading actresses, the fabulous, the community. I always thought I wanted to be brilliant, the one and only Julie Walters. in the theatre but I always thought theatre was a middle class thing, because I only ever Julie Walters : Lovely chair. went to amateur with my parents, I never went to the theatre, I thought it was JR: Very comfy … Mustn’t fall asleep. something other people did. So to go there, [laughs] You received your BAFTA Fellowship and the community was all sorts of people, it earlier this year. Did that mean something was working class people, middle class special to you? people, everyone. And the theatre itself JW: No. [laughs] Yes… of course, it was represented what was going on in the about the whole 40 years and oh, that was community and it was really exciting. And long. Oh it was huge for me, and I know it’s a nearly everything we did came down to cliché but it was a thrill and an honour, and it London at that time, it was a fantastic place. was a great night. It was lovely, it was JR: An amazing group of actors, many of wonderful yeah, what can I say. whom like yourself went on to become stars. JR: You also have received seven other Was it an amazing conglomeration of the BAFTAs. What is it about BAFTA that’s so stars that brought you all together, or was it special? just chance? JW: Well it’s your colleagues, and your peers JW: I think it was, yeah. God knows how we and the people that you work with. And its all ended up there. We were all of a type, I posh … it’s the best of all of them, as far as guess, we were from working class I’m concerned. So to get that for something backgrounds, generally speaking, the actors that you’ve done. Everybody wants one. So I that worked there, and that was fashionable feel really lucky. then. It started, didn’t it, with Michael Caine and his lot, kitchen sink dramas in the 60s, so JR: There’s another one there it was really then very trendy to be a working class actor. So I was lucky to come out at JW: Yeah it’s going in my bag. [laughs] that time. ‘Come out’ being not quite the phrase I meant to use. [laughs] JR: The theatre is where it all began for you. You were in that famous photo outside the JR: And many of those plays were transferred Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, you and Bill to the television. Was it hard to make that Nighy, Matthew Kelly, Pete Postlethwaite. transition? What did the theatre mean to you at that time, it was a very committed company that JW: the first big transition for me was you were in, wasn’t it? Educating Rita . Because I’d done that on stage, Willy Russell’s play, and then Lewis JW: Oh it was. Well theatre first of all is where Gilbert came along and said: “Do you want I wanted to be, I never thought about to be in a film, darling?” and you know, it television at that time. I wanted to be on a was extraordinary I was cast in it, and that stage, I wanted to be acting with an was a bit of a shock. And Lewis would just audience. The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, shout, we’d be filming, from the sidelines: that plus the Nottingham Playhouse and “No darling, too big, darling.” And I have no Glasgow Citizens was where everybody idea, I’d been doing it on the stage for wanted to work at that time, they had months. So it was a big learning curve that amazing directors, you felt you were on the film, knowing that your audience was edge of a revolution with it, it felt ground- BAFTA A Life in Television, Julie Walters 3 3 December 2014 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly _______________________________________________________________________________________________ actually here, not sort of 200 yards away, or JR: Did you really identify with her when Willy wherever it was in Piccadilly. first offered the role to you? JR: I think we actually have a clip from JW: Yes, I did. Obviously I didn’t come from Educating Rita. her sort of background - I came from a working class background, but not quite like JW: Oh do you? hers – but nevertheless, I felt I moved into middle class circles as soon as I went to JR: Yes! [laughs] college. So all her aspirations were kind of [clips package] similar. JR: Does that bring back some fond JR: And of course, the Oscar nomination, memories? Hollywood came knocking at your door like double glazing salesmen. JW: Oh god. Yes. When I first saw it, the film, Educating Rita, the film, I went into the toilets JW: Won’t talk about that [laughs] and cried. JR: But you decided to stay and work here. JR: Why? It’s such a wonderful performance. Why was that? JW: You see why we have James here this JW: Well, they were interested in me doing evening.
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