Dame Mary Berry expressed a poignant wish that her parents were still alive to see her receive the British Academy Television Awards' highest honour at Sunday's ceremony. The 91-year-old television icon made the heartfelt admission after being awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, celebrating a career spanning six decades.
Heartfelt Speech and Tributes
During her emotional acceptance speech, Berry paid tribute to her husband Paul, 94, children Annabel, 56, and Thomas, 58, as well as her late son William. She said: 'On Bake Off we won an award and I won an award for Best Judge but this is something quite different. It is the most amazing award, such an honour. You just wish your parents were still alive and you can call them up and say "Guess what mum".'
Mary was the second of three children, born to parents Margaret and Alleyne. Her father died in 1989, but her mother lived until 2011, reaching the age of 105.
Reflections on Her Career
In her speech, Berry remarked: 'Thank you to my dear friends Mel and Sue, they have led me astray since day one. I'm a cook. I'm a teacher so I feel very honoured to be given BAFTA's highest award. It seems no time at all that I left Bath High School with just two O levels in needlework and cookery.'
She continued: 'Bake Off came along and my whole world changed. It was about those jackets and I could tuck a hot water bottle underneath because the tent was so cold in the morning first thing. I see myself as a teacher and television is the biggest classroom there is.'
Tribute to Late Son William
Berry also remembered her son William, who died in a car crash at age 19 while visiting home from Bristol University in 1989. She previously shared on the Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth podcast that her daughter Annabel was also in the car. Recalling the tragic day, she said: 'He asked if he could borrow a sports car, which he was insured for, and I said "You ask your dad". Anyway, he took his sister with him, and he just drove too fast, which was so unlike him. William was the one that you could rely on. When the phone rang after he was killed, everybody said "I'm so sorry to hear about Thomas, because Thomas was our wild one". I knew when the policemen came through the door. I remember saying to him "It must be an awful thing for you to tell us all". It was a huge sadness but there was a bonus because Annabel - we had to go down to Wycombe hospital - they didn't tell us then because the policemen didn't know, so we went down. And I can remember being in the corridor and I suddenly saw Annabel, in a pink tracksuit, running up towards me, and I thought "I've still got her".'
Other BAFTA Winners
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Adolescence star Owen Cooper continued his award-winning streak. The 16-year-old actor, who became the youngest winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at both the Golden Globes and the Emmy Awards, took home the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. His on-screen mother Christine Tremarco won Best Supporting Actress in a surprise result, beating co-star Erin Doherty.
Nominations were announced in March, with Stephen Graham leading with 11 nominations for Adolescence and seven for his Disney+ series A Thousand Blows. Adolescence, created by Graham and writer Jack Thorne, tells the story of teenager Jamie Miller, guilty of murdering a female classmate after being influenced by online misogyny. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot and has been praised for addressing online radicalisation.
Producer Mark Herbert of Warp Films said: 'Big thanks to Stephen Graham for bringing this gang together. The script ripped our hearts and it punched us in the guts.' He also thanked Netflix boss Anne Mensah for picking up the project after Amazon Prime Video passed on it.
Amandaland, starring Lucy Punch, won the BAFTA for scripted comedy. The show follows Motherland's snooty Queen Bee as she moves from Chiswick to become a single mother in South Harlesden.
Full List of BAFTA TV Awards 2026 Winners
- Actor in a Comedy: Steve Coogan - How Are You? Its Alan (Partridge)
- Actress in a Comedy: Katherine Parkinson - Here We Go
- Daytime: Scam Interceptors
- Drama Series: Code of Silence
- Entertainment: Last One Laughing
- Entertainment Performance: Bob Mortimer - Last One Laughing
- International: The Studio
- Leading Actor: Stephen Graham - Adolescence
- Leading Actress: Narges Rashidi - Prisoner 951
- Limited Drama: Adolescence
- News Coverage: Production Team Channel 4 News - Israel-iran: The Twelve Day War
- Reality: The Celebrity Traitors
- Scripted Comedy: Amandaland
- Single Documentary: Grenfell: Uncovered
- Soap: EastEnders
- Sports Coverage: UEFA Women's Euro 2025
- Supporting Actor: Owen Cooper - Adolescence
- Supporting Actress: Christine Tremarco - Adolescence
- Specialist Factual: Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz
- Short Form: Hustle and Run
- Factual Series: See No Evil
- Children's Non-Scripted: World.War.Me
- Children's Scripted: Crongton
- Live Event: VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember
- P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award: The Celebrity Traitors - Alan Carr wins
