Stephen Graham was visibly moved to tears during fellow Liverpudlian Christine Tremarco's emotional acceptance speech at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday. The ceremony, held at the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank, celebrated Merseyside talent, with Tremarco winning the award for her role as Manda Miller in the Netflix series Adolescence.
Tremarco, from Tuebrook, paid tribute to Graham and his wife Hannah Walters, who produced the show. 'Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for giving me Manda and thank you to both. To our long time friendship,' she said, as the camera cut to Graham wiping away tears in the audience.
Graham, from Kirkby, later won the Best Lead Actor award for his performance as Eddie Miller in the same series. It was his first BAFTA win after eight nominations, completing a set of major awards that includes a Golden Globe and an Emmy for the role.
In his speech, Graham praised fellow Scouse nominees Ellis Howard and James Nelson-Joyce, who were inspired by his career. 'When I was a kid, I watched a programme called Scully... Drew Schofield showed me that I could be on the telly,' he said, encouraging young people to pursue their dreams.
Howard and Nelson-Joyce, speaking on the red carpet, credited Graham for opening doors. 'He has held the door open on his way up to the very top,' Nelson-Joyce said. Howard added that Graham phoned him personally after learning of his nomination, a gesture he described as 'amazing'.
