E3 Group

The British Academy Television Awards nominations were announced late last night peaking public interest with some surprising and long overdue nods to British television actors, entertainers and performers. The fantastic Peter Serafinowicz Show, Charlie Brooker’s Dead Set and the cringe-worthy Peep Show all received surprising, but thoroughly deserved recognition for their services to comedy and entertainment. Less shocking but possibly equally deserved were the nominations of the Jonathon Ross Show and Rob Brydon’s hilarious turn on Gavin and Stacey. The real turn up for the books was the nomination of June Brown for the celebrated and hugely influential role of Dot Cotton on Eastenders.

What has surprised the E3 team is the fact that a soap star has been nominated for the first time since Coronation Street’s Jean Alexander, who played Hilda Ogden, was named in the category in 1987. Yet there has been story after story highlighting Jonathon Ross’ nomination and how controversial it is considering the Andrew Sachs debacle. If Ross picks up the gong, it will be his fourth win at the awards, probably deserved, but hardly remarkable. In contrast, June’s nomination has received only a passing mention despite what appears to be a landmark recognition of British soap’s contribution to entertainment. E3 Artists’ clients often look to hire soap stars for their own corporate awards ceremonies and as an alternative to hiring a more traditional actor. Soap stars are viewed as popular with staff and perhaps as a less “serious” option. Hopefully June’s nomination will go someway to dispelling this idea which is clearly a myth considering the influence and impact characters like Dot Cotton have on the public at large. Last week, Eastenders enjoyed viewing figures in excess of 9 million people, proving just how watched and loved the British soap opera really is and how beneficial it can be to book a soap actor to represent both your brand and your staff.

See the full list of British Academy Television Awards nominees here.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Celebrity News, E3 Artists, Entertainment News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.