Entertainment
Baftas 2021: Award show explains why James Bond star Dame Diana Rigg was missing from ‘in memoriam’ tribute
Bafta has explained why James Bond star Dame Diana Rigg was missing from the ‘in memoriam’ tribute during Sunday evening’s Baftas 2021 Film Awards ceremony.
In September 2020, Game of Thrones actor Dame Diana died at the age of 82.
Following her death, some people may have expected to see her honoured in the ‘in memoriam’ segment at the Bafta Film Awards, given the numerous films she starred in throughout her illustrious career.
Therefore, several expressed their surprise when she did not appear in the montage, which featured individuals including Prince Philip, Dame Barbara Windsor, Chadwick Boseman and Cicely Tyson.
‘Can’t believe #BAFTAs Miss out Diana Rigg in the tribute an amazing actress and women one of the few famous deaths I have actually cried over. An Icon. Needs to be rectified,’ one person tweeted, while another wrote: ‘Me on my way to the baftas bc they didn’t mention dame diana rigg in their memorials #BAFTAs.’
Bafta has since spoken out about her absence from the segment, explaining that the organisation also wants to pay homage to her ‘influential work in TV’.
In response to one person’s tweet, the Bafta Twitter account wrote: ‘Diana Rigg features in our online records,’ including a link to a page about the late actor on the Bafta website.
The tweet continued: ‘We also want to honour her for her most influential work in TV and so she will be included in the next Television Awards broadcast.’
In addition to Dame Diana, some people watching the Baftas questioned why fellow James Bond actor Honor Blackman also did not feature in the ‘in memoriam’ tribute.
Honor, who starred as Cathy Gale in The Avengers, died in April 2020 aged 94.
In another tweet, Bafta wrote: ‘Honor Blackman was featured in our Television broadcast in 2020.’
Tonight’s Baftas honoured the memory of Prince Philip, who was the first ever president of Bafta from 1959 to 1965.
Other individuals featured in the ‘in memoriam’ segment also included Sir Sean Connery, Christopher Plummer, Kirk Douglas, Irrfan Khan and Nikita Pearl Waligwa.
Prince William, the current president of Bafta, was supposed to appear at the ceremony this weekend, but withdrew following the death of his grandfather.
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