On the 27th May 2012, my 22nd Birthday, I was privileged enough to attend the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards. Here is what happened.
Walking up to the Royal Festival Hall, my friend (and for the evening, date) and I passed the Archduke, a restaurant located near Waterloo Station. Just inside the open door was the man himself, Steven Moffat.
I promised myself that I would go back and say hello; my friend needed to find a bathroom so she could change her shoes and put her make-up on. The nearest place was Las Iguanas, where the cast of Made in Chelsea happened to be putting on their faces.
After several minutes of wondering if every person in a suit and tie was attending the BAFTAs, my date emerged, looking stunning.
I admit, it was probably this moment which caused me to forget to go and say hello to Steven Moffat, but in hindsight, I was actually quite scared. What if he was annoyed? What if he said “Please leave me alone, I’m trying to have a moment alone with my friends and family.”?
Lord knows the last thing he wants is a star-struck fan such as myself mobbing him in a bar while he’s preparing for a defining moment in his career.
Instead, we made our way to the Jubilee-themed Red Carpet. It was still quite early so the crowds were thin and the cameras were still and lethargic in the afternoon sun. One thing I do regret is not getting a picture of myself and my friend on the carpet. An oversight on my part.
Inside, we were directed up to the 5th floor where other people had already gathered and were hanging over a balcony, looking directly down at the red carpet arrivals. The heat was almost unbearable, both inside and out. Not even Pimm’s could cool us down.
Later, it occurred to me that the arrivals were staggered. In the guidelines, we were instructed to arrive no later than 5.30pm. The high-profile celebrities arrived from then onwards until the doors to the auditorium opened at 6.45pm.
While we were asked to refrain from asking the celebrities for photos and autographs, the members of the public who had bought tickets were kept almost entirely separate. We had our own balcony on the 5th floor, which also led into our balcony inside the auditorium. For the whole night, we were kept separate from the stars.
The ceremony itself was wonderful. The whole balcony absolutely screamed with noise whenever anything related to Sherlock came on screen or on stage, and it was exciting to know that all the people were simply below us, rather than just on a screen.
Afterwards, we made our way back to the station. The winners and nominees were all having dinner afterwards, and I managed to catch a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch signing autographs to desperate female fans who were crowding around the smoking area.
Those who hung around after the dinner were rewarded with photos and autographs with people like Steven Moffat, Andrew Scott, Sue Vertue and many more. Sadly, I had a train to catch, so I missed all of this.
It was definitely a night to remember. With any luck, they’ll do the same next year, and if so, I’ll certainly be there.
