BAFTA Cymru has revealed the Special Awards recipients for this year's BAFTA Cymru Awards.
The BAFTA Cymru Outstanding Contribution Award will be presented to Russell T Davies, who, for the last two decades, has been a trailblazer within LGBTQIA+ drama, while also leading BBC hit Dr Who, as showrunner. One of BAFTA Cymru's highest honours, this year's Award is presented to a Welsh individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Television and will be presented at the BAFTA Cymru Awards, taking place at ICC Wales, Newport, on Sunday 5 October.
Russell began his illustrious career 40 years ago as a graphic artist for the BBC Children's programme Why Don't You. A true revivalist, he helped bring Dr Who back to TV screens in 2005 and, for over 25 years, Russell has been at the heart of queer drama, creating Channel 4's groundbreaking Queer as Folk which premiered in 1999, 15 years ahead of Cucumber, another series noted for its inclusive portrayal of LGBTQIA+.
Having redefined perception of the on-screen portrayal of LGBTQIA+, his accolades span the years, channels and genres. He received his first BAFTA - for Children's Drama - in 1996 for Dark Series.
In addition to scripting Dr Who spin offs, Torchwood & The Sarah Jane Adventures, Russell's long roster of acclaimed work includes Wales-based Mine All Mine (2004), and Baker Boys (2011). He was also executive producer on Viagra drama Men Up (2023), written by Matthew Barry, who received last year's BAFTA Cymru Writer award for the programme.
Russell has continually brought authentic voices and groundbreaking stories to the forefront of popular culture. His upcoming Tip Toe, on Channel 4, is much anticipated and is, he promises, 'the strongest thing I've written.' It is billed as the last in the trilogy alongside Queer As Folk and It's A Sin, for which he received BAFTA Cymru's Writer award in 2021.
This year marks 10 years since Russell was awarded the BAFTA Television Craft Award for Writer: Drama, for Cucumber. The following year, he was named recipient of BAFTA's Dennis Potter Award for Dr Who.
Russell is a mentor in Welsh-based initiative Bad Wolf's Blaidd Writers Programme, to nurture emerging Welsh screenwriters. He also participates as a creative associate in upcoming Welsh productions for the Welsh National Theatre.
In 2018, he received his OBE for services to drama and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.
Russell T Davies OBE said: "Awards are both mad and lovely. Receiving this Outstanding Contribution Award is an honour. It means people have watched something and remembered something that you've done. It's our peers who decide on awards like this, which is an enormous compliment.
"Who would have ever imagined that Dr Who would win a BAFTA back then? Then there's Cucumber, which couldn't be a more different drama from Dr Who and was very personal and close to my heart. I'm very proud of winning the BAFTA for the hundredth episode of Children's Ward too, which was a great delight."
Respected journalist and presenter Bethan Rhys Roberts is to be honoured with the Siân Phillips Award - presented to a Welsh individual who has made significant contributions to film and/or television.
A leading and authoritative voice, Bethan anchors Newyddion 9 (S4C) and co-hosts the weekly current affairs programme Wales Live (BBC One Wales), which delves into topical political and social issues. Bangor-born, her varied work has been guided by purpose-led journalism, taking her across the world, from harrowing war zones in Bosnia and Turkey to refugee camps in Sudan.
Having gained a degree in French and Italian, Bethan studied European journalism in Paris, where she stayed as a freelance journalist before moving to London to become Parliamentary Correspondent for the BBC.
Bethan is also nominated in this year's BAFTA Cymru presenter category, for her work on Etholiad 2024. Other nominations in this category include Amy Dowden for Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, and Chris Roberts for Chris Cooks Cymru and Kristoffer Hughes for Marw gyda Kris.
Previous Siân Phillips Award recipients include actress Rakie Ayola, director Euros Lyn, actor Rhys Ifans, writer Russell T Davies, actor Michael Sheen, actor Ioan Gruffudd, writer/actress/producer Ruth Jones and actor Mark Lewis Jones, recipient of last year's award.
Bethan Rhys Roberts said: "It is an absolute honour to be given this prestigious award in the name of such an inspirational Welsh and international icon. It is truly humbling and is recognition of the excellence of amazing colleagues and teams I have been privileged to work with, to tell people's stories in Wales and beyond.
"I hope receiving this will inspire young journalists - especially women - to challenge and to keep searching for the truth.
"In Sudan, I vividly remember one little girl's face. She followed me around as we were filming. I often wonder what happened to her. For me, seeing children suffering is always the most difficult part of the job. Whatever the circumstances, they are often the first to smile - they make toys out of shrapnel and seem to look for the good when the grown-ups have created conflict and terrible hardship.
"You are driven by the demands of the job - the adrenaline, the need to tell the story and to meet deadlines. That just keeps you focused. It's when you stop that it can really affect you."
Lee Walters, BAFTA Cymru Chair, said: "Bethan has, for more than three decades, embodied the highest standards of journalism. In an age of fast-changing media, her work has consistently upheld the vital role of communicating truth with integrity, clarity and fairness.
"Whether reporting on politics, major events or the everyday stories that shape our nation, Bethan has become a trusted voice for audiences across Wales. She is not only a journalist who reports the news, but also someone who helps us to understand it with her authority, warmth and sense of responsibility making her a role model for a new generation of broadcasters.
"Russell has shown the extraordinary power of drama to reflect and shape our culture. His stories have consistently broken new ground and are bold and unforgettable, yet, above all, they are deeply human.
"These stories capture emotional truths that resonate far beyond the screen. He has a unique ability to entertain while also challenging audiences to think, to feel and to see the world (and beyond) differently."
Event sponsors and partners have been confirmed as BBC Cymru Wales, bottlegreen, Casillero del Diablo, Champagne Taittinger, Creative Wales, Deloitte, EE, Executive Cars Wales, Gorilla, Hildon, Lancôme, Samsung and S4C.