William praises programme creators for ‘planet placement’ during Baftas address

Dermot O’Leary gave a ‘special thanks’ to the Duke of Cambridge after accepting the Bafta best live event award for the Earthshot Prize.
The Duke of Cambridge on stage during the first Earthshot Prize awards (Yui Mok/PA)
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Connie Evans8 May 2022

The Duke of Cambridge has shared his hope that programme creators will continue their “invaluable work” and keep “environmental issues high up on the agenda of programming” during an address at the Bafta TV awards.

William spoke to the audience at the ceremony as part of a pre-recorded video highlighting “planet placement”, referring to the inclusion of environmental messaging in TV shows.

He cited the “unique role” of programme creators who can “ensure climate change and sustainability remain at the forefront of our collective consciousness”.

He added: “By creating innovative, educational and emotive content for television, writers and producers are playing a unique role in ensuring the future of our planet is something that we all want to talk about.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen some fantastic examples of this across a wide variety of programmes and genres.

“I hope you will all continue to carry on your invaluable work, keeping environmental issues high up on the agenda of programming in these years ahead.”

During the ceremony, Dermot O’Leary gave a “special thanks” to the Duke of Cambridge after accepting the Bafta best live event award for the Earthshot Prize, which the presenter described as William’s “baby”.

The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 by the Duke of Cambridge and Sir David Attenborough to reward ambitious initiatives helping the environment.

The prize ceremony, hosted by TV presenter O’Leary, 48, and radio host Clara Amfo in October last year, saw five projects awarded £1 million.

Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo presented the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony last year (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
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He described working on the show as a “privilege” and “the most life-affirming experience for all of us”.

He added: “A word as well, just a special thanks to Prince William, because it is very easy to be cynical about someone who comes from such privilege but he approached the whole thing with this incredible empathy and enthusiasm, vitality and this really is his baby which is why Earthshot is now fourth in line to the throne.”

Amfo, 37, added: “I think the thing I’m really proud of about this show is that it wasn’t supposed to be preachy and ‘we’re all so terrible’.

“I think it was the thing Maya Angelou once said ‘when you know better, you just do better’.

“So I think this is about us learning to do better.”

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