28 April 2019, London, United Kingdom
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. When I heard that someone who worked on my sitcom was being awarded a BAFTA, all I quite reasonably heard was "Your show has won a BAFTA."
On arrival, the awful truth has revealed itself: Not only do I not find myself at the actual BAFTAs, but I've discovered... [laughing at mocking of TV Craft]
Let's be honest. No, take it, take it.
… But I've also discovered that Emma Thomas, the recipient of this year's special award, fine, is receiving it for her work on numerous shows, all of which I couldn't care less about.
Combine this with the realisation that Emma is that woman who kept interrupting me on set to point out alleged mistakes I'd made and we have a recipe for crushing disappointment. I can't tell you how much I resent being here.
Anyway, back to the script that was so cleverly kept from me until just moments ago. Emma trained at TV Central in Nottingham. Her credits include a wide range of some of the most successful scripted shows in British television, including Goodnight Sweetheart, Birds of a Feather, Teachers, Benidorm, Luther, and Bad Education, to name but a few.
Incredible. My show's not even on that list.
The role of script supervisor is an integral part of television production, but seldom recognised or rewarded. Fundamentally, the script supervisor is the editor and writer's representative on set as well as being the, oh, right-hand aid to the director and the director of photography. It is the script supervisor's job to make sure that at the end of the day, the film footage can be cut together coherently. In that sense, they back up every department, monitor the script during shooting, and make sure that errors in continuity do not occur. That would cause an editing nightmare.
Not only has Emma worked on over 50 productions of both television and film in the last 30 years, but she also sits on the board of Women in Film & Television, where she has been a member... Quite right. She's been a member since 1999 and takes an active role in mentoring young women in the industry. Let's take a moment to find out more.