Making West drama was like being hit by truck, says Bafta winner Emily Watson

The best of British on show as the TV Baftas were held at the Royal Festival Hall
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28 May 2012
The Weekender

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The stars of Appropriate Adult, the TV drama about killer Fred West, are celebrating a triple success at the Baftas.

But Dominic West, Monica Dolan and Emily Watson have told how harrowing it was making the ITV drama and how it left them all emotionally scarred.

Watson, 45, who played West’s appropriate adult Janet Leach, said the filming experience left her feeling like she had been “run over by a truck”, while Dolan, who played the serial killer’s wife Rose, admitted she found the process “more difficult” than she thought.

The Wire star West, 42, admitted he felt under huge pressure because the “stakes were so high” in addressing the story of serial killer West and his wife Rose. He collected the leading actor award, while Watson took the leading actress award and Dolan the supporting actress prize.

Speaking backstage, Watson said: “It is one of the worst atrocities that has taken place in the common place of our lives and our country and we have the duty to look at it and examine it and not forget. By the end of it I was so happy to flee that set. I felt like I had been run over by a truck.”

Dolan said the role had been “a privilege” and paid tribute to the Wests’ victims, many of whom were never reported missing. She also said she found it hard to shake off the serial killer when filming ended.

She added: “It was more difficult than I thought. With other roles my

family’s always been amazed at how quickly I drop one and go on to another, but with this there was a residue of feelings that I had to reconcile.” Sherlock was another big winner at the Royal Festival Hall event, taking the award for best supporting actor and a special award for series writer Stephen Moffat.

Jennifer Saunders won the award for female performance in a comedy programme for her return to Absolutely Fabulous. “Thank you for still finding it funny,” she said.

The award for entertainment performance went to Graham Norton. Coronation Street won best soap and continuing drama; BBC One’s Mrs Brown’s Boys won the situation comedy category and newsreader Kate Silverton presented the single documentary award to BBC Two’s Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die — the best-selling author’s examination of euthanasia.

The last award of the night was the Bafta Fellowship, given to veteran Australian artist and entertainer Rolf Harris. Presenting the award, actor Robert Lindsay said Harris was “a national British treasure”.

Harris came on stage to a standing ovation, brandished his award and joked: “I was going to say ‘Can you tell what it is yet?’, but perhaps I won’t.”

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