TV Bafta winners: Jessica Hynes uses 'best female comedy performance' speech to slam austerity

 
Austerity protest: Jessica Hynes (Picture: Ian West/PA)
Ramzy Alwakeel11 May 2015
The Weekender

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Comic Jessica Hynes used her winning speech at tonight's TV Baftas to criticise austerity measures, telling the glitzy audience: "Low income does not mean low talent."

Ms Hynes, who took home best female performance in a comedy programme for her role in W1A, told the audience: "I'm from a single-parent family. I'm really worried about the cuts that are coming in state education and to people in low income families.

"I don't feel low income means low talent, low imagination or low intelligence."

Hynes later told reporters in the winners' room she was mainly worried about cuts to arts in higher education, adding she was supporting schemes to help children from low income families pursue performing.

Stars arrive for the BAFTA TV awards

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"The arts is the first thing to go when the cuts and austerity hit," she said.

Asked if she was disappointed with the election result, she simply nodded and said "yes".

The one-time star of Spaced beat off competition from Olivia Colman (for Rev), Tamsin Greig (for Episodes) and former Doctor Who companion Catherine Tate (for Catherine Tate's Nan) to take home the award for her performance as Siobhan Sharpe.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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