Bafta TV Awards: Top Boy, Happy Valley and Sixth Commandment triumph

Timothy Spall was named best actor for his performance in The Sixth Commandment, about the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin.

“This is a story about many things, about terrible crimes, but it’s also about love,” Spall said of the series, which also won best limited drama.

“We’re privileged, particularly when you’re telling real stories about real lives, that people give you permission to do this. We’re just storytellers really.”

Spall said he had not prepared an acceptance speech because he did not expect to win.

He joked viewers should instead “look it all up on IMDB, and you’ll see who was involved” in making the series.

Elsewhere, the In Memoriam section was accompanied by an instrumental version of Friends theme tune I’ll Be There For You, and included a tribute to actor Matthew Perry.

It also featured talk show host Sir Michael Parkinson, Strictly professional Robin Windsor, newsreader George Alagiah and Dad’s Army star Ian Lavender.