Click here to see pictures from the Bafta award ceremony

A controversial film-maker whose documentary about Alzheimer’s disease prompted an investigation over claims that it showed the moment of a man’s death has been given Bafta’s Outstanding Contribution to Television award.

Last night’s awards also produced a first win for Dame Eileen Atkins and two prizes each for the comedian Harry Hill and the BBC Three sitcom Gavin and Stacey.

Last year ITV ordered an inquiry into Malcolm and Barbara: Love’s Farewell after Paul Watson, the film-maker credited with inventing the fly-on-the-wall genre, suggested that he had filmed the moment when Alzheimer sufferer Malcolm Pointon died. He backtracked after Mr Pointon’s brother, Graham, contacted The Times to say that this was not true. Watson’s crew had left the sick man’s bedside two days before he died.

The documentary was edited before screening and the ITV boss Michael Grade ordered an inquiry into how it had come to be promoted as ground-breaking footage of a man’s death. Olswang, the law firm called in by ITV, said that Watson was “the primary source of the misunderstanding”. Watson said that the grilling he was given was “mental torture”.

The 90-minute film was acclaimed as a sensitive study of Alzheimer’s and Watson retained the full support of Mr Pointon’s widow, Barbara. Sources said that in making the award Bafta was thumbing its nose at Watson’s critics.

Watson has made more than 300 films over 35 years, including the observational series The Family and the Australian documentary Sylvania Waters.

John Willis, chairman of the Bafta television committee, said: “Paul Watson is one of the giants of documentary film-making. Over several decades he has created a string of memorable and often controversial documentaries, always striving for innovation in both form and content.”

After accepting his award Watson launched a broadside at the industry and called for a cull of broadcasting executives. He said: “We are in seriously bad times. There is a generation of film-makers being told what to do by 12-year-old ‘suits’ who haven’t a clue what life is about or the history of broadcasting.

“I hope we will carry on putting ordinary people on the screen because they provide the information about what is going on in this country.”

Watson said that he would return with a new documentary about death for the BBC. But his controversial film did not win best documentary, losing to Lie of the Land, Molly Dineen’s investigation into the decline of farming in Britain for Channel 4.

Overdue success came to Dame Eileen Atkins, 73, who beat her co-star on Cranford, Dame Judi Dench, to the Best Actress award. Dame Eileen won for her portrayal of Deborah Jenkyns in the Elizabeth Gaskell adaptation for BBC One. “There’ll be a catfight later,” joked Dame Judi.

Andrew Garfield, a 24-year-old newcomer, won Best Actor for his leading role in the Channel 4 drama Boy A, about a young man’s release into the community after serving time for murdering a child.

The sitcom Gavin and Stacey won the Sky+ Audience award for the Programme of the Year. The show was created by James Cordon and Ruth Jones, who play the two main characters’ best friends. Cordon, 29, also took the Comedy Performance award.

Harry Hill won two Baftas — his first recognition at the event. Channel 4, struggling to maintain its audience share, can claim to be in good creative health after securing eight Bafta wins.

Bruce Forsyth, 80, was presented with a Fellowship, the highest Bafta accolade, by Paul Merton at the ceremony at the London Palladium.

Andrew Marr received an award for his BBC Two History of Modern Britain. “There is a tendency to think that the audience is not as clever as we are,” he said. “The truth is, they are always a bit cleverer. We didn’t have any dancing dogs in our series but we did have the British people.”

There was an ironic victory for ITV when its Formula One coverage took the Sport award. ITV dropped coverage of the competition last month.

Every one a winner

Actor Andrew Garfield Boy A Channel 4
Actress Eileen Atkins Cranford BBC One
Entertainment Performance Harry Hill Harry Hill's TV Burp ITV1
Comedy Performance James Corden Gavin and Stacey
Drama Series The Street BBC One/Granada Productions
Drama Serial Britz
Continuing Drama Holby City BBC One/BBC Drama Productions
Factual series The Tower: A Tale of Two cities BBC One/BBC
Specialist Factual Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain BBC Two/BBC
Features Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares Channel 4/ Optomen Television
Current affairs China’s stolen children – a Dispatches special Channel 4/True Vision
News coverage Sky News Glasgow Airport attack
Entertainment programme Harry Hill's TV Burp ITV1/Avalon Television Ltd
Comedy programme Fonejacker Channel 4/Hat Trick Productions Ltd
Situation comedy Peep Show Channel 4/Objective Productions
Sky+ Audience award for the Programme of the Year Gavin & Stacey
Bafta Fellowship Bruce Forsyth

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