Lenny Henry will be honoured with the Special Award at this year’s British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs).
The 57-year-old funnyman will be recognised for his creative contribution to television at the prestigious award ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London on May 8.
He said: "I am truly humbled and truly hopeful that this award is a pan-industry acknowledgement that diversity must be at the heart of our industry if we are to reflect British society now and, most importantly, the future."
Krishnendu Majumdar, the Chair of BAFTAs’ Television Committee, feels there is no one "more deserving" of the prize, named in honour of the late TV Director Alan Clarke, than Lenny due to his long-serving career in television and also for his lecture for BAFTA on diversity in 2014.
She said: "There is no one more deserving of the Special Award this year than Lenny Henry. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a performer and writer, appearing in dozens of shows from ‘Tiswas’ to the hugely popular ‘Lenny Henry Show’ and most recently in the drama, ‘The Syndicate’; proving his appeal spans all generations and genres."
Lenny’s career started when he appeared on the talent show ‘New Faces’ in 1975.
He then went on to star in programmes of all kinds from children’s TV and comedy to drama and his very own ‘The Lenny Henry Show’, for which he received two nominations at the BAFTAs in 1985 and 1989.
Lenny Henry to receive Special Award at British Academy Television Awards
