The red carpet was packed with tinsel town’s finest last night, as the film industry celebrated the 75th British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Hosted by Australian actor Rebel Wilson, the event was the first in-person ceremony since 2020 and was worth the wait.
Numerous surprise winners provided film fans an exhilarating night which included several popular stars pick up well-deserved gongs.
One of those was well-respected Welsh actor Joanna Scanlan, who picked up one of the night’s major awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role of Mary in Aleem Khan’s hit movie After Love.
On accepting her award, Scanlan spoke in her native Welsh, proclaiming “Diolch yn fawr iawn as we say in my country! BAFTA thank you so much...some stories have surprising endings don't they.”
Diolch yn fawr iawn translates as “thank you very much.”
Who is Bafta award winner Joanna Scanlan?
Though she was born in the Wirral, Merseyside, the After Love actor was brought up in Wales having moved there at just three-years-old. She considers herself Welsh due to her upbringing in the country.
She attended Brigidine Convent and Howell's School in Denbigh, as well as New Hall School in Chelmsford, Essex.
Earlier in her life, she studied history at Queens' College, Cambridge and joined the Cambridge Footlights, where she became close friends with Hollywood star and fellow actor, Tilda Swinton.
Scanlan didn’t decide to get into professional acting until the age of 34, but quickly found success playing a nurse in ITV series Peak Practice, before taking on the role of a midwife in her first film, Girl With The Pearl Earring, alongside Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.
The After Love actor is no stranger to award ceremonies, having previously received a Bafta nomination for satirical NHS drama Getting On, which she starred and co-wrote with Jo Brand and Vicki Pepperdine.
The trio also received nominations for Best Female Performance in a Comedy and a Bafta Television Craft for screenwriting in both 2011 and 2013.
What films has Joanna Scanlan been in?
While some have described her Bafta win as a surprise, her victory at the 75th British Academy Awards was actually the fourth gong she has won for her role as Mary in the critically acclaimed After Love, having picked up awards at the Dublin International Film Festival, British Independent Film Awards and Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
She has an extensive filmography, having starred in Notes on a Scandal and Bridget Jones's Baby.
However, British fans will recognise her several popular television shows throughout the past two decades, with the actor taking on roles in TV series such as Doc Martin, Dracula and Spaced alongside several others.
She is best known for her role as Terri Coverley, a useless senior press officer for the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship in British comedy The Thick Of It, where she stars alongside Scottish actor Peter Capaldi.
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1. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Joanna Scanlan poses in the winners room with the award for Best Actress for "After Love" during the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 at Royal Albert Hall on March 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
Joanna Scanlan poses in the winners room with the award for Best Actress for "After Love" during the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 at Royal Albert Hall on March 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images) Photo: Joe Maher