EastEnders bags bittersweet win as best soap at BAFTA TV Awards after ITV rival Emmerdale forced to withdraw from nominations
The BBC drama beat Casualty and Coronation Street and scooped the prize at the prestigious ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday.
Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw accepted the award and thanked fans for their support over the last 40 years, while cast members stood proudly beside him on stage.
However, the win comes after ITV competitor Emmerdale withdrew its entry for the award back in March after one of the scriptwriters was found guilty of domestic abuse.
Bosses at the channel pulled out of the nomination after writer Martin Fustes pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend.
According to The Sun, ITV felt it was inappropriate to be included after the recent developments, as the soap has recently featured and won acclaim for a storyline about domestic abuse.
A spokesperson for ITV and Emmerdale told MailOnline at the time: 'ITV and Emmerdale have taken the decision to withdraw from the Soap category from this year's awards.
'This is in consideration of recent news involving a member of the scriptwriting team.'
The Sun reported how BAFTA members had been told that anyone who had voted for Emmerdale had to recast their votes following the withdrawal.
The top writer for Emmerdale told his partner he wanted to kill her and chop up her face, a court heard.
Martin Fustes, 47, assaulted the terrified woman and the made vile threats on January 27 after a late-night argument at their home in Beverley, East Yorkshire, where they lived with their children.
She feared she was going to die after abusive boyfriend Fustes turned nasty and began suffocating her by putting his hands over her nose and mouth and told her he wished she could be set alight and hanged from a tree.
Fustes admitted assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm, and an offence of intentional suffocation when he appeared before Hull Magistrates' Court on January 31.
At his sentencing at Hull Crown Court on February 28, he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, 150 hours unpaid work, 15 days rehabilitation and a 26-session probation service domestic abuse programme.
He was also ordered to pay £2,000 compensation, £150 in costs and was given a ten-year restraining order.
Fustes has been an Emmerdale writer for at least 10 years, according to a fan page of the ITV soap, and is understood to have even penned domestic violence storylines -a key focus in the soap over the last 12 months.
An ITV spokesperson said at the time: 'We were shocked and appalled to learn about the recent court case involving Emmerdale writer Martin Fustes. Mr Fustes is a freelance writer and he has been informed that he will no longer be writing for Emmerdale.
'Everyone at ITV and Emmerdale abhors domestic abuse, which is why we have been highlighting the issue in a major storyline over the last 12 months. The Emmerdale production team were not aware of these charges against Mr Fustes until we were alerted over the weekend.'
2025 BAFTA TV AWARD WINNERS AT A GLANCE
Drama Series - Blue Lights (BBC One)
Limited Drama - Mr Bates vs the Post Office (ITV1)
International - Shogun (Disney+) - WINNER
Scripted Comedy - Alma's Not Normal (BBC Two)
Entertainment - Would I Lie To You? (BBC One)
Entertainment Performance - Joe Lycett, Late Night Lycett (Channel 4)
Strictly Come Dancing: Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell's Waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone (BBC One)
Factual Entertainment - Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour (BBC Two)
Factual Series - To Catch a Copper (Channel 4)
Specialist Factual - Atomic People (BBC Two)
Live Event Coverage - Glastonbury 2024 (BBC Two)
News Coverage - BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special (BBC One)
Leading Actress - Marisa Abela, Industry (BBC One)
Leading Actor - Lennie James, Mr Loverman (BBC One)
Supporting Actress - Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Supporting Actor - Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman (BBC One)
Female Performance in a Comedy - Ruth Jones, Gavin & Stacey (BBC One)
Male Performance in a Comedy - Danny Dyer, Mr Big Stuff (Sky Comedy)
Reality - The Jury: Murder Trial (Channel 4)
Soap - EastEnders (BBC One)
Daytime - Clive Myrie's Caribbean Adventure (BBC Two) - WINNER
Current Affairs - State of Rage (Channel 4)
Shortform - Quiet Life (BBC Three)
Sport - Paris 2024 Olympics (BBC Sport)
Children's Non Scripted - FYI Investigates: Disability and Me (Sky Kids)
Children's Scripted - CBeebies As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe (CBeebies)
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