Kate Beckinsale has urged the BAFTA board to change their email policy following the death of her TV director stepfather Roy Battersby at the age of 87 on Monday.
The actress, 50, was left distraught earlier this week after being informed Roy, who was presented with Alan Clarke Award by BAFTA in 1996, may not be included in the Award ceremony’s In Memoriam segment at the event in London next month.
Kate confessed she was ‘paralysed, sick and sickened’ after receiving a ‘very cold email’ from the organisation.
Then on Saturday, in another Instagram post, she claimed other family members of people in the film industry’ had received equally blunt emails and revealed she had still not received an apology.
Kate shared a snap of a text message from an unknown person which read: ‘Hi Kate, I spoke with CEO of BAFTA, who is of course extremely apologetic. She’s very sorry about the email and for what it caused’.
‘I am hoping they figure out a way to make this up to you, but so far they have just asked that I relay their apologies’.
In a lengthy caption she wrote: ‘First of all, thank you to all of you who have expressed their support and outrage for the coldly worded email from BAFTA that so upset me and my family.
‘Roy would have been blown away and moved to tears and it is unbearable to me that he was not able to see the amazing loving messages you have left.
‘Second, you may be aware that BAFTA has said he will be included in their segment. I have not heard from them, they have not apologised to me publicly or personally and just asked that my publicist relay an apology.’
Kate continued: ‘I have received far too many DMs from family members of people in the British film industry who have passed away who received similarly cold emails and were equally distressed by them.
’90 percent of those who work in film and TV are working class people who are not necessarily well paid or particularly well treated.
‘In lieu of an apology which is now redundant, I would like a public and permanent assurance that BAFTA make a major change to their policy of wording emails to anyone who has been bereaved; whether that person is a DP,a sound or vfx technician, costume department, editor, electrician ,grip or carpenter, let alone someone honoured in the way Roy had been.
‘These people make up the heart and soul of our industry and it is a vocation. They routinely have to sacrifice time with their families, missing important events, anniversaries, being abroad for school plays or right up to Christmas, unable to care as they’d like to for sick relatives because they have to work extremely long hours to feed their families.
‘If BAFTA truly is an organisation that celebrates those who work in this industry , I want an assurance that this is the last time they send the family of ANY of its workers an email with such a dismissive and cold tone , whether ultimately the person in question is able to be included in the segment or not.’
She added: ‘And if not, the email needs to be doubly compassionate and celebratory of their contribution. My stepfather knew the name of every single person working on his set , from camera operator to caterer , and once stopped production because the focus puller hadn’t been paid . This is what he would have wanted. Thank you again x.’
BAFTA spokesperson for BAFTA told MailOnline: ‘We were very sorry to hear of Roy Battersby’s recent passing – he was a renowned and trailblazing director.
‘Roy Battersby was awarded the Alan Clarke Award in 1996, a BAFTA Special Television Award. We confirm he will be honoured in our forthcoming BAFTA Television Awards in May, and on the In Memoriam Section on our website.’
After first learning of the news, Kate wrote: ‘Here is a photo just after I presented my stepdad with the lifetime achievement BAFTA for his incredible work in television from Colin Welland’s “Leeds United!” about the first all female strike in the clothing trade…
‘”Roll on Four o clock “, the documentary “The Body” with music by Roger Waters and commentary by the poet Adrian Mitchell , the first seven episodes of the ground breaking “Tomorrow’s World” to Cracker…
‘Between the lines, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost ,the first Edward Bond play ever written for television starring the late Bernard Hill and the late , mesmerising Charlotte Coleman and countless others…
‘Today BAFTA told me they could not guarantee he would be included in their “in memoriam” tribute , to honour the industry members we have lost…
‘So a man dead less than a week somehow has to audition in front of a committee after a decades long career in which he has been awarded from said organisation (that has awarded him the highest accolade they have )to decide if his death is worth mentioning…
‘If his work, his life ,his craft ,his mentoring , his heart and soul are worthy of a mention that he is gone . That , that has broken my heart all over again . I am paralysed ,sick and sickened and I will honour him and his work every day of my life.’
On Wednesday, the actress then took to social media to honour Roy, who was hospitalised in LA last month after suffering ‘a massive stroke’ while battling two forms of cancer, which were diagnosed in summer 2023.
Kate’s mother Judy married Roy 18 years after Kate’s father, Porridge star Richard Beckinsale, died.
Roy enjoyed his own successful career as a director, working on major British on-screen hits including Inspector Morse and Cracker. His most recent directorial credit was for a 2006 episode of A Touch Of Frost.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
