Fellowship for sitcom's trailblazers

'Trailblazing' comedy writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson will be honoured with a Bafta Fellowship at the awards on Sunday.

The  creators of Steptoe And Son and Hancock's Half Hour will receive the academy's highest accolade for their 'outstanding and exceptional' contribution to television.

Galton said: 'We are happy and honoured to accept this award on behalf of all the blood donors, test pilots, radio hams and rag and bone men of the 20th Century without whom we would probably be out of a job. Thank you all.'

Simpson added: 'We always wanted a Fellowship, even though we did not know what a Fellowship was. Not the sort of thing one associates with a couple of Cockney lads, apart from Alfred Hitchcock, of course.'

Previous holders of the Fellowship include Michael Palin, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, David Attenborough and Julie Walters.

Bafta chairwoman Anne Morrison said: 'Having created some of the most iconic characters and programmes over the past few decades, it comes as no surprise that Alan Simpson and Ray Galton will be receiving the Bafta fellowship this year. 

'Alan and Ray have had such successful careers spanning over 60 years, with credits such as Steptoe and Son and Hancock's Half Hour, two hugely popular sitcoms. They are rightly considered the trailblazers of the situation comedy format.'

Both were both awarded OBEs in 2000 for their contribution to British television.

Watch the pair collect a Chortle Award for lifetime achievement from Harry Enfield in 2013:

• Click here to listen to the Radio 4 documentary Steptoe And Son... and Sons, about the legacy of one of their best-loved shows.

Published: 5 May 2016