Mr Bates and Mr Loverman win top Bafta Awards

Mr Loverman and Mr Bates vs the Post Office were among the big winners at Sunday's Bafta TV Awards, in a night which threw up several surprise winners.

ITV's dramatisation of the post office scandal, which led to widespread public outcry about the false convictions of sub-postmasters, was named best drama series, while ITV was given a special award to recognise the show's impact.

Producer Patrick Spence said: "This story only had the impact it did because the people that watched it stood up and demanded action with rage."

Meanwhile, Mr Loverman, about an elderly man whose marriage falls apart after his long-term affair with his male friend is revealed, won two major acting prizes.

• The winners list in full
• In pictures: Stars walk the red carpet
• A wedding dress, party plans and Alan Cumming's four suits

Accepting the prize for limited series on behalf of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Spence said the response to the show proved that the public "cannot abide liars and bullies".

He added that "maybe it is a warning to those who are supposed to have our backs, that they'd better not abuse that power", and said: "Our show didn't change the law, the people of this nation did that."

Managing director of media and entertainment at ITV, Kevin Lygo, said it was "part of a long tradition on TV" that such dramas "shine a light on corruption, criminality, miscarriages of justice... but nothing, I think, has had quite the effects Mr Bates has had".

However, two of the drama's main stars Toby Jones and Monica Dolan missed out on acting prizes.

Instead, best leading actress went to Industry star Marisa Abela, while best leading and ing actor were won by Mr Loverman's Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare respectively.

"I didn't think this was coming my way," said James, describing his win as a "fantastic honour", as he paid tribute to his fellow nominees, including David Tennant, Martin Freeman and Richard Gadd.

James paid tribute to Bernardine Evaristo, who wrote the book the series was based on. "Thank you for trusting us with your characters," he said.

Bakare, who played his lover, said: "This award stands on the shoulders of those who came before me, those who might have been afraid to come out, to be who what they want to be, and I just say thank you for them."

Abela, who has also played Amy Winehouse in the musical biopic Back To Black, described her leading actress win as "insane".

She noted that she was cast in the show, about a group of young finance graduates, "when I was in my final year of drama school, and my agent who signed me in my final year is here tonight - Saskia thank you so much for believing in me".

"I've been filming Industry for about six years now, and Bad Wolf and HBO, the fact that they let us carry on after season one, it's mental. They're the best."

Ruth Jones won best female comedy performance for her role in Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, which was broadcast at Christmas and brought the hugely popular sitcom to a close.

She accepted her award in character as Nessa, beginning her speech in her alter-ego's distinctive Welsh accent and saying: "I'm not gonna lie, this is immense.

"I've won a Bafta before, course I have, in 1976," she continued as Nessa. "It was the Barry Arcade Fruit Technician Award."

She concluded her speech - returning to herself - by thanking her "dear, talented, lovely, kind, funny friend, James Corden, with whom I have shared this astonishing journey for the past 17 years, and without whom, Nessa Shanessa Jenkins would not exist".

There was another Gavin & Stacey reference elsewhere in the ceremony, when host Alan Cumming asked Rob Brydon to finally answer the question of what happened on the show's notorious fishing trip.

As Brydon began to speak, Cumming interrupted: "Oh, sorry, Rob. We've got to go straight on with the next award. We'll pick it up at next year's Baftas."

Danny Dyer won best male comedy performance for his role in Mr Bigstuff, in which he played one of two brothers with wildly different personalities who try to patch up their sibling rivalry.

Dyer said he was "choked up" by his win, before joking: "So my acting was so bad, it was funny":[]}