Bernard Cribbins Receives Special Honour at EA British Academy Children's Awards, 11/29

Bernard Cribbins will receive the Special Award at the EA British Academy Children's Awards for his outstanding creative contribution to the industry. Bernard is synonymous with quality, traditional entertainment for children in a career spanning six decades and covering film, television and other entertainment mediums.

BAFTA Chief Executive, Amanda Berry said: "Bernard Cribbins has made an amazing contribution to children's entertainment throughout his outstanding career. He was very much loved for his story-telling on Jackanory - he holds the record for appearing on the show 110 times - and is still entertaining children today, now playing Wilfred Mott in ‘Doctor Who'. He is a worthy recipient of this year's Special Award; in fact he deserved it a long time ago! We are absolutely delighted he has accepted."

The Academy's Special Award is presented in recognition of an outstanding creative contribution aimed at children.  Last year the recipients of the Special Award were the Chuckle Brothers, Paul and Barry Elliot, who have entertained generations of children for over three decades.

Bernard, who will collect the Award from his Doctor Who co-star Catherine Tate, commented: "It is truly an honour to receive this award from the British Academy. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with and for children throughout my career and am privileged to have been involved with some amazing projects."

Cribbins made his first West End theatre appearance in 1956 at the Arts Theatre playing the two Dromios in A Comedy of Errors and co-starred in the first West End productions of Not Now Darling, There Goes the Bride and Run For Your Wife. He also starred in the revue An Another Thing, and recorded a single of a song from the show entitled "Folksong".

EA British Academy Children's Awards will take place on Sunday, November 29, at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Bernard will also be at the BFI Southbank on Saturday 16 January 2010 to discuss his work for children and families in film and television. The event is a co-production by the BFI and BAFTA and will be followed by a screening of Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966). See www.bfi.org.uk for further details.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the leading independent charity in the UK supporting, developing and promoting the art forms of the moving image. For more information visit www.bafta.org.