Russell T Davies, the acclaimed television writer and showrunner renowned for his groundbreaking work in gay drama, is set to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Television award at the 2025 Bafta Cymru Awards. The ceremony will take place in Newport on 5 October. Davies is widely recognised for revitalising the long-running BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, overseeing its return to screens in 2005, and more broadly for his influence on queer representation in television over the past two decades.
Davies’s career spans some 40 years, beginning as a graphic artist on the BBC children’s programme Why Don’t You. Since then, he has shaped numerous landmark productions, notably creating the 1999 drama Queer as Folk, which was pioneering in its candid portrayal of gay life. His subsequent work, including the series Cucumber and the Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, has cemented his reputation for addressing LGBTQ+ stories with nuance and emotional candour. It’s A Sin, in particular, attracted massive viewership, with 6.5 million views across its five episodes in under two weeks in 2021. Recognising his contributions, Davies was awarded an OBE in 2018 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022. Commenting on the Bafta Cymru honour, Davies called it an 'enormous compliment' and expressed pride that his work had resonated with audiences in a lasting way. Source: Noah Wire Services