Adolescence star Owen Cooper has said the hit Netflix series has "changed" his life.
The 16-year old actor, who played a teenage boy accused of a terrible crime in the drama, took home the Supporting Actor BAFTA TV award during the ceremony on Sunday evening.
The series, which also picked up the best limited drama award, explores so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture and prompted a national conversation about online safety.
Speaking at a press conference after collecting his award, Cooper said: "Every time we are at these sort of events… and your name gets called out, your mind just flashes back to the first audition, the first time on set, the first time meeting the cast and stuff like that.
"It's been an unreal two years. I’m just grateful for everyone.
"It’s changed my life because I’ve met all these beautiful people. Me and my family have travelled the world so (it’s) just been amazing."
Speaking about his award-winning one-shot scene alongside Erin Doherty, Cooper added: "I didn’t know any better. (She was the) first person I worked with so, I mean, it was a dream.
"It was hard. I’m not going to say everything was easy. It was hard to do that and to do that in front of a stranger that I’ve never met. So it was difficult, but everyone around me got me there."
Series co-creator Stephen Graham, who won the Leading Actor award for his role as father Eddie Miller, described Cooper as a "once in a generational talent".
He praised his fellow cast members and the team behind the programme, adding: "This has all been about people being seen, but we need opportunities to be seen. So if you want us to keep creating this stuff, we will. If you want us to.
"We’ll keep shining the light on stories that need to be told, and we keep finding new talent, and we keep representing talent that hasn’t been discovered properly."
Ashley Walters, who was nominated in the supporting actor category for his role as DI Luke Bascombe, said the debate sparked by the show was "beyond our wildest dreams".
He said: "I feel like we knew we were doing something special, because of the love and the unity that we had on set.
"Obviously the writing was amazing, like we knew it was a great project to be a part of, but I don’t think anyone could foresee where it would go and how it would resonate with people around the world.
"We’re really, really proud.
"When you make TV you always want to create conversations and do something that moves people forward or creates that conversation that could move people forward. But the way this has done that has been… beyond our wildest dreams. So we’re very proud to be part of it."
Source: Press Association
