Dame Mary Berry, the beloved culinary icon and former judge of The Great British Bake Off, is set to receive the prestigious Bafta Fellowship for her exceptional contribution to television. The 91-year-old described the honour as “the icing on the cake” and said she was “completely overwhelmed” by the news.
A Lifetime of Achievement
Dame Mary will be presented with the accolade at the Bafta Television Awards in May. “What an honour for a cook to receive the Bafta Fellowship,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it – for just doing what I love.” Bafta, which bestows the fellowship as its highest individual accolade for “an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games or television”, lauded Dame Mary as “one of the UK’s most beloved broadcasters”.
Her career spans six decades, beginning in the 1970s, with her role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off described as “nothing short of transformative”. Bafta said: “By shifting the genre towards a format rooted in warmth and encouragement, she inspired a national resurgence in home baking and established a new paradigm for competitive programming, one that champions craft and joy.”
The Ceremony and Reaction
The Bafta Television Awards take place at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday 10 May and will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Dame Mary said: “I couldn’t believe it was true, what a huge honour to be presented with the Bafta Fellowship. For over 50 years, I have enjoyed every moment of teaching my passion on television and I thank all the generous professionals along the way who have given me guidance and support – and I am still learning. This amazing Bafta Fellowship is the icing on the cake.”
The cookery star, who was made a dame in the 2020 Birthday Honours, said her proudest moment on TV so far was filming with Prince William and Princess Catherine for her Christmas special, A Berry Royal Christmas, in 2019. “They put their whole heart into making roulades and achieved great things, with a lot of laughter,” she said. William sent a special message to mark Dame Mary’s 90th birthday in 2025, describing her as a “true national treasure” in a video aired on the BBC.
Industry Praise
Bafta chief executive Jane Millichip said: “Dame Mary Berry is a singular talent whose warmth, craft and generosity have helped shape the very best of British television. Mary Berry for more than 60 years has informed, inspired and entertained audiences, setting a new benchmark for factual entertainment, proving that expertise and empathy can draw huge audiences in primetime. The Bafta Fellowship is our highest honour, and we’re proud to celebrate Mary’s extraordinary legacy at this year’s Bafta Television Awards.”
Previous recipients of the fellowship include Kirsty Wark, Sir Billy Connolly, Dame Joanna Lumley and Sir David Attenborough.
