Chewing Gum star Susan Wokoma, This Country creators and actors Charlie and Daisy Cooper and Fleabag producer Lydia Hampson are among the 20 creative newcomers named by Bafta as the Breakthrough Brits of 2017.
The list, which also includes War And Peace actress Jessie Buckley, God’s Own Country director Francis Lee and star Josh O’Connor and video game directors Adam and Thomas Vian, was selected by a jury of industry experts including Peaky Blinders director Tom Harper and actors Will Poulter, Jenna Coleman and Vicky McClure.
The chosen newcomers, who will be supported by Bafta over the next 12 months and will receive the help of mentors, were announced at a special event at the Burberry flagship store in London.
Buckley, who first entered the spotlight when she came second on BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, said she hopes the recognition helps her meet new collaborators.
She told the Press Association: “So often we are so secluded in our job and there is lot of competition and I just want to be more part of a team and collaborate and meet people who are at the same stage as me and chat and see what they are up to.”
Olivia Wood, a creative editor at a gaming studio, said she hopes the honour helps convince her parents she is in the right profession.
She said: “It’s particularly nice for me because my parents always hated video games, I used to play them when I was meant to be writing an essay.
“Throughout time it was ‘anything but video games’, I tried to do a serious career and didn’t like it and came back to this.
“They are trying so hard to be proud of this thing they have hated, it’s adorable, but having this, I think might finally sway them.”
Daisy Cooper, who created and starred in BBC Three comedy This Country with her brother Charlie, said she hopes their place on the list helps them develop their next project.
Asked what she would like it to lead to, she joked: “A f****** Bafta, I would hope! Let’s call a spade a spade!”
Her brother added: “To meet people who are established in the industry and to have some guidance.
“This is our first project really and after it ends, f*** knows what we are going to do, so just getting advice and seeing how they worked and went on to other things would be great for us because we are just sort of idiots really.”
Amanda Berry, chief executive of Bafta, said the list identifies the best emerging talent in film, games and television.
She added: “As it reaches its fifth year, I am so proud of what the initiative has achieved and the talented people it has honoured.
“Over the next year the Breakthrough Brits will be supported by Bafta and mentored by some of the industry’s most established professionals.
“This years’s Breakthrough Brits truly represent the diverse range of talents that make up our industries.”
The Bafta Breakthrough Brits of 2017 are:
Adam Vian and Thomas Vian – game directors
Anna Holinrake – games artist
Charlie Cooper and Daisy Cooper – writers/actors
Chloe Thompson – cinematographer
Daniel Fountain – game designer
Francis Lee – writer/director
Henry Hoffman – creative director (games)
Hope Dickson Leach – writer/director
Jessie Buckley – actress
Josh O’Connor – actor
Kit Fraser – cinematographer
Lydia Hampson – producer
Mahalia Belo – director
Molly Windsor – actress
Olivia Wood – games writer and editor
Sarah Quintrell – writer
Segun Akinola – composer
Susan Wokoma – actress
