The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has today announced that Sue Perkins will host the British Academy Television Awards in 2017, marking her first year as master of ceremonies at the event. 

The awards will take place at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on Sunday 14 May 2017 and the ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One. The red carpet arrivals will also be live streamed.

The British Academy Television Awards recognise and celebrate the very best television programmes, performances and behind-the-scenes talent from 2016. The full nominations will be announced live on Tuesday 11 April at 7.30am.

Sue Perkins says: “I am thrilled to be hosting the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards this year. Not only is it one of the highlights of the television calendar, it’s also a superbly fun night and an opportunity to celebrate the incredible British talent we have behind our very best TV programmes.”

Clare Brown, Director of Production at Bafta, says: “Sue is a hugely talented presenter, comedian and writer who is much loved by the British public. She is respected in the industry for both her warm and witty on-screen presence and for her skill as a comedy writer. It’s a pleasure to welcome her as the host of this year’s awards.”

Pinki Chambers, Commissioning Editor for BBC Entertainment, says: “Sue is dearly loved by the BBC’s viewers and we are delighted that she is hosting the awards this year. Her warmth and humour will resonate with people at home and I have no doubt that it will be a highly entertaining evening for everyone.”

Presenter, writer and comedian Sue Perkins is arguably best known for her role co-hosting seven series of Bafta Award-winning show The Great British Bake Off, which mainly involved making puns about Hungarian Rings with her life-partner Mel Giedroyc. Most recently, Sue has hosted Sky One’s family game show The Big Spell, Sky Atlantic's Game of Thrones fan-show Thronecast, as well as co-presenting the BBC’s charity talent show Let’s Sing And Dance For Comic Relief. She has just finished touring the UK with her stand up show Spectacles, based on her Sunday Times bestselling memoir.

In 2014, Sue presented the BBC Two documentary The Mekong River, a four-part series where she embarked on a 3,000-mile journey along South East Asia’s greatest river, exploring lives and landscapes on the verge of drastic change. Later this year the BBC will be releasing Sue’s latest adventure, The Ganges, which will tell the story of developing, modern India through the eyes of the millions living along its banks.