‘Saturday Night Live’ to receive BAFTA’s special award

BAFTA will fete NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with its Special Award at an Oct. 4 event in New York.

“SNL” and its creator, Lorne Michaels, will be honored at an event hosted in partnership with Cadillac at DUMBO House in New York. Past and present cast and crew members are expected to be on hand.

One of BAFTA’s highest honors, the Special Award is reserved for exceptional achievement in film, games or television. Past recipients include “Downton Abbey,” the team behind “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and the “Harry Potter” film franchise.

“We are delighted that ‘Saturday Night Live’ is receiving the BAFTA Special Award. This is a fantastic achievement for a show synonymous with New York and we are honored to be presenting it in this city to celebrate the huge talents that have influenced and inspired countless people across the world,” said chair of BAFTA New York Arianna Bocco.

“’Saturday Night Live’ has discovered, nurtured and celebrated generations of comedy talents. It has also brought the very best of British talent to a global audience. We are delighted to be presenting this hugely popular show with a Special Award,” said BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry.

The BAFTA recognition comes on the heels of the 70th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by “SNL’s” Colin Jost and Michael Che, in which the NBC mainstay earned the Emmy for variety sketch series. That win brought the total number of Emmys received by “SNL” since its 1975 debut to 72, an Emmy record for any program.

BAFTA will make highlights of the event available for viewing via its website and social media platforms.

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