2007 British Academy Television Awards
The 2007 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 20 May at the London Palladium Theatre in London. They were broadcast live on BBC One in the UK. The nominations were announced on 11 April 2007. Winners and nominees. Winners in bold. Controversy. When presenting Ricky Gervais with the award for best comedy performance Joan Rivers referred to her cousin as a "Jew with a harelip". Gareth Davies, the Chief Executive of the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) wrote to BAFTA to express his "serious disappointment" at the incident and said that "many  people found the old-fashioned term "harelip" highly offensive and that "making the condition the subject of a cheap joke was simply hurtful" Rivers later said that she was extremely sorry for any offence caused and this had certainly not been her intention. Amanda Berry, BAFTA Chief Executive, stated that the Academy would "never set out to offend nor make fun of anyone". CLAPA said they were pleased to receive the apologies but is also aware that too many people are still ill-informed about what cleft lip and palate is and what it is not. They added that this  ignorance can often feed into prejudice and the media and those in the public eye have a key role in helping the association to de-stigmatise the condition.