The award was presented by Richard Osman at the BAFTA Television Awards ceremony. Lewis said he is 'very proud' to be receiving the honour, which BAFTA chief executive Jane Millichip said the organisation was 'delighted' to bestow. Previous recipients include David Olusoga, Sir Lenny Henry, Cilla Black, and Idris Elba.
Lewis recalled it took him 'five minutes' to process the news, adding that he is 'really proudly' a journalist and appreciates the recognition from BAFTA. The award is presented to an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to television. Lewis has hosted The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV since 2012.
5 million viewers with a 20% audience share. Bafta previously hailed him as 'the most trusted man on television', and he has fundamentally changed the way the nation thinks about money. Lewis said 'TV doesn’t have to be format-driven.
People will embrace something actionable, something real, something that helps. ' Beyond his show, Lewis appears as a financial expert on ITV's Good Morning Britain and This Morning. His campaigns have recovered £1bn in unfair bank charges and £10bn for PPI mis-selling.
delighted
He was appointed CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and consumer rights, having previously received an MBE in 2014. In his acceptance speech, Lewis dedicated the award to consumer journalism, where he 'found my fire'. He highlighted how consumer journalism has helped people navigate pandemic support, pushed governments to backtrack on energy hikes, legislate against scam ads, and against aggressive council tax debt collection.
He also criticised the freezing of the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans as 'morally wrong', making a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves. ' Lewis's personal reflections touched on his childhood tragedy: his mother died suddenly days before his 12th birthday. He wrote his speech on Thursday, 42 years after her death.
For six years after, barring school, he barely left the house, describing his childhood self as a 'broken, scared boy'. He told the audience that 'life can be transformed, it can get better'. He thanked his viewers, his wife Lara Lewington, and their daughter Sapphire.
Lewis has been married to Lewington for almost 20 years. uk, Lewis said he would rather 'wire my nipples to electrodes' than go into politics. The same outlet reported that he confessed he might 'step away' from some live reporting before too long, saying he does not know how much longer he can do it.
He said he hopes to try his hand at other TV shows like gameshows and quizzes. His charity is at the forefront of trying to improve the intersection between money and mental health issues. Martin Lewis is 54 years old and was born in Manchester.