Michael Palin will be honoured at next month's BAFTA awards with the highest honour the guild gives out; the fellowship. The Sunday 12 May ceremony will see Palin receive recognition for his decades-long work on television, that has seen him both amuse and educate us with his numerous projects.

The veteran comedian, actor, writer and presenter, 69, found fame almost immediately after leaving Oxford University, first achieving prominence on The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set before achieving worldwide fame as one of the stars and writers of Monty Python. Following an illustrious comedy career and as well as venturing into film, Palin began to front a traveloge series that have seen him travel to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and, most recently, Brazil.

Michael Palin
Michael Palin thoroughly deserves his award.

Palin has since given thanks to BAFTA for recognising his life-long dedication to television, releasing a statement that reads; “A Bafta Fellowship is a very high honour for anyone working in television. I'm well aware that any success I’ve had is down to teamwork. I’ve been blessed throughout my career with the inspiration and support of others. The Fellowship is for all of us.”

The Chairman of Bafta, John Willis, also commented on the announcement and said the actor is more than deserving of the prestigious award, saying, “Michael Palin, ex-Python, writer, presenter and Bafta-winning actor whose amiable onscreen manner belies the seriousness of his craft, has made an incredible contribution to the medium over five decades. There are few individuals more worthy than Michael of the Fellowship, the highest honour the Academy can bestow.”

This years British Academy Television Awards will be broadcast on BBC One at 8pm on Sunday 12 May and will be hosted by Graham Norton.