Bafta confirms why Matthew Perry was missing from In Memoriam tribute

The sudden news of Matthew Perry's death in October shocked the world, and celebrities, royals and politicians shared touching tributes to the late actor online in the wake of the reports. His Friends co-stars also shared their condolences, with Courteney Cox sharing memories of their characters love story and Matt LeBlanc sharing his heartbreak over losing his 'brother'. 

Matthew's closest co-star, Jennifer Aniston, also shared sweet anecdotes online and has since urged his fans to support the Matthew Perry Foundation, an organisation which was set up to help those suffering from addiction.

As many stars gather at this time of year for awards season, a number of the ceremonies dedicate a segment to those within the industry who have passed away in the last twelve months. At the Baftas last night, Hannah Waddingham sang a moving rendition of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time while the likes of Tina Turner, Sir Michael Gambon, Jane Birkin and Glynis Johns were remembered. However, viewers were quick to notice that Matthew did not appear in the dedicated In Memoriam tribute. 

A number of them took to X, formerly Twitter, with one person writing: "Only came to make sure I wasn't the only person saddened at the glaring omission by @BAFTA of #MatthewPerry during the in memoriam tributes!"

Another added: "Why is Matthew Perry not on that?"

In response to the criticism, Bafta responded to the question on the social media platform to confirm why Matthew Perry was not included in the list of tributes and to assure his fans that he will be honoured at a later date. 

Responding to the post, the official Bafta account replied: "Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony. You can also find our tribute to Matthew at [Bafta website]."

While he was most known for playing Chandler Bing on the sitcom for a decade, Matthew did also star in a number of films over the years - most notably, The Whole Nine Yards and 17 Again.