Hardwick was one of more than 100 agents invited by Baftas headline sponsor P&O Cruises to the prestigious awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday (12 May).
“I had never been to anything like that before,” Hardwick told TTG. “It was one of the most surreal days I’ve ever had. We were just mingling with the celebrities – it was so different from real life.”
Hardwick and colleagues Gemma Hopkins and Emily Jacobs, who both work in Fred Olsen Travel’s Felixstowe branch, approached Goldblum on the red carpet.
Hardwick said Goldblum, who earned Hollywood legend status for his roles in Independence Day and Jurassic Park, was “very approachable”. “I think all of us wanted to meet celebrities, but we got one of the top ones with Jeff – we were all trying to be respectful.”
Hardwick said his colleague Jacobs was particularly awe-struck as she often pays for a ticket to attend the National Television Awards in autumn.
Besides Goldblum, the Fred Olsen Travel group – which also included Go Cruise & Travel franchisees Jane Chadwick and Lizzy Johnson – saw actor David Tennant from afar.
Hardwick said he was “so pleased” to see Floella Benjamin accept her Bafta fellowship at the ceremony. “Her presenting Play School was my childhood in the 80s,” he added.
Advantage Travel Partnership’s senior commercial manager Jonny Peat and head of commercial John Sullivan joined the army of agents who attended the glitzy bash.
Elsewhere, Cathy Oldfield and Janet Whittingham from Travel Counsellors; Tui’s Dan Wishart and Jay Carson; and Cruise.co.uk’s Chloe Hughes and Nick Watts were also part of P&O Cruises group.
