No sooner are the year’s film awards out of the way, than TV awards season kicks in with BAFTA announcing the nominations for their small screen awards.
Dominating the list is a series that’s also been receiving recognition at big screen events, from Cannes to the London Critics Circle Film Awards; Sir Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series has picked up a field leading 15 nods.
But it won’t win all of them, because with a number of episodes being critically acclaimed in their own right, many of the nominees are up against each other; Mangrove‘s Shaun Parkes is up against John Boyega, from Red, White and Blue in the Leading Actor category, while Mangrove’s Malachi Kirby is in line for the Supporting Actor prize alongside Micheal Ward, from Lovers Rock.
Boyega and Parkes face competition from Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles in The Crown, and Paul Mescal from Normal People.
Mescal’s co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones is in the running for the Leading Actress prize, alongside Mangrove’s Letitia Wright, I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel and Billie Piper, from I Hate Suzie.
Piper’s drama is one of three Sky Atlantic shows to dominate the Best Drama Series category, alongside Gangs of London and Save Me Too. Only Netflix’s The Crown is also in the running for that prestigious award.
Most other categories are dominated by terrestrial TV channels, with the Scripted Comedy category featuring Ghosts from BBC One, Inside No9 from BBC Two and BBC Three’s This Country and Man Like Mobeen.
The Crown is the second most nominated series, with 10, but some of its highest profile stars, Olivia Colman, Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin, failed to get a look-in.
A number of acclaimed series – enjoyed by many during a year that saw more people confined to their homes – also failed to make the cut, with The Queen’s Gambit and Des missing out completely.
The winners will be announced at a Covid-safe ceremony, hosted by Richard Ayoade, on 6th June, with winners in the main categories selected by BAFTA members from the following list:
Leading actress
- Billie Piper, I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People – BBC Three
- Hayley Squires, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Jodie Comer, Killing Eve – BBC One
- Letitia Wright, Small Axe – BBC One
- Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – BBC One
Leading actor
- John Boyega, Small Axe – BBC One
- Josh O’Connor, The Crown – Netflix
- Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You – BBC One
- Paul Mescal, Normal People – BBC Three
- Shaun Parkes, Small Axe – BBC One
- Waleed Zuaiter, Baghdad Central – Channel 4
Supporting actress
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown – Netflix
- Leila Farzad, I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- Rakie Ayola, Anthony – BBC One
- Siena Kelly, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Sophie Okonedo, Criminal: UK – Netflix
- Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You – BBC One
Supporting actor
- Kunal Nayyar, Criminal: UK – Netflix
- Malachi Kirby, Small Axe – BBC One
- Michael Sheen, Quiz – ITV
- Micheal Ward, Small Axe – BBC One
- Rupert Everett, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Tobias Menzies, The Crown – Netflix
Entertainment performance
- Adam Hills, The Last Leg – Channel 4
- Bradley Walsh, Beat The Chasers – ITV
- Claudia Winkleman Strictly Come Dancing – BBC One
- David Mitchell, Would I Lie To You? At Christmas – BBC One
- Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show – BBC One
- Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation – BBC Two
Male performance in a comedy programme
- Charlie Cooper, This Country – BBC Three
- Guz Khan, Man Like Mobeen – BBC Three
- Joseph Gilgun, Brassic – Sky One
- Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education – Netflix
- Paul Ritter, Friday Night Dinner – Channel 4
- Reece Shearsmith, Inside No 9 – BBC Two
Female performance in a comedy programme
- Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education – Netflix
- Daisy Haggard, Breeders – Sky One
- Daisy May Cooper, This Country – BBC Three
- Emma Mackey, Sex Education – Netflix
- Gbemisola Ikumelo, Famalam – BBC Three
- Mae Martin, Feel Good – Channel 4
Drama series
- Gangs of London – Sky Atlantic
- I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- Save Me Too – Sky Atlantic
- The Crown – Netflix
Single drama
- Anthony – BBC One
- BBW – Channel 4
- Sitting In Limbo – BBC One
- The Windermere Children – BBC Two
Mini-series
- Adult Material – Channel 4
- I May Destroy You – BBC One
- Normal People – BBC Three
- Small Axe – BBC One
Soap and continuing drama
- Casualty – BBC One
- Coronation Street – ITV
- EastEnders – BBC One
- Hollyoaks – Channel 4
International
- Little America – Apple TV+
- Lovecraft Country – Sky Atlantic
- Unorthodox – Netflix
- Welcome To Chechnya: The Gay Purge – BBC Four
Entertainment programme
- Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – ITV
- Life & Rhymes – Sky Arts
- Strictly Come Dancing – BBC One
- The Masked Singer – ITV
Comedy entertainment programme
- Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe – BBC Two
- Rob & Romesh Vs – Sky One
- The Big Narstie Show – Channel 4
- The Ranganation – BBC Two
Scripted comedy
- Ghosts – BBC One
- Inside No 9 – BBC Two
- Man Like Mobeen – BBC Three
- This Country – BBC Three
Features
- Big Zuu’s Big Eats – Dave
- Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace – ITV
- Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – BBC Two
- The Repair Shop – BBC One
Daytime
- Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On – BBC One
- Richard Osman’s House Of Games – BBC Two
- The Chase – ITV
- The Great House Giveaway – Channel 4
Must-see moment
- Bridgerton– Lady Whistledown is revealed
- Diversity on Britain’s Got Talent
- EastEnders – Gray kills Chantelle
- Gogglebox – Reactions to Boris Johnson’s news conference
- Nigella: Cook, Eat, Repeat – ‘Mee-cro-wah-vay’
- The Mandalorian – Luke Skywalker appears
Current affairs
- America’s War On Abortion – ITV
- Italy’s Frontline: A Doctor’s Diary – BBC Two
- The Battle For Hong Kong – Channel 4
- The Cyprus Papers Undercover – Al Jazeera English
Single documentary
- American Murder: The Family Next Door – Netflix
- Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism & Me – BBC One
- Locked In: Breaking The Silence – BBC Four
- Surviving Covid – Channel 4
Factual series
- Crime & Punishment – Channel 4
- Hospital – BBC Two
- Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency – Channel 4
- Once Upon A Time In Iraq – BBC Two
Reality and constructed factual
- Masterchef: The Professionals – BBC One
- Race Across The World – BBC Two
- The School That Tried To End Racism – Channel 4
- The Write Offs – Channel 4
Specialist factual
- Extinction: The Facts – BBC One
- Putin: A Russian Spy Story – Channel 4
- The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty – BBC Two
- The Surgeon’s Cut – Netflix
News coverage
- BBC News At Ten: Prime Minister Admitted To Intensive Care – BBC One
- Channel 4 News: Deterring Democracy – Channel 4
- Newsnight: Covid Care Crisis – BBC Two
- Sky News: Inside Idlib – Sky News
Sport
- Bahrain Grand Prix – Sky Sports Formula 1
- England V France: The Final of Autumn Nations Cup – Amazon Prime Video
- England v West Indies Test Cricket – Sky Sports Cricket
- London Marathon 2020 – BBC One
Live event
- Life Drawing Dive! – BBC Four
- Springwatch 2020 – BBC Two
- The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance – BBC One
- The Third Day: Autumn – Sky Atlantic
Short-form programme
- Criptales – BBC Four
- Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Bans With Learning Disabilities – Vice/Noisey
- The Main Part – BBC iPlayer
- They Saw The Sun First – Red Bull TV
Writer: Comedy
- Charlie Brooker, Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe – BBC Two
- Daisy May Cooper, This Country – BBC Three
- Sophie Willan, Alma’s Not Normal – BBC Two
- Writing team, Ghosts – BBC One
Writer: Drama
- Alastair Siddons, Steve McQueen, Small Axe – BBC One
- Lucy Kirkwood, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Lucy Prebble, I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – BBC One
The full list of nominations including the Bafta TV Craft nominations is on the Bafta website.