BAFTA has spread its TV awards evenly across a range of broadcasters and streamers, bestowing them on everything from brand new shows to finales.
Many shows were awarded in pairs, with BBC One’s The Traitors being named the best reality and constructed factual programme, while its host Claudia Winkleman won the Entertainment Performance Award.
Apple TV+ won its first BAFTAs, with Bad Sisters being named as the best drama series, while Anne-Marie Duff won the prize for the best supporting actress.
Channel 4’s I Am Ruth was named the best single drama, while its star Kate Winslet won the award for the best lead actress, which she said she wanted to share with her co-star – and daughter – Mia Threapleton.
The best scripted comedy went to the third and final series of another Channel 4 show, Derry Girls, while Siobhán McSweeney – who played the head teacher at the Northern Ireland convent school – won names as the best female performance in a comedy.
The other main acting awards saw Ben Whishaw named the best actor for This Is Going To Hurt, Lenny Rush take the prize for the best male performance in a comedy for Am I Being Unreasonable? and Adeel Akhtar was honoured as the best supporting actor prize for Sherwood.
And other big awards – handed out at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank – saw Casualty honoured as the best soap of continuing drama, Mood take the best mini-series award, an episode of The Repair Shop featuring King Charles, shortly before he ascended to the throne, was named the best daytime show, ITV’s The Masked Singer took the best entertainment programme prize and the BBC’s coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was beaten to the best live event award by its own coverage of her Platinum Jubilee concert, just weeks earlier. And making another pair on a night of pairs, one element of that show – when the Queen herself had tea with Paddington Bear – won the award for the memorable moment, voted for by viewers.
The actress Meera Syal was honoured with a BAFTA Fellowship as a recognition of her body of work. Collecting the honour, she called for more diversity – “not just in front of the camera, but in the writers’ rooms, in make-up vans and around tables where deals are done.” The outgoing chair of BAFTA, Krish Majumdar, described her as a “national treasure,” who had “changed the game,” with her role in Goodness Gracious Me, 25 years ago.
There was also a BAFTA special award for the history documentarian, Professor David Olusoga. He said he hoped that in future, people from minority communities entering the industry might find their journey a little easier.
And here is the full list of BAFTA’s TV Award winners for 2023: