London, UK – The critically acclaimed Netflix series Adolescence has emerged as the frontrunner for the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards, securing an impressive 11 nominations. The nominations, announced in London on Tuesday, position the smash-hit phenomenon as a dominant force heading into the prestigious British television accolades. Following closely behind is Disney+’s historical drama A Thousand Blows, which garnered seven nominations, underscoring a strong showing for streaming platforms.
The annual BAFTA Television Awards celebrate the best of British and international television, recognizing excellence across a wide array of genres and production categories. This year’s ceremony, hosted by Taskmaster’s Greg Davies, is scheduled for May 10 at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in the British capital, promising an evening of recognition for television’s finest. The nominations reflect a vibrant year for British television, marked by both compelling dramas and engaging factual programming.
Leading Contenders and Notable Nominations
Adolescence, which has previously earned Emmy recognition for its cast, continued its critical acclaim streak, notably with a Best Lead Actor nomination for creator-star Stephen Graham. Graham, celebrated for his intense and nuanced performances, will compete in a highly competitive category against a distinguished lineup of talent. His fellow nominees include Colin Firth for Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Ellis Howard for What It Feels Like For a Girl, James Nelson-Joyce for This City Is Ours, Matt Smith for The Death of Bunny Munro, and Taron Egerton for Smoke. This category highlights the depth of acting talent within the British television landscape.
In the Leading Actress category, Aimee Lou Wood received a nomination for her role in Film Club. She faces stiff competition from Erin Doherty for A Thousand Blows, Jodie Whittaker for Toxic Town, Narges Rashidi for Prisoner 951, Sheridan Smith for I Fought the Law, and Sian Brooke for Blue Lights. The breadth of performances recognized in this category spans various genres, from historical drama to gritty contemporary narratives, showcasing the diverse roles for women in television today.
Beyond the top two, other series also made significant impacts on the nomination list. Andor and Trespasses each secured six nominations, while The Celebrity Traitors received five nods, reflecting its popularity in the reality television sphere. These figures underscore the robust creative output across both established broadcasters and newer streaming giants.
Drama Series and Limited Series Spotlight
The highly anticipated Drama Series category features strong contenders, including A Thousand Blows, Blue Lights, Code of Silence, and This City Is Ours. Adolescence, given its finite narrative, competes in the Limited Series category, alongside I Fought the Law, Trespasses, and What It Feels Like For a Girl. This distinction allows for a more focused evaluation of storytelling within a contained format versus ongoing narratives.
The International category highlights global productions that have captivated British audiences. Nominees include the acclaimed culinary comedy-drama The Bear, political thriller The Diplomat, sci-fi mystery Pluribus, dystopian workplace drama Severance, the corporate satire The Studio, and the popular social commentary The White Lotus. This diverse selection reflects the increasing global interconnectedness of television content and the appetite for stories from around the world.
Several talents received their first-time BAFTA nominations this year, marking significant milestones in their careers. These include Ashley Walters for Adolescence, Christine Tremarco also for Adolescence, Fehinti Balogun for Down Cemetery Road, Owen Cooper for Adolescence, and Paddy Considine for MobLand. Their inclusion among seasoned performers points to the continuous emergence of fresh talent within the industry.
The Craft Awards and Ceremony Logistics
In addition to the main BAFTA Television Awards, the BAFTA Television Craft Awards nominations were also unveiled on Tuesday. These awards, which celebrate the behind-the-scenes talent and technical expertise vital to television production, will be presented in a separate ceremony on April 26. The main event on May 10 will be broadcast live on BBC One and available for streaming on BBC iPlayer, ensuring wide public access to the celebrations.
Detailed Category Listings: Celebrating Television Excellence
The full list of nominations across various categories showcases the breadth and depth of talent in the television industry, from children’s programming to hard-hitting current affairs and innovative craftwork.
Performance Categories
- Leading Actor:
- Colin Firth, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
- Ellis Howard, What it Feels Like for a Girl
- James Nelson-Joyce, This City is Ours
- Matt Smith, The Death of Bunny Munro
- Stephen Graham, Adolescence
- Taron Egerton, Smoke
- Leading Actress:
- Aimee Lou Wood, Film Club
- Erin Doherty, A Thousand Blows
- Jodie Whittaker, Toxic Town
- Narges Rashidi, Prisoner 951
- Sheridan Smith, I Fought The Law
- Sian Brooke, Blue Lights
- Supporting Actor:
- Ashely Walters, Adolescence
- Fehinti Balogun, Down Cemetery Road
- Joshua McGuire, The Gold
- Owen Cooper, Adolescence
- Paddy Considine, MobLand
- Rafael Mathe, The Death of Bunny Munro
- Supporting Actress:
- Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus
- Christine Tremarco, Adolescence
- Chyna McQueen, Get Millie Black
- Emilia Jones, Task
- Erin Doherty, Adolescence
- Rose Ayling-Ellis, Reunion
- Actor in a Comedy:
- Jim Howick, Here We Go
- Jon Pointing, Big Boys
- Lenny Rush, Am I Being Unreasonable?
- Mawaan Rizwan, Juice
- Oliver Savell, Changing Ends
- Steve Coogan, How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- Actress in a Comedy:
- Diane Morgan, Mandy
- Jennifer Saunders, Amandaland
- Katherine Parkinson, Here We Go
- Lucy Punch, Amandaland
- Philippa Dunne, Amandaland
- Rosie Jones, Pushers
- Entertainment Performance:
- Amanda Holden, Alan Carr, Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job
- Bob Mortimer, Last One Laughing
- Claudia Winkleman, The Celebrity Traitors
- Lee Mack, The 1% Club
- Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob & Romesh Vs…
- Romesh Ranganathan, Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle
Genre-Specific Recognitions
- Children’s: Non-Scripted:
- A Real Bug’s Life
- Boosnoo!
- Deadly 60 Saving Sharks
- Word.War.Me (Sky Kids Investigates)
- Children’s: Scripted:
- Crongton
- Horrible Science
- Shaun the Sheep
- The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
- Current Affairs:
- Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War (Exposure)
- The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money
- Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
- Undercover in the Police
- Daytime:
- The Chase
- Lorraine
- Richard Osman’s House of Games
- Scam Interceptors
- Drama Series:
- A Thousand Blows
- Blue Lights
- Code of Silence
- This City Is Ours
- Entertainment:
- The Graham Norton Show
- Last One Laughing
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
- Would I Lie To You?
- Factual Entertainment:
- The Assembly
- Go Back to Where You Came From
- Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars
- Race Across the World
- Factual Series:
- Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park
- Educating Yorkshire
- See No Evil
- The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed
- International:
- The Bear
- The Diplomat
- Pluribus
- Severance
- The Studio
- The White Lotus
- Limited Drama:
- Adolescence
- I Fought the Law
- Trespasses
- What It Feels Like For a Girl
- Live Event Coverage:
- Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, BBC Studios / BBC One
- Last Night of the Proms: Finale, Livewire Pictures / BBC One
- VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, BBC Studios / BBC One
- News Coverage:
- BBC Newsnight: Grooming Survivors Speak, BBC Newsnight / BBC Two
- Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War, Channel 4 News / Channel 4
- Sky News: Gaza: Fight for Survival, Sky News / Sky News
- Reality:
- The Celebrity Traitors
- The Jury: Murder Trial
- Squid Game: The Challenge
- Virgin Island
- Scripted Comedy:
- Amandaland
- Big Boys
- How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- Things You Should Have Done
- Short Form:
- Donkey
- Hustle and Run
- Rocket Fuel
- Zoners
- Single Documentary:
- Grenfell: Uncovered
- Louis Theroux: The Settlers
- One Day in Southport
- Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire
- Soap:
- Casualty
- Coronation Street
- Eastenders
- Specialist Factual:
- Belsen: What They Found
- Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz
- Surviving Black Hawk Down
- Vietnam: The War That Changed America
- Sports Coverage:
- The 2025 Ryder Cup, Sky Sports
- The FA Cup Final, BBC Sport
- UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, BBC One
- Wimbledon, BBC Sport
Craft and Technical Achievement Nominations
- P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award (public vote):
- Adolescence, Jamie Snaps at the Psychologist
- BIG BOYS, “I didn’t make it, did I?”
- Blue Lights, The police are warned of an ambush to plot to silence a key witness
- The Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr wins
- Last One Laughing, Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s speed date
- What It Feels Like For a Girl, Byron leaves for Brighton to start Uni, where she introduces herself as Paris
- Children’s Craft Team:
- BEN BOCQUELET, JOE SPARROW, LUKE ALLEN, JAMES LANCETT, ADRIAN CATHIE, ANDY GOODMAN The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
- LUCY IZZARD, ANDREW MITCHELL, FERNANDO LECHUGA, JEAN-MARC PETSAS, OWEN PETERS, BRONWEN SLATER The Very Small Creatures
- SAMANTHA CUTLER, JEROEN JASPAERT, STEVEN BLOOMER, TERRY DAVIES, ADRIAN RHODES, SHANNAN TAYLOR The Scarecrows’ Wedding
- SIMON PARTINGTON, ANDY FARAGO, SIMON COUZENS, SANDY NUTTGENS, ALEX COPLEY, ANDY BRITTAIN BooSnoo!
- Costume Design:
- EMMA O’LOUGHLIN Trespasses
- MAJA MESCHEDE A Thousand Blows
- MICHAEL WILKINSON Andor
- RHONA RUSSELL Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
- Director: Factual:
- BENEDICT SANDERSON See No Evil
- KARIM SHAH Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
- OLAIDE SADIQ Grenfell: Uncovered
- ROB COLDSTREAM Vietnam: The War That Changed America
- Director: Fiction:
- DAWN SHADFORTH Trespasses
- JANUS METZ Andor
- PHILIP BARANTINI Adolescence
- SAM DONOVAN Severance
- Director: Multi-Camera:
- BEN ARCHARD, EDDIE LEWIS, MARIEKE BARKER-BENFIELD The Celebrity Traitors
- BEN HARDY Last One Laughing
- DICCON RAMSAY VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember
- LAURENCE CAWSEY Super Sunday – Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur
- Editing: Factual:
- JENNIFER ASHEITU HAMPSON Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers
- MEL QUIGLEY, ANDY KEMP Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
- PAUL HAMMACOTT Louis Theroux: The Settlers
- SAMUEL R. SANTANA Grenfell: Uncovered
- Editing: Fiction:
- FIONA BRANDS Slow Horses (Episode 6)
- ÚNA NÍ DHONGHAÍLE Prisoner 951
- SIMON SMITH The Last of Us
- YAN MILES Andor
- Emerging Talent: Factual:
- ALEXANDRA LACEY (Writer/Director) – The Twister: Caught in the Storm
- ELLE MOWER (Director) – Convicting My Ex
- OLAIDE SADIQ (Director) – Grenfell: Uncovered
- Emerging Talent: Fiction:
- CHLOE ENGLISH (Director) G’wed
- EMILY MCDONALD (Director) Am I Being Unreasonable?
- EROS V (Director) Juice
- JANICE OKOH (Writer) Just Act Normal
- Entertainment Craft Team:
- BEN ARCHARD, SIGGI ROSEN-RAWLINGS, JAMES TINSLEY, STUART FROSSELL, MARTIN ADAMS, NATHAN LINDLEY The Celebrity Traitors
- DICCON RAMSAY, RIKKI FINLAY, MAT WEEKES, BEN NORMAN, JAMES TINSLEY, ROBERT MANSFIELD Squid Game: The Challenge
- GRAHAM PROUD, TOBY WILKINSON, SAM TURNER, ALEX WEEKS, JENNIFER FORD Rob & Romesh Vs…
- PHILIP BARANTINI, NYK ALLEN, JACOB SMITH, JOE BLODGETT, FRANK LARSON, BRENDAN POUTIER ONE SHOT: With Ed Sheeran
- Make Up & Hair Design:
- LUCY SIBBICK, VICTORIA MONEY Slow Horses
- SJAAN GILLINGS Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
- SIAN WILSON, CAROLINE GREENOUGH, CLARE RAMSEY, CHERYL GARVEY, MADLEN MIERZWIAK A Thousand Blows
- VICKIE LANG, NIK WILLIAMS, BARRIE GOWER Amadeus
- Original Music: Factual:
- ANNE NIKITIN Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey
- JESSICA DANNHEISSER The Last Musician of Auschwitz
- LOUIS DODD, MATTHEW SANCHEZ The Sycamore Gap Mystery
- SOPHY PURNELL Moon: Nature’s Secret Force
- Original Music: Fiction:
- ARIEL MARX Hotel Reverie (Black Mirror)
- FEDERICO JUSID A Thousand Blows
- NICK CAVE, WARREN ELLIS The Death of Bunny Munro
- TOM ROWLANDS Mussolini: Son of the Century
- Photography: Factual:
- CAMERA TEAM Secrets of the Penguins
- JORDAN BRYON Our Land: Israel’s Other War
- MARCEL METTELSIEFEN State of War: Fighting the Narcos (Exposure)
- STEFANO FERRARI, TIM CRAGG Surviving Black Hawk Down
- Photography & Lighting: Fiction:
- CATHERINE GOLDSCHMIDT The Last of Us
- MATTHEW LEWIS Adolescence
- RYAN KERNAGHAN Trespasses
- SUZIE LAVELLE Severance
- Production Design:
- GILLIAN DEVENNEY Trespasses
- LUKE HULL, REBECCA ALLEWAY, TOBY BRITTON Andor
- PHILIPPA MUMFORD Juice
- TOM BURTON, GRANT BAILEY, BARBARA HERMAN-SKELDING A Thousand Blows
- Scripted Casting:
- NATHAN TOTH What it Feels Like for a Girl
- NATHAN TOTH, JULIE HARKIN Reunion
- SHAHEEN BAIG Adolescence
- SHAHEEN BAIG Get Millie Black
- Sound: Factual:
- ANDY DEACON, KEVIN DUFF, WILL THOMAS JONATHAN GIBSON The Lost Music of Auschwitz
- SOUND TEAM The Celebrity Traitors
- SOUND TEAM Formula 1: Drive to Survive
- TRISTAN POWELL, WILL CHAPMAN The Last Musician of Auschwitz
- Sound: Fiction:
- ANDREW SISSONS, MARTIN JENSEN, BEN TISDALL, JOE BEAL, DUNCAN PRICE, CONOR THOMPSON Slow Horses
- DANNY HAMBROOK, DAVID ACORD, MARGIT PFEIFFER, JAMES SPENCER, JOSH GOLD, JOHN FINKLEA Andor
- JAMES DRAKE, JULES WOODS, ROB ENTWISTLE, KIFF MCMANUS, KYLE PICKFORD, ADAM MÉNDEZ Adolescence
- LEE WALPOLE, STUART HILLIKER, SAOIRSE CHRISTOPHERSON, ANDY KENNEDY, LEE CRICHLOW, CHRIS CAMPION Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
- Special, Visual & Graphic Effects:
- JAMES MACLACHLAN, JOSIE HENWOOD, UNION VFX, STARGATE STUDIOS MALTA, MAGIC LAB STUDIOS, SAM CHYNOWETH USS Callister: Into Infinity (Black Mirror)
- LUKE MURPHY, MOHEN LEO, NEAL SCANLAN, JEAN-CLÉMENT SORET Andor
- RUSSELL DODGSON, FRAMESTORE, ANDY JONES, SIMON BLAND, FRANÇOIS DUMOULIN, GAVIN MCKENZIE Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
- SARA BENNETT, RICHARD REED, DAVID STEPHENS, JET OMOSHEBI, CAIMIN BOURNE, SCANLINE The Witcher
- Titles & Graphic Identity:
- HUGE DESIGNS Code of Silence
- ISABELLA EKLÖF, LUKE DUNKLEY, MIKE HOLLIDAY, TONY KEARNS, DEAN WARES The Death of Bunny Munro
- LIGHT CREATIVE A Thousand Blows
- NICOS LIVESEY, BART YATES, REBECCA LITTLE, ARON SIDHU, STEVEN LOWNES UEFA Women’s Euro 2025
- Writer: Comedy:
- DAISY MAY COOPER, SELIN HIZLI Am I Being Unreasonable?
- JACK ROOKE Big Boys
- KAT SADLER Such Brave Girls
- STEVE COOGAN, ROB GIBBONS, NEIL GIBBONS How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- Writer: Drama:
- AILBHE KEOGAN Trespasses
- JACK THORNE, STEPHEN GRAHAM Adolescence
- PARIS LEES What it Feels Like for a Girl
- WILL SMITH Slow Horses
Broader Implications and Industry Trends
The strong performance of Adolescence at the 2026 BAFTA TV Awards nominations signifies Netflix’s continued influence in shaping premium British television content. Similarly, Disney+’s A Thousand Blows and Andor highlight the growing presence and investment of major international streaming platforms in high-quality, locally produced, or internationally appealing series. Apple TV+ also made a notable impact with nominations for Severance and Slow Horses, showcasing its expanding footprint in the prestige drama space.
These nominations serve not only as a recognition of artistic and technical merit but also as a powerful endorsement for future productions. They can significantly boost viewership, attract new talent, and influence commissioning decisions across the industry. The public’s engagement, particularly through the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award, underscores the cultural resonance of these programs, allowing audiences to celebrate the scenes that left a lasting impression.
The 2026 BAFTA Television Awards promise to be a significant event, celebrating the vibrant and diverse landscape of British and international television. As the industry looks forward to the ceremonies in April and May, the spotlight remains firmly on the exceptional storytelling and craftsmanship that continue to define the medium.
