The highly anticipated nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards were revealed in London on Tuesday, with the critically acclaimed Netflix phenomenon Adolescence leading the pack with an impressive 11 nominations. This year’s nominations showcase a diverse range of programming across numerous categories, reflecting the vibrant and evolving landscape of British and international television. The ceremony, set to take place on May 10th, promises a night of celebration for the finest achievements in the television industry.
Dominance of Adolescence and Key Contenders
Adolescence, a series that has captivated audiences worldwide, has secured a commanding 11 nominations, underscoring its critical and commercial success. Following closely is Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, which garnered seven nominations, demonstrating its strong appeal. Other notable contenders include Andor and Trespasses, each earning six nominations, and The Celebrity Traitors with five nods, highlighting their significant impact on the television calendar.
The depth of Adolescence‘s recognition is evident in the individual acting categories. Creator and star Stephen Graham, already an Emmy winner for his role, has received a nomination for Best Lead Actor. He faces stiff competition from a distinguished field, including 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. The presence of such established and emerging talents in this category promises a compelling contest.
In the fiercely competitive Leading Actress category, Aimee Lou Wood has earned a nomination for her performance in Film Club. She will contend against 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. This category, like many others, features a strong ensemble of acclaimed actresses, reflecting the high caliber of performances delivered this past year.
A Closer Look at Key Categories
The Best Drama Series category sees a robust lineup featuring A Thousand Blows, Blue Lights, Code of Silence, and This City Is Ours. Notably, Adolescence is competing in the Limited Series category, a testament to its self-contained narrative arc. The International category, a showcase for global television excellence, includes prominent titles such as The Bear, The Diplomat, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio, and The White Lotus, each having garnered significant international acclaim.
The BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises will be held at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank Centre. The ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer, ensuring widespread access for viewers to witness the crowning of this year’s television luminaries. The BAFTA Television Craft Awards, which celebrate the technical and creative artistry behind television production, also saw their nominations unveiled on Tuesday, with their own ceremony scheduled for April 26th. This dual recognition underscores BAFTA’s commitment to acknowledging both the on-screen talent and the behind-the-scenes expertise that brings television to life.
A Spectrum of Genres Recognized
The nominations span a wide array of genres, highlighting the breadth of content available to audiences.
Children’s Programming
The Children’s categories acknowledge the vital work done to engage younger viewers. In Children’s: Non-Scripted, nominees include A Real Bug’s Life, Boosnoo!, Deadly 60 Saving Sharks, and Word.War.Me (Sky Kids Investigates). For Children’s: Scripted, the nominated programs are Crongton, Horrible Science, Shaun the Sheep, and The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.
Current Affairs and Factual Storytelling
The Current Affairs category features hard-hitting investigations: Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War (Exposure), The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, and Undercover in the Police. The Daytime category recognizes enduring favorites and new entries like The Chase, Lorraine, Richard Osman’s House of Games, and Scam Interceptors.
In Factual Entertainment, the nominees are The Assembly, Go Back to Where You Came From, Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, and Race Across the World. The Factual Series category highlights compelling documentaries such as Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park, Educating Yorkshire, See No Evil, and The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed.
Comedy and Entertainment
The Actress in a Comedy category boasts a strong field with Diane Morgan for Mandy, Jennifer Saunders and Lucy Punch for Amandaland, Katherine Parkinson for Here We Go, Philippa Dunne for Amandaland, and Rosie Jones for Pushers. The Actor in a Comedy category includes Jim Howick for Here We Go, Jon Pointing for Big Boys, Lenny Rush for Am I Being Unreasonable?, Mawaan Rizwan for Juice, Oliver Savell for Changing Ends, and Steve Coogan for How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge).
The Entertainment category showcases popular shows like The Graham Norton Show, Last One Laughing, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, and Would I Lie To You?. The Entertainment Performance award will be a highlight, with nominees including Amanda Holden and Alan Carr for Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job, Bob Mortimer for Last One Laughing, Claudia Winkleman for The Celebrity Traitors, Lee Mack for The 1% Club, and the duos Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan for Rob & Romesh Vs…, and Romesh Ranganathan for Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle.
The Reality category features The Celebrity Traitors, The Jury: Murder Trial, Squid Game: The Challenge, and Virgin Island. Scripted Comedy nominations include Amandaland, Big Boys, How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), and Things You Should Have Done. The Short Form category recognizes innovative works such as Donkey, Hustle and Run, Rocket Fuel, and Zoners.
Documentary and Drama
The Single Documentary category presents powerful narratives: Grenfell: Uncovered, Louis Theroux: The Settlers, One Day in Southport, and Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire. The enduring Soap category sees nominations for Casualty, Coronation Street, and Eastenders. Specialist Factual programs nominated are Belsen: What They Found, Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz, Surviving Black Hawk Down, and Vietnam: The War That Changed America.
The Limited Drama category is highly competitive, with Adolescence, I Fought the Law, Trespasses, and What It Feels Like For a Girl all vying for the award. This category often highlights the most impactful and concise storytelling in television drama.
News and Sports Coverage
News Coverage nominations include BBC Newsnight: Grooming Survivors Speak, Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War, and Sky News: Gaza: Fight for Survival, underscoring the crucial role of journalism in informing the public. In Sports Coverage, the nominated events are The 2025 Ryder Cup, The FA Cup Final, UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, and Wimbledon.
Craft and Technical Excellence Honored
Beyond the on-screen performances, the BAFTA Television Craft Awards celebrate the technical wizards behind the magic.
Acting in Supporting Roles
The Supporting Actor category includes Ashley Walters for Adolescence, Fehinti Balogun for Down Cemetery Road, Joshua McGuire for The Gold, Owen Cooper for Adolescence, Paddy Considine for MobLand, and Rafael Mathe for The Death of Bunny Munro. The Supporting Actress nominations feature Aimee Lou Wood for The White Lotus, Christine Tremarco for Adolescence, Chyna McQueen for Get Millie Black, Emilia Jones for Task, Erin Doherty for Adolescence, and Rose Ayling-Ellis for Reunion.
The P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award, uniquely voted for by the public, will undoubtedly generate significant buzz. Nominees include moments from Adolescence, BIG BOYS, Blue Lights, The Celebrity Traitors, Last One Laughing, and What It Feels Like For a Girl. This award provides a direct connection between the audience and the nominated programs.
Creative Craftsmanship
The Children’s Craft Team nominations highlight the intricate work involved in children’s programming, recognizing teams for The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, The Very Small Creatures, The Scarecrows’ Wedding, and BooSnoo!.
Costume Design nominees include Emma O’Loughlin for Trespasses, Maja Meschede for A Thousand Blows, Michael Wilkinson for Andor, and Rhona Russell for Lockerbie: A Search for Truth.
The Director: Factual category features Benedict Sanderson for See No Evil, Karim Shah for Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, Olaide Sadiq for Grenfell: Uncovered, and Rob Coldstream for Vietnam: The War That Changed America. In Director: Fiction, Dawn Shadforth for Trespasses, Janus Metz for Andor, Philip Barantini for Adolescence, and Sam Donovan for Severance are recognized. Director: Multi-Camera nominees are Ben Archard, Eddie Lewis, and Marieke Barker-Benfield for The Celebrity Traitors, Ben Hardy for Last One Laughing, Diccon Ramsay for VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, and Laurence Cawsey for Super Sunday – Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur.
Editing: Factual nominations include Jennifer Asheitu Hampson for Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers, Mel Quigley and Andy Kemp for Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, Paul Hammacott for Louis Theroux: The Settlers, and Samuel R. Santana for Grenfell: Uncovered. For Editing: Fiction, Fiona Brands for Slow Horses (Episode 6), Íona Ní Dhonghaile for Prisoner 951, Simon Smith for The Last of Us, and Yan Miles for Andor are nominated.
The Emerging Talent categories showcase the future of television. Emerging Talent: Factual recognizes Alexandra Lacey for The Twister: Caught in the Storm, Elle Mower for Convicting My Ex, and Olaide Sadiq for Grenfell: Uncovered. In Emerging Talent: Fiction, Chloe English for G’wed, Emily McDonald for Am I Being Unreasonable?, Eros V for Juice, and Janice Okoh for Just Act Normal are nominated.
The Entertainment Craft Team award sees nominations for The Celebrity Traitors, Squid Game: The Challenge, Rob & Romesh Vs…, and One Shot: With Ed Sheeran.
Make Up & Hair Design nominations include Lucy Sibbick and Victoria Money for Slow Horses, Sjaan Gillings for Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Sian Wilson, Caroline Greenough, Clare Ramsey, Cheryl Garvey, and Madlen Mierzwiak for A Thousand Blows, and Vickie Lang, Nik Williams, and Barrier Gower for Amadeus.
Original Music: Factual nominees are Anne Nikitin for Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey, Jessica Dannheisser for The Last Musician of Auschwitz, Louis Dodd and Matthew Sanches for The Sycamore Gap Mystery, and Sophy Purnell for Moon: Nature’s Secret Force. For Original Music: Fiction, Ariel Marx for Hotel Reverie (Black Mirror), Federico Jusid for A Thousand Blows, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for The Death of Bunny Munro, and Tom Rowlands for Mussolini: Son of the Century are recognized.
Photography: Factual nominations include the Camera Team for Secrets of the Penguins, Jordan Bryon for Our Land: Israel’s Other War, Marcel Mettelsiefen for State of War: Fighting the Narcos (Exposure), and Stefano Ferrari and Tim Cragg for Surviving Black Hawk Down. In Photography & Lighting: Fiction, Catherine Goldschmidt for The Last of Us, Matthew Lewis for Adolescence, Ryan Kernaghan for Trespasses, and Suzie Lavelle for Severance are nominated.
Production Design nominations are Gillian Devenney for Trespasses, Luke Hull, Rebecca Alleyway, and Toby Britton for Andor, Philippa Mumford for Juice, and Tom Burton, Grant Bailey, and Barbara Herman-Skelding for A Thousand Blows. Scripted Casting sees nominations for Nathan Toth for What it Feels Like for a Girl, Nathan Toth and Julie Harkin for Reunion, Shaheen Baig for Adolescence, and Shaheen Baig for Get Millie Black.
Sound: Factual nominations include Andy Deacon, Kevin Dugg, Will Thomas, and Jonathan Gibson for The Lost Music of Auschwitz, the Sound Team for The Celebrity Traitors, the Sound Team for Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and Tristan Powell and Will Chapman for The Last Musician of Auschwitz. For Sound: Fiction, nominees are the teams behind Slow Horses, Andor, Adolescence, and Lockerbie: A Search for Truth.
The Special, Visual & Graphic Effects category recognizes the groundbreaking work on USS Callister: Into Infinity (Black Mirror), Andor, Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, and The Witcher. Titles & Graphic Identity nominations include Code of Silence, The Death of Bunny Munro, A Thousand Blows, and UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.
Finally, the Writer: Comedy category features Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli for Am I Being Unreasonable?, Jack Rooke for Big Boys, Kat Sadler for Such Brave Girls, and Steve Coogan, Rob Gibbons, and Neil Gibbons for How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge). In Writer: Drama, Ailbhe Keogan for Trespasses, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham for Adolescence, Paris Lees for What it Feels Like for a Girl, and Will Smith for Slow Horses are nominated.
The comprehensive list of nominations sets the stage for a highly anticipated awards season, celebrating the exceptional talent and creative vision that defines contemporary television. The BAFTA Television Awards continue to serve as a crucial platform for recognizing and honoring the industry’s most outstanding achievements.
