The BAFTA TV awards 2021 happened over the weekend, highlighting many of the best and brightest involved in British television within the last year. Some favourites came away with their fair share of statues, and a couple of surprises occurred through-out the evening.
One of the big winners was Michaela Cole, who won leading actress and writer for her work on I May Destroy You. The series itself, which was created, co-directed, and executive produced by Cole, was nominated in several other categories, and won best mini-series, ahead of Small Axe, Normal People, and Adult Material.
Normal People and Small Axe didn’t go without recognition. Malachi Kirby won supporting actor for the latter, a category shared with cast-mate Michael Ward, and Paul Mescal got an upset win in leading actor for his role in the former. The Irish actor outdid John Boyega and Shaun Parkes from Small Axe, as well as Josh O’Connor from The Crown, Paapa Essiedu for I May Destroy You, and Waleed Zuitar for Baghdad Central.
Here’s your complete list of BAFTA TV awards 2021 nominees – winners in bold:
Leading actress
- Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – BBC One
- 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
Leading actor
- Paul Mescal, Normal People – BBC Three
- John Boyega, Small Axe – BBC One
- Josh O’Connor, The Crown – Netflix
- Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You – BBC One
- Shaun Parkes, Small Axe – BBC One
- Waleed Zuaiter, Baghdad Central – Channel 4
Supporting actress
- Rakie Ayola, Anthony – BBC One
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown – Netflix
- Leila Farzad, I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- Siena Kelly, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Sophie Okonedo, Criminal: UK – Netflix
- Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You – BBC One
Supporting actor
- Malachi Kirby, Small Axe – BBC One
- Kunal Nayyar, Criminal: UK – Netflix
- Michael Sheen, Quiz – ITV
- Micheal Ward, Small Axe – BBC One
- Rupert Everett, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Tobias Menzies, The Crown – Netflix
Entertainment performance
- Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation – BBC Two
- 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
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
- Save Me Too – Sky Atlantic
- Gangs of London – Sky Atlantic
- I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
- The Crown – Netflix
Single drama
- Sitting In Limbo – BBC One
- Anthony – BBC One
- BBW – Channel 4
- The Windermere Children – BBC Two
Mini-series
- I May Destroy You – BBC One
- Adult Material – Channel 4
- 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
- Welcome To Chechnya: The Gay Purge – BBC Four
- Little America – Apple TV+
- Lovecraft Country – Sky Atlantic
- Unorthodox – Netflix
Entertainment programme
- Life & Rhymes – Sky Arts
- Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – ITV
- Strictly Come Dancing – BBC One
- The Masked Singer – ITV
Comedy entertainment programme
- The Big Narstie Show – Channel 4
- Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe – BBC Two
- Rob & Romesh Vs – Sky One
- The Ranganation – BBC Two
Scripted comedy
- Inside No 9 – BBC Two
- Ghosts – BBC One
- Man Like Mobeen – BBC Three
- This Country – BBC Three
Features
- Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace – ITV
- Big Zuu’s Big Eats – Dave
- Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – BBC Two
- The Repair Shop – BBC One
Daytime
- The Great House Giveaway – Channel 4
- Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On – BBC One
- Richard Osman’s House Of Games – BBC Two
- The Chase – ITV
Must-see moment
- Diversity on Britain’s Got Talent
- Bridgerton- Lady Whistledown is revealed
- 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
- Locked In: Breaking The Silence – BBC Four
- American Murder: The Family Next Door – Netflix
- Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism & Me – BBC One
- Surviving Covid – Channel 4
Factual series
- Once Upon A Time In Iraq – BBC Two
- Crime & Punishment – Channel 4
- Hospital – BBC Two
- Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency – Channel 4
Reality and constructed factual
- The School That Tried To End Racism – Channel 4
- Masterchef: The Professionals – BBC One
- Race Across The World – BBC Two
- The Write Offs – Channel 4
Specialist factual
- The Surgeon’s Cut – Netflix
- Extinction: The Facts – BBC One
- Putin: A Russian Spy Story – Channel 4
- The Rise of The Murdoch Dynasty – BBC Two
News coverage
- Sky News: Inside Idlib – Sky News
- 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
Sport
- England v West Indies Test Cricket – Sky Sports Cricket
- Bahrain Grand Prix – Sky Sports Formula 1
- England V France: The Final of Autumn Nations Cup – Amazon Prime Video
- London Marathon 2020 – BBC One
Live event
- Springwatch 2020 – BBC Two
- Life Drawing Dive! – BBC Four
- The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance – BBC One
- The Third Day: Autumn – Sky Atlantic
Short-form programme
- They Saw The Sun First – Red Bull TV
- Criptales – BBC Four
- Disabled Not Defeated: The Rock Bans With Learning Disabilities – Vice/Noisey
- The Main Part – BBC iPlayer
Writer: Comedy
- Sophie Willan, Alma’s Not Normal – BBC Two
- Charlie Brooker, Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe – BBC Two
- Daisy May Cooper, This Country – BBC Three
- Writing team, Ghosts – BBC One
Writer: Drama
- Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – BBC One
- Alastair Siddons, Steve McQueen, Small Axe – BBC One
- Lucy Kirkwood, Adult Material – Channel 4
- Lucy Prebble, I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic
If you’d like to watch some of nominees you missed, we have the best streaming services for doing just that.