BAFTA TV Awards 2026 nominations: the standout takeaways
According to BAFTA’s nominations announcement, Adolescence landed recognition in leading actor, limited drama, supporting actress twice, supporting actor twice, plus directing, writing, sound, scripted casting, and photography and lighting. BAFTA also said 124 programs were nominated overall, with 21 of 44 performance nominees earning their first TV performance nods, while the BBC led all outlets with 73 combined nominations, followed by Netflix on 29 and Sky on 28.
The official full list of 2026 television nominees shows Stephen Graham fronting Adolescence’s acting push in leading actor, with Ashley Walters and Owen Cooper nominated in supporting actor, and Christine Tremarco and Erin Doherty recognized in supporting actress. Doherty also appeared elsewhere in the field with a leading actress nomination for A Thousand Blows, underlining how tightly the top contenders are clustered across the major categories.
BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip called 2025 “an exceptional year for television,” pointing to “the strength and originality of British storytelling” in this year’s lineup.
As confirmed when Greg Davies was announced as host, the main television awards ceremony is set for Sunday, May 10, at London’s Royal Festival Hall and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
There is still one public vote in play: BAFTA’s Memorable Moment shortlist includes an Adolescence scene alongside nominees from Big Boys, Blue Lights, The Celebrity Traitors, Last One Laughing and What It Feels Like for a Girl, with voting open until 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 22.
How this year compares with recent BAFTA cycles
For context, last year’s field was led by Baby Reindeer, which topped the 2025 nominations with eight. By the time the 2025 ceremony rolled around, Mr Bates vs The Post Office had won limited drama, while Mr Loverman was the only program to take two categories. Go back one year further and The Sixth Commandment and Top Boy shared top honors at the 2024 ceremony with two BAFTAs each.
That makes Adolescence’s 11-nomination haul stand out even more. Whether it can turn that breadth into wins will be the central question heading into May.
