Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Star-studded Bafta TV Awards to celebrate best of British television

The ceremony will be hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.

Ellie Iorizzo
Sunday 14 May 2023 04:59 EDT
The Bafta TV Awards are taking place in London (PA)
The Bafta TV Awards are taking place in London (PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Acting heavyweights Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman and Taron Egerton are among the first-time nominees for the top gongs at the Bafta TV Awards this year.

The ceremony, which honours the best of British television, will be hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.

Murphy, who is nominated for best actor for his role as gangster Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, will take on Oldman for Slow Horses, Egerton for Black Bird, Chaske Spencer for The English, Martin Freeman for The Responder and Ben Whishaw for This Is Going To Hurt – which also received a nod for best mini-series.

Dark medical comedy This Is Going To Hurt, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Adam Kay, and Liverpool-set thriller The Responder, which won plaudits for its gritty style and narrative, led the nominations this year for TV and craft awards with six apiece.

Meanwhile, the best actress prize will see Kate Winslet, who is nominated for Channel 4 drama I Am Ruth, compete against Imelda Staunton for The Crown, Billie Piper for I Hate Suzie Too, Maxine Peake for Anne, Sarah Lancashire for Julia and Vicky McClure for Without Sin.

The ceremony, billed as the biggest night in the UK television calendar, will see the BBC compete in the live event category, receiving nods for its coverage of the Queen’s state funeral and Party At The Palace during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Paddington Bear’s meeting with the Queen during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations is competing for this year’s Memorable Moment Award, alongside the series finale of Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls, in which the people of Northern Ireland vote overwhelmingly for peace, and Sir Mo Farah revealing he was illegally trafficked to the UK during a BBC One documentary.

The TV moment of the year also features the scene from Netflix series Stranger Things in which the cast rescue Max from the demonic Vecna by playing her favourite song, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, as well as the final roundtable on BBC’s The Traitors and Nick and Charlie’s first kiss in cult Netflix series Heartstopper.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe secured his first Bafta TV nomination, in the male performance in a comedy programme category, for his portrayal of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, the US singer known for his musical parodies, in the Roku biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

A special episode of The Repair Shop, which saw host Jay Blades meet the King before his accession to the throne, is also tapped for a daytime award, alongside ITV game show The Chase and Scam Interceptors on BBC One.

Claudia Winkleman is up for an entertainment performance award as host of BBC One’s hit mystery show The Traitors, with the programme also recognised in the reality and constructed factual category, alongside Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams on the same channel.

Good Morning Britain on ITV is nominated in the news coverage category for presenter Susanna Reid’s interview with Boris Johnson.

During the ceremony, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga will receive the Bafta Special Award for being a “trailblazer” in the TV industry during his three-decade career and “expanding the diversity of stories told”.

Meanwhile, comedian, actress, playwright and author Meera Syal, known for comedy shows Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At No 42 which saw British Asian actors in prominent roles, will receive a Bafta Fellowship – the highest accolade the awards organisation can give.

During the ceremony, Scottish superstar Lewis Capaldi will give his first televised performance of his new chart-topping single Wish You The Best and Jax Jones is also set to take to the stage.

Viewers can tune into RuPaul’s Drag Race star Michelle Visage and radio DJ Clara Amfo live from the star-studded red carpet on Bafta’s YouTube channel.

The Bafta Television Awards with P&O Cruises will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday at 7pm.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in