Yahoo News Bafta TV awards: Steve McQueen’s Small Axe and The Crown top nominations list
John Boyega in Small Axe
(BBC/McQueen Limited/Will Robson-Scott)The Crown and Small Axe lead the nominations for the BAFTA television awards - with John Boyega, Michaela Coel and Daisy Edgar-Jones among the potential winners on a star-studded list.
Today, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced the full nominees for the television and craft awards, which celebrate the best in small-screen talent.
Small Axe, the anthology series created and directed by the artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s, was nominated for 15 awards, from costume design to leading actor for Star Wars actor, Peckham-born Boyega.
Roots star Malachi Kirby and former Bafta rising star winner Micheal Ward both picked up nominations for best supporting actor for the series. Letitia Wright was nominated for best actress.
Nine of the nominations for Small Axe were in the “craft” category, celebrating behind the scenes skills such as make-up and production design.
Netflix royal drama The Crown followed with ten nominations - including best actor for Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles; best supporting actor for Tobias Menzies, who plays Prince Philip; and best supporting actress for Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret. A surprise omission for the series was Emma Corrin, who impressed critics with her portrayal of the young Lady Diana Spencer and won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a TV drama.
Drama I May Destroy You, which was famously snubbed at the Golden Globes, receiving no nominations despite widespread acclaim, was nominated eight times, including best actress for its creator Coel. Normal People, the acclaimed adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel, bagged seven nominations, including best actress for Edgar-Jones and best actor for Paul Mescal. His famous chain, sadly, was not honoured.
Stars of Netflix teen drama Sex Education Emma Mackey, Aimee Lou Wood and Ncuti Gatwa are all nominated for best comedy performance awards, as is mockumentary sitcom star This Country Daisy May Cooper.
Lucy Prebble’s black comedy I Hate Suzie, starring best actress nominee Billie Piper, and entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing also received a number of nominations.
The full list of nominees can be found here.
The nominations follow the EE Bafta film awards, which were held on April 11 and saw Frances McDormand, Daniel Kaluuya and Sir Anthony Hopkins take home top gongs.
Yesterday, it was confirmed that the Virgin Media Must-See Moment award, which is voted for by the public, included the Lady Whistledown reveal on Netflix series Bridgerton, and Nigella Lawson pronouncing microwave mee-cro-wah-vay on her cooking show Cook, Eat, Repeat.
Dance troupe Diversity’s routine inspired by the events of 2020 - including the death of George Floyd - which received over 20,000 complaints after they performed it on Britain’s Got Talent, is also up for the public award.
The Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 6 June on BBC One and BBC One HD. The British Academy Television Craft Awards will be streamed on BAFTA’s social channels on Monday 24 May
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