AceShowbiz - The 2026 BAFTA TV Awards ceremony in London celebrated outstanding achievements in British television, with the Netflix drama Adolescence emerging as the evening’s biggest winner. The series secured four major awards in one night, setting a new record for the BAFTA TV Awards ceremony, adding to two prior accolades it had received at the recent BAFTA Television Craft Awards for a total of six BAFTAs.

This remarkable haul places Adolescence just behind the 2019 drama Chernobyl, which holds the overall record with nine BAFTA wins in 2020. However, Adolescence surpassed Chernobyl’s achievements specifically on the BAFTA TV Awards night itself, marking a significant milestone for the show.

The awards event took place at London’s Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Adolescence, produced by Warp Films, explores the story of a young boy radicalized within the manosphere. It led the nominations with 11 nods, followed by Disney+’s A Thousand Blows with seven. The ceremony was hosted by comedian and Taskmaster presenter Greg Davies.

Alongside the BAFTA TV Awards, the earlier BAFTA Television Craft Awards had recognized Adolescence and The Celebrity Traitors as top winners, each securing two awards. Other notable winners across categories included Slow Horses, Andor, Amadeus, Reunion, Trespasses, The Celebrity Traitors, The Last Musician of Auschwitz, and Mussolini: Son of the Century.

The night for Adolescence began strongly with wins for best supporting actress and actor, awarded respectively to Christine Tremarco and Owen Cooper. About an hour later, the show took home the best limited series award. The evening concluded with Stephen Graham receiving his first BAFTA for best actor. Cooper’s latest BAFTA win adds to his accolades from the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and the Actor Awards, highlighting his rising acclaim.

The prestigious best drama series BAFTA was awarded to the ITV and BritBox production Code of Silence. The series stars Rose Ayling-Ellis in her first lead role, portraying a deaf woman who uses lip-reading skills to secure a job on a police sting operation. Alongside her, the cast features up-and-coming actor Kieron Moore. The star, executive producer Briony Arnold, and writer Catherine Moulton praised the drama for its inclusive approach and its potential to serve as a role model for the industry, emphasizing that television can be accessible to all.

One of the evening’s surprises was the leading actress award, which went to Narges Rashidi for her performance in Prisoner 951. Rashidi triumphed over a competitive field of notable British actresses.

On the international front, Seth Rogen accepted the best international series award for The Studio. Rogen humorously remarked on the achievement of winning with a comedy series against numerous dramas and paid tribute to the late co-star Catherine O'Hara.

The Celebrity Traitors won two awards on the night: best reality series and the public-voted best TV moment of the year. Amazon Prime Video’s Last One Laughing also earned two BAFTAs.

A memorable moment during the ceremony saw two prominent British stars from the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost, present an award. Essiedu plays Severus Snape, while Frost portrays Hagrid. The duo shared lighthearted banter, with Essiedu repeatedly calling Frost "Hagrid" and Frost correcting him by name, creating an amusing highlight of the evening without revealing any plot details.

Adam Scott presented the best actor in a comedy award to Steve Coogan for his role in How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), adding to the night’s celebration of comedic talent.

The most politically charged award moment came when the documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the current affairs category. Two of its creators used their acceptance speech to criticize the BBC for shelving the project, which was later aired by Channel 4.

The ceremony also featured live performances, with Cat Burns delivering a rendition of her song "How to Be Human" midway through the event. Norwegian singer Aurora performed during the "In Memoriam" segment, which was followed by host Greg Davies paying tribute to the late CNN founder Ted Turner.

Earlier in the month, BAFTA issued an unreserved apology following controversy at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards. John Davidson’s Tourette’s Syndrome-related outbursts during the live broadcast prompted an independent review that identified significant shortcomings in BAFTA’s risk management and crisis response procedures.

Outgoing BAFTA chair Sara Putt opened the ceremony by congratulating Sir David Attenborough on his 100th birthday, which he celebrated the previous Friday. Putt emphasized the enduring nature of television despite ongoing disruptions and challenges.

Host Greg Davies humorously remarked in his opening monologue that television began when Attenborough "first hugged a monkey." He also welcomed nominees including Colin Firth, Ashley Walters, Stephen Graham, and the entire Adolescence team.

Below is a full summary of the major winners from the 2026 BAFTA TV Awards, highlighting the best of British television this year.

Leading Actor

Colin Firth, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Ellis Howard, What it Feels Like for a Girl
James Nelson-Joyce, This City is Ours
Matt Smith, The Death of Bunny Munro
Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Taron Egerton, Smoke

Leading Actress

Aimee Lou Wood, Film Club
Erin Doherty, A Thousand Blows
Jodie Whittaker, Toxic Town
Narges Rashidi, Prisoner 951
Sheridan Smith, I Fought The Law
Sian Brooke, Blue Lights

Drama Series

Blue Lights
A Thousand Blows
Code of Silence
This City Is Ours

Entertainment Performance

Amanda Holden, Alan Carr, Amanda & Alan's Spanish Job
Bob Mortimer, Last One Laughing
Claudia Winkleman, The Celebrity Traitors
Lee Mack, The 1% Club
Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob & Romesh Vs...
Romesh Ranganathan, Romesh: Can't Knock the Hustle

International

The Bear
The Diplomat
Pluribus
Severance
The Studio
The White Lotus

P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award (public vote)

Adolescence, Jamie Snaps at the psychologist
BIG BOYS, "I didn't make it, did I?"
Blue Lights, The police warn of ambush to silence witness
The Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr wins
Last One Laughing, Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s speed date
What It Feels Like For a Girl, Byron leaves for university, introduces as Paris

Factual Entertainment

The Assembly
Go Back to Where You Came From
Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars
Race Across the World

News Coverage

BBC Newsnight: Grooming Survivors Speak, BBC Newsnight / BBC Two
Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War, Channel 4 News / Channel 4
Sky News: Gaza: Fight for Survival, Sky News / Sky News

Current Affairs

Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel's War (Exposure)
The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
Undercover in the Police

Daytime

The Chase
Lorraine
Richard Osman's House of Games
Scam Interceptors

Sports Coverage

The 2025 Ryder Cup, Sky Sports
The FA Cup Final, BBC Sport
UEFA Women's Euro 2025, BBC One
Wimbledon, BBC Sport

Soap

Casualty
Coronation Street
Eastenders

Actress in a Comedy

Diane Morgan, Mandy
Jennifer Saunders, Amandalan...

Overall, the 2026 BAFTA TV Awards highlighted the creativity and diversity of British television, with Adolescence leading the night as a standout production recognized for its powerful storytelling and performances across multiple categories.