British television’s biggest night returned spectacularly on Sunday evening as the 2026 BAFTA TV Awards took over London’s Royal Festival Hall, bringing together the stars, creators and breakout shows that defined the past year on screen. Hosted by comedian Greg Davies, the ceremony delivered emotional speeches, surprise wins and a clear standout success story: Netflix’s Adolescence.
Going into the night as one of the most talked-about dramas in contention, Adolescence more than lived up to expectations, taking home four major awards, including Best Limited Drama. Stephen Graham finally secured his first BAFTA after multiple nominations, winning Leading Actor for his acclaimed performance in the gritty Netflix series. In his acceptance speech, Graham addressed his fellow actors. He said, “We get to do what we love, which is different.
“We’re not digging holes, we’re not digging ditches, we’re not saving lives, but we have the opportunity to tell the human condition, and we have the obligation to tell beautiful stories, and we need to keep that going.”
Co-stars Christine Tremarco and Owen Cooper also picked up Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively, capping off an unforgettable night for the cast. Cooper also made history as the youngest ever winner of the Best Supporting Actor award, aged 16.
The series has become one of the defining British dramas of the past year, praised for its raw storytelling and emotionally intense performances. Its sweep at the BAFTAs felt less like a surprise and more like a coronation after months of critical acclaim and audience buzz.
Elsewhere, ITV’s Code of Silence pulled off one of the evening’s biggest victories by winning Best Drama Series, beating out a fiercely competitive field. Meanwhile, Narges Rashidi claimed Leading Actress for her powerful performance in Prisoner 951, one of the evening’s most emotionally resonant wins.
Comedy also had a major moment during the ceremony. BBC favourite Amandaland won Scripted Comedy, continuing its impressive rise as one of the UK’s breakout sitcom successes. Katherine Parkinson won Actress in a Comedy for Here We Go, while Steve Coogan picked up Actor in a Comedy for How Are You? It’s Alan Partridge, proving the iconic broadcaster still has plenty of life left in him.
Reality and entertainment television had their share of spotlight moments too. The Celebrity Traitors continued its reign as one of the UK’s most addictive reality hits, winning the Reality category as well as the audience-voted Memorable Moment award for Alan Carr’s unforgettable appearance.
Prime Video’s Last One Laughing UK also enjoyed a strong night, winning Best Entertainment Programme, while comedian Bob Mortimer earned Entertainment Performance honours.
One of the loudest cheers of the evening came for EastEnders, which won Best Soap for the second consecutive year. The BBC soap has enjoyed a major creative resurgence recently, and the award cemented its place once again at the centre of British television culture.
Beyond the major competitive categories, the ceremony also paused to celebrate influential figures in British broadcasting. Legendary cook and presenter Mary Berry received the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship. At the same time, consumer champion Martin Lewis was honoured with the Special Award for his impact on public service broadcasting and financial journalism.
What made this year’s BAFTAs especially memorable was the variety of programming recognised across the board. From hard-hitting drama and dark comedy to reality television and factual documentaries, the winners reflected just how broad and ambitious British television has become. It also highlighted the growing influence of streaming platforms, with Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video all taking home major honours alongside traditional broadcasters like the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
If there was one clear takeaway from the night, though, it was that Adolescence firmly established itself as the defining television phenomenon of the year. Emotionally fearless and brilliantly acted, it arrived at the BAFTAs with momentum and left as the night’s undisputed winner.
Here are the winners in full:
- Supporting actor: Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Netflix)
- Supporting actress: Christine Tremarco – Adolescence (Netflix)
- Reality: The Celebrity Traitors (BBC One)
- Scripted comedy: Amandaland (BBC One)
- Specialist factual: Simon Schama: The Road To Auschwitz (BBC Two)
- Factual series: See No Evil (Channel 4)
- Children’s: Non-scripted: World.War.Me (Sky Kids Investigates) (Sky News)
- Children’s: Scripted: Crongton (BBC iPlayer)
- Entertainment: Last One Laughing (Prime Video)
- Limited drama: Adolescence (Netflix)
- Single documentary: Grenfell: Uncovered (Netflix)
- Short form: Hustle And Run (Channel 4)
- Live event coverage: VE Day 80: A Celebration To Remember (BBC One)
- Best actor in a comedy: Steve Coogan – How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) (BBC One)
- Best actress in a comedy: Katherine Parkinson – Here We Go (BBC One)
- Soap: EastEnders (BBC One)
- Sports coverage: Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 (BBC One)
- Daytime: Scam Interceptors (BBC One)
- Current affairs: Gaza: Doctors Under Attack (Channel 4)
- News coverage: Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War (Channel 4)
- Factual entertainment: Go Back To Where You Came From (Channel 4)
- Special Award: Martin Lewis
- P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award (voted for by the public): The Celebrity Traitors – Alan Carr wins (BBC One)
- International: The Studio (Apple TV)
- Fellowship: Dame Mary Berry
- Entertainment performance: Bob Mortimer – Last One Laughing (Prime Video)
- Drama series: Code Of Silence (ITV1)
- Leading actress: Narges Rashidi – Prisoner 951 (BBC One)
- Leading actor: Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Netflix)
