BAFTA Television 2017: The Nominees

The list of nominees for the 2017 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has been released, and Netflix drama The Crown is in the lead, with five nominations.

The Crown, the series that chronicles the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, picked up a nomination for Best Drama Series as well as nominations for Lead Actress (Claire Foy), Supporting Actress (Vanessa Kirby), and Supporting Actor (John Lithgow and Jared Harris.) It is notable that this series did not even air on television but on streaming services. Other nominees, particularly the programs of BBC3 (Fleabag, Murdered by my Father, Thirteen, People Just Do Nothing) have also not aired conventionally on television.

According to the Guardian, this year’s BAFTA nominees are “some of the most diverse of recent years and come at a time when BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have all pledged to bring more voices from minority backgrounds on to the screen and behind the camera.” Notable nominees from diverse backgrounds include the following: Adeel Akhtar, Wunmi Mosaku, Babou Ceesay, and Nikki Amuka-Bird.

Several dramas featuring people of color in significant roles were nominated:

“NW, the adaptation of Zadie Smith’s novel which portrays everyday life in London, was nominated for single drama and Nikki Amuka-Bird was nominated for best actress.

Damilola, Our Loved Boy, the devastating BBC1 dramatisation of the shocking death of Damilola Taylor 16 years ago, also picked up three nominations, including best single drama, a leading actor nomination for Babou Ceesay and supporting actress nomination for Wunmi Mosaku.”

This is also evident in the nominees for International drama: The Night Of, The People vs OJ Simpson, Stranger Things, and Transparent. It is commendable that the BAFTA juries are finally recognizing diverse creative talent and the more unique stories are being given due recognition.

The Guardian mentions that a notable snub was the BBC adaptation of John Le Carré’s The Night Manager, which did so well at the Golden Globes. The only BAFTA nomination the mini-series received was for Tom Hollander (Supporting Actor.)

The 2017 BAFTA TV awards will be celebrated on May 14.

Here is the Full List of Nominees:

Leading actor

Adeel Akhtar – Murdered By My Father (BBC3)

Babou Ceesay – Damilola, Our Loved Boy (BBC1)

Benedict Cumberbatch – The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses (BBC2)

Robbie Coltrane – National Treasure (Channel 4)

 

Leading actress

Claire Foy – The Crown (Netflix)

Jodie Comer – Thirteen (BBC3)

Nikki Amuka-Bird – NW (BBC1)

Sarah Lancashire – Happy Valley (BBC1)

 

Supporting actor

Daniel Mays – Line of Duty (BBC2)

Jared Harris – The Crown (Netflix)

John Lithgow – The Crown (Netflix)

Tom Hollander – The Night Manager (BBC1)

 

Supporting actress

Nicola Walker – Last Tango in Halifax (BBC1)

Siobhan Finneran – Happy Valley (BBC1)

Vanessa Kirby – The Crown (Netflix)

Wunmi Mosaku – Damilola, Our Loved Boy (BBC1)

 

Entertainment performance

Adam Hills – The Last Leg (Channel 4)

Claudia Winkleman – Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1)

Graham Norton – The Graham Norton Show (BBC1)

Michael McIntyre – Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC1)

 

Female performance in a comedy programme

Diane Morgan – Cunk on Shakespeare (BBC2)

Lesley Manville – Mum (BBC2)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag (BBC3)

Olivia Colman – Fleabag (BBC3)

 

Male performance in a comedy programme

Asim Chaudhry – People Just Do Nothing (BBC3)

David Mitchell – Upstart Crow (BBC2)

Harry Enfield – The Windsors (Channel 4)

Steve Coogan – The Scissored Isle (Sky Atlantic)

 

Single drama

Aberfan: The Green Hollow (BBC1 Wales)

Damilola, Our Loved Boy (BBC1)

Murdered By My Father (BBC3)

NW (BBC2)

 

Mini-series

The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses (BBC2)

National Treasure (Channel 4)

The Secret (ITV)

The Witness for the Prosecution (BBC1)

 

Drama series

The Crown (Netflix)

The Durrells (ITV)

Happy Valley (BBC1)

War and Peace (BBC1)

 

International

The Night Of (HBO/Sky Atlantic)

American Crime Story – The People Vs OJ Simpson (FX/BBC)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Transparent (Amazon Studios)

 

Factual series

24 Hours in Police Custody (Channel 4)

Exodus: Our Journey to Europe (BBC2)

Kids on the Edge (Channel 4)

The Prosecutors: Real Crime and Punishment (BBC4)

 

Specialist factual

Alan Bennett’s Diaries (BBC2)

Attenborough’s Life That Glows (BBC2)

Grayson Perry’s All Man (Channel 4)

Planet Earth II (BBC1)

 

Single documentary

Behind Closed Doors (BBC1)

Hillsborough (BBC2)

How to Die: Simon’s Choice (BBC2)

Hypernormalisation (BBC i Player)

 

Features

The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs (BBC1)

The Great British Bake Off (BBC1)

Travel Man: 48 Hours In… (Channel 4)

Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1)

 

Reality and constructed factual

First Dates (Channel 4)

Muslims Like Us (BBC2)

The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC2)

The Secret Life of Five Years Olds (Channel 4)

 

Current affairs

Inside Obama’s White House (BBC2)

Teenage Prison Abuse Exposed – Panorama (BBC1)

Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks – This World (BBC2)

Unarmed Black Male – This World (BBC2)

 

News coverage

Channel 4 News: Brexit Day One (Channel 4)

BBC North West Tonight: Hillsborough Inquests (BBC North West/BBC1)

Sky News Tonight – Aleppo: Death of a City (Sky News)

Victoria Derbyshire (BBC2)

 

Sport

The Open (Sky Sports 1)

2016 Rio Olympics (BBC1)

Rio 2016 Paralympics (Channel 4)

Six Nations – England V Wales (ITV)

 

Live event

The Centenary of the Battle of The Somme: Thiepval (BBC1)

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC (BBC2)

Stand Up to Cancer (Channel 4)

The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration (ITV)

 

Entertainment programme

Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV)

Britain’s Got Talent (ITV)

Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC1)

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1)

 

Scripted comedy

Camping (Sky Atlantic)

Fleabag (BBC3)

Flowers (Channel 4)

People Just Do Nothing (BBC3)

 

Comedy and comedy entertainment programme

Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe (BBC2)

Cunk on Shakespare (BBC2)

The Last Leg (Channel 4)

Taskmaster (Dave)

 

Virgin’s Must-See Moments

Game of Thrones – Battle of the Bastards

The Late Late Show with James Corden – Carpool Karaoke with Michelle Obama

Line of Duty – Urgent exit required

Planet Earth II – Snakes v Iguanas chase

Strictly Come Dancing – Ed Balls’ Gangnam Style

Who Do You Think You Are? – Danny Dyer’s origins