The Crown leads the 2024 TV Baftas awards nominations after having been shortlisted in eight categories. Netflix’s long-running drama about the royal family has been recognised in categories including leading actor, for Dominic West’s portrayal of Prince Charles and supporting actress, which sees Elizabeth Debicki go up against Lesley Manville for their respective depictions of Princess Diana and Princess Margaret.
It follows a series of critical reviews for the final series of Peter Morgan’s once-lauded drama, which featured an appearance from a ghost of Princess Diana and a musical fantasy sequence where Tony Blair was crowned king to a choir singing D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better. The Guardian said it featured “a script that barely aspires to craft, let alone art, any more”.
Black Mirror received seven nominations for its 70s-set Demon 79 episode, which is up for best limited drama, and sees Anjana Vasan up for leading actress. Three shows jointly received six nominations – including Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, the Gary Oldman-starring spy drama about a washed-up bunch of MI5 agents, and The Sixth Commandment, a chilling crime-drama starring Timothy Spall.
The final season of Sally Wainwright’s crime drama Happy Valley also received six nominations, including best drama series and a nod for Sarah Lancashire, whose portrayal of Catherine Cawood sees her up for best actress.
Of the 44 performers nominated this year, 17 have received their first ever recognition at the Bafta Television awards. They include Bridget Christie, who is shortlisted for best female performance in a comedy, thanks to her menopause-comedy The Change; Bella Ramsey who is up for leading actress for Last of Us; and David Tennant in the adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s fantasy drama Good Omens. The list of newcomers includes this year’s hosts of the main event, Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett, who are shortlisted in the comedy entertainment category for Rob and Romesh Vs.
“Water-cooler TV moments, brave documentaries which expand our worldview, and powerful real-life inspired dramas – these are just some of the Bafta nominated TV programmes for audiences to watch,” said Bafta’s chair, Sara Putt.
“At a time when budgets are tight and creative risk-taking can feel ever riskier, we hope our awards can play a positive role in reinforcing the value of nurturing new talent and ideas, as well as holding a mirror up to stubborn industry inequities, particularly for talented female directors who are still significantly outnumbered by their male counterparts when it comes to awards submissions.”
In the three director categories in the Bafta Television Craft awards, the percentage of female to male directors entered for consideration was 28% v 72%; just under three men for every woman, on a par with the percentage of those nominated.
The broadcaster who received most recognition is the BBC, which received a total of 65 nominations, close to double that of its nearest rival Netflix, who earned 35.
This year’s juries saw more than 500 voters spend 127 hours participating in 43 juries to decide the nominations. The shortlists are split between two separate ceremonies. The Bafta Television Craft awards focus on TV’s more technical side and will take place on Sunday 28 April. The Bafta Television awards will take place on Sunday 12 May and will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer.
