The BAFTA TV Awards nominations are out for 2024 and, while Netflix is winning headlines after strong showings for The Crown and Black Mirror, there were some snubs and surprises.
Black Mirror’s strong showing is perhaps among the eyebrow-raisers after Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology series received mixed reviews and has not exactly been generating awards buzz.
The Netflix drama, now in its sixth season, garnered seven nominations for Demon 79, five of which were in the BAFTA Television Craft Awards, including best drama writer for Brooker and Bisha K. Ali.
The episode, in which a demon instructs a mild-mannered sales assistant to go on a killing spree, is up for best limited drama, while star Anjana Vasan is a surprise runner in the leading actress race.
Born in India, Vasan’s inclusion in the category marks a departure from last year, when there was controversy over the all-white leading actress nominations, including a big snub for This Is Going To Hurt star Ambika Mod.
Diversity was a feature of the 2024 supporting actress list, where Top Boy’s Jasmine Jobson and The Last of Us star Nico Parker picked up nominations. Parker’s inclusion was not widely predicted. She only featured in two episodes of HBO’s breakout hit, starring as Pedro Pascal’s daughter Sarah Miller.
Some 29% of the 24 actors nominated for drama performances were from ethnic backgrounds, which was exactly in line with last year.
Sticking with actresses, in her final season of The Crown, Imelda Staunton failed to land a leading actress nomination. She was included last year, but missed out on the prize to Kate Winslet.
Staunton’s snub means that all of the women who starred as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown have failed to win a BAFTA TV Award, despite success elsewhere, not least for Claire Foy at the Emmys.
Lesley Manville (Princess Margaret), Dominic West (Prince Charles), Elizabeth Debicki (Princess Diana), and Salim Daw (Mohamed Al-Fayed) all earned noms for their work in the final season.
Other notable snubs in this year’s line-up include the absence of Gary Oldman in the leading actor race. Oldman has been nominated for a Royal Television Society award and Broadcasting Press Guild gong for his work as Jackson Lamb in Apple TV+ hit Slow Horses.
Among those competing for the leading actor statue is Steve Coogan for his portrayal of Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning. Should he win, it could represent some form of vindication for the BBC, which stoked controversy with its decision to dramatize the life of Britain’s most famous pedophile.
The British academy also overlooked the final season of Ted Lasso, with the Apple TV+ comedy failing to land a single nomination. Hannah Waddingham had better luck with her turn in Home For Christmas, which is up for best entertainment show.
Elsewhere, the final season of Succession was recognized with nominations for Brian Cox (leading actor), Matthew Macfadyen, and Harriet Walter (both supporting). The HBO series is also up for best international show and Logan Roy’s death will compete for public votes in the P&O Cruises memorable moment award category.
Sarah Snook, who won an Emmy for her standout performance as Shiv Roy, does not feature. Kieran Culkin, who played Roman Roy, is also not shortlisted. This is because both actors are not British and do not regularly work or live in the UK.