BBC garners 47 nominations for Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2026

The British broadcaster dominated the Comedy categories, receiving all four nominations in Scripted Comedy for Here We Go, Such Brave Girls, How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), and Things You Should Have Done, as well as multiple nods across the Comedy Performance and Comedy Drama categories. The BBC also garnered two out of three nominations in Soap and Continuing Drama for Casualty and EastEnders.

Following closely behind, Netflix’s Adolescence received the most nominations for a single show, receiving six across Leading Actor – Male, Limited Series and Single Drama, Supporting Actor – Female, Supporting – Male, Writer – Drama, and Breakthrough Award. Erin Doherty received a nod not only for Supporting Actor – Female for her role in Adolescence, but also in the Leading Actor – Female category for her performance in Disney+’s A Thousand Blows. Apple TV’s hit series Slow Horses, Channel 4’s Big Boys, and ITV’s Code of Silence all received three nominations apiece across the scripted categories. 

For the newly expanded Entertainment and Reality category, the shortlist included Race Across the World and The Celebrity Traitors, both from Studio Lambert for the BBC, and E4’s Married at First Sight UK. Romesh Ranganathan received two nominations in the Entertainment Performance category, one alongside his co-star Rob Beckett for Rob & Romesh Vs, and one for Romesh: Can't Knock the Hustle – both on Sky Max.

For 2026, the nominees for the emerging talent Breakthrough Award are Ellis Howard for What It Feels Like for a Girl, Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie for Just Act Normal, Maximilian Fairley for Unforgotten, and Owen Cooper for Adolescence.

Kenton Allen, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards and CEO of Big Talk Studios, said: “The RTS Programme Awards celebrate the extraordinary depth of creative talent that defines the UK television industry. Across every genre represented in this year’s nominations, we see the craft, originality, and ambition that continue to make Britain one of the most admired creative markets in the world. From writers and performers to producers, directors, and the many brilliant teams on and off camera, these programmes demonstrate the power of British storytelling to inform, entertain, and resonate with audiences at home and around the globe. On behalf of the Royal Television Society, I would like to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and thank them for the imagination, skill, and sheer hard work that keep our industry at the very forefront of global television.”

The RTS Programme Awards 2026 ceremony, in partnership with Cast & Crew, will be held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Although broadcaster, journalist, and presenter Charlene White (Loose Women, ITV News) hosted the announcement from ITN via the RTS website and YouTube channel, the RTS Programme Awards 2026 ceremony will be hosted by Tom Allen, Comedian and Presenter, for the fifth year running.

Full list of nominations:

 

Arts

• Nick Cave's Veiled World (Supercollider for Sky Arts)
• The Last Musician of Auschwitz (Two Rivers Media in association with Access for BBC)
• The Trouble With Mr Doodle (acme in association with Lightbox for Channel 4)

 

Breakthrough Award

• Ellis Howard – What It Feels Like for a Girl (Hera Pictures for BBC)
• Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie – Just Act Normal (The Forge Entertainment for BBC)
• Maximilian Fairley – Unforgotten (Mainstreet Pictures, ITV Studios and Masterpiece for ITV1/ITVX)
• Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)

 

Children’s Programme

• Crongton (New Pictures for BBC)
• Sky Kids Investigates: World. War. Me. (Fresh Start Media for Sky News)
• Wolf King (Lime Pictures for Netflix)

 

Comedy Drama

• Big Boys (Roughcut TV for Channel 4)
• Dreaming Whilst Black (Big Deal Films for BBC)
• Juice (Various Artists Limited for BBC)

 

Comedy Entertainment

• Last One Laughing (Zeppotron/Initial for Prime Video)
• Taskmaster (Avalon for Channel 4)
• Would I Lie to You? (Zeppotron for BBC)

 

Comedy Performance – Female

• Jordan Gray – Transaction (Big Talk Studios for ITV2/ITVX)
• Katherine Parkinson – Here We Go (BBC Studios Comedy for BBC)
• Lucy Punch – Amandaland (Merman Television for BBC)
• Philippa Dunne – Amandaland (Merman Television for BBC)

 

Comedy Performance – Male

• Adjani Salmon – Dreaming Whilst Black (Big Deal Films for BBC)
• Jon Pointing – Big Boys (Roughcut TV for Channel 4)
• Oliver Savell – Changing Ends (Baby Cow Productions for ITV1/ITVX)
• Steve Coogan – How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) (Baby Cow Productions for BBC)

 

Daytime Programme

• BBC Breakfast – Our Girls: The Southport Families (BBC Breakfast for BBC)
• Loose Women (MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, for ITV1/ITVX)
• The Marvellous Miniature Workshop  (MGM Alternative for BBC)

 

Documentary Series

• Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park (True Vision for Sky Documentaries)
• Boyzone: No Matter What (Curious Films for Sky Documentaries)
• Murder 24/7 (Expectation TV for BBC)

 

Drama Series

• Blue Lights (Two Cities Television/Gallagher Films for BBC)
• Code of Silence (Mammoth Screen for ITV1/ITVX)
• Slow Horses (See-Saw Films for Apple TV)
• This City Is Ours (Left Bank Pictures for BBC)

 

Entertainment & Reality

• Married at First Sight UK (CPL Productions for E4)
• Race Across The World (Studio Lambert for BBC)
• The Celebrity Traitors (Studio Lambert for BBC)

 

Entertainment Performance

• Rob Beckett & Romesh Ranganathan – Rob & Romesh Vs (CPL Productions for Sky Max)
• Romesh Ranganathan – Romesh: Can't Knock the Hustle (Ranga Bee Productions for Sky Max)
• Claudia Winkleman – The Celebrity Traitors (Studio Lambert for BBC)

 

Formatted Popular Factual

• Go Back to Where You Came From (Minnow Films for Channel 4)
• The Assembly (Rockerdale Studios for ITV1/ITVX)
• The Jury: Murder Trial (Screendog Productions for Channel 4)

 

History

• Flight 149: Hostage of War (Drum Studios for Sky Documentaries)
• Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz (Oxford Film for BBC)
• Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire (acme for BBC)

 

Leading Actor – Female

• Rose Ayling-Ellis – Code Of Silence (Mammoth Screen for ITV1/ITVX)
• Erin Doherty – A Thousand Blows (The Story Collective, Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions for Disney+)
• Narges Rashidi – Prisoner 951 (Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC)
• Tamara Lawrance – Get Millie Black (Motive Pictures for Channel 4)

 

Leading Actor – Male

• Anthony Boyle – House of Guinness (Kudos and Nebulastar for Netflix)
• Bobby Schofield – Unforgivable (LA Productions for BBC)
• Malachi Kirby – A Thousand Blows (The Story Collective, Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions for Disney+)
• Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)

 

Limited Series and Single Drama

• Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)
• Get Millie Black (Motive Pictures for Channel 4)
• I Fought the Law (Hera Pictures for ITV1/ITVX)
• What It Feels Like for a Girl (Hera Pictures for BBC)

 

Live Event

• VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember (BBC Studios Events for BBC)
• Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 (BBC Studios Events for BBC)
• Last Night of the Proms: Finale (Livewire Pictures for BBC)

 

Presenter

• Hamza Yassin – Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles (Silverback Films for BBC)
• Martin Lewis – The Martin Lewis Money Show Live (MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, for ITV1/ITVX)
• Davina McCall – Stand Up To Cancer: Cancer Clinic Live (Bango Studios & HiddenLight Productions for Channel 4)

 

Science and The Natural World

• Confessions Of A Brain Surgeon (Curious Films for BBC)
• Pangolin: Kulu's Journey (Anonymous Content, Dog Star and Water Creature for Netflix)
• Underdogs (Wildstar Films, a Fremantle company, in partnership with Maximum Effort for National Geographic and Disney+)

 

Scripted Comedy

• Here We Go (BBC Studios Comedy for BBC)
• How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) (Baby Cow Productions for BBC)
• Such Brave Girls (Various Artists Limited for BBC)
• Things You Should Have Done (Roughcut TV for BBC)

 

Single Documentary

• Gaza: Doctors Under Attack (Basement Films for Channel 4)
• Grenfell: Uncovered (Rogan Productions for Netflix)
• Groomed: A National Scandal (Candour Productions for Channel 4)

 

Soap and Continuing Drama

• Casualty (BBC Studios for BBC)
• EastEnders (BBC Studios for BBC)
• Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures for Channel 4)

 

Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit

• Alex Jacques – 2025 Formula 1 Highlights (Whisper for Channel 4)
• Gabby Logan – Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 (Whisper Cymru for BBC)
• Ruby Tui – Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 (Whisper Cymru for BBC)

 

Sports Programme

• 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Sky Sports)
• UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Final (Sunset+Vine for BBC)
• Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 (Whisper Cymru for BBC)

 

Supporting Actor – Female

• Aimee Lou Wood – Toxic Town (Broke & Bones for Netflix)
• Anna Friel – Unforgivable (LA Productions for BBC)
• Erin Doherty – Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)
• Saskia Reeves – Slow Horses (See-Saw Films for Apple TV)

 

Supporting Actor – Male

• Alexej Manvelov – Dept. Q (Left Bank Pictures for Netflix)
• Christopher Chung – Slow Horses (See-Saw Films for Apple TV)
• Joshua McGuire – The Gold (Tannadice Pictures, part of Objective Media Group for BBC)
• Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)

 

Writer – Comedy

• Adjani Salmon & Ali Hughes – Dreaming Whilst Black (Big Deal Films for BBC)
• Tom Basden – Here We Go (BBC Studios Comedy for BBC)
• Jack Rooke – Big Boys (Roughcut TV for Channel 4)
• Kat Sadler – Such Brave Girls (Various Artists Limited for BBC)

 

Writer – Drama

• Adam Patterson & Declan Lawn – Blue Lights (Two Cities Television/Gallagher Films for BBC)
• Catherine Moulton – Code of Silence (Mammoth Screen for ITV1/ITVX)
• Jack Thorne & Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)
• Sally Wainwright – Riot Women (Drama Republic for BBC and BritBox)

 

BBC’s Steve Rosenberg and Channel 4 News’ Lindsey Hilsum were among the top winners at last night’s Royal Television Society (RTS) Television Journalism Awards 2026. Discover more here.