2026 BAFTA TV Awards: Red Carpet, Looks & Nominees

London’s Royal Festival Hall was the place to be on Sunday night as the 72nd BAFTA Television Awards brought out some of the biggest names in British and international TV for a night that felt bigger — and more loaded — than usual.

Taskmaster host Greg Davies took the stage as this year’s host, opening the ceremony with a quip that “a quick AI search” revealed that television began when David Attenborough “first hugged a monkey” — a nod to outgoing BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s opening remarks, in which she wished Attenborough a happy 100th birthday (he celebrated on Friday) and declared that “TV isn’t going anywhere” despite the disruption reshaping the industry. Davies also gave a warm welcome to nominees including Colin Firth — mentioning, with characteristic deadpan, how attractive his aunt finds him — and Stephen Graham and the entire Adolescence team.

The ceremony, which aired on BBC One and iPlayer, is BAFTA and the BBC’s first major televised awards show since the controversy at this year’s Film Awards, when Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson involuntarily yelled a racial slur during a live broadcast appearance. BAFTA subsequently apologized “unreservedly” and an independent review found “a number of structural weaknesses in BAFTA’s planning, escalation procedures and crisis coordination arrangements” — including that early warning signs were not escalated and that no clear operational command structure was in place. The BBC has been quietly but carefully prepping for Sunday’s broadcast ever since.

Adolescence Dominates — But Has Company

Netflix’s Adolescence — the Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne-created limited series that became one of the most talked-about shows of the year — arrived at the BAFTAs as the undisputed frontrunner, carrying 11 nominations into the night. That haul includes five acting nods for Graham, Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, Christine Tremarco and Erin Doherty, as well as a spot in the coveted Limited Drama category. The show had already picked up two prizes at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards two weeks prior, for director and sound.

If Adolescence keeps winning, it could be on track for a record-breaking BAFTA feat by the end of the night.

Hot on its heels is Disney+’s A Thousand Blows with seven nominations, while The Celebrity Traitors — the BBC’s top-rated show of the year — is up for five. In the Limited Drama race, Adolescence faces competition from BBC’s What It Feels Like for a Girl, ITV’s I Fought the Law and Channel 4’s Trespasses.

The Leading Actor category is one of the most stacked in recent memory: Colin Firth (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth), Matt Smith (The Death of Bunny Munro), and Taron Egerton (Smoke) are all in the mix alongside Graham. Leading Actress features Aimee Lou Wood (Film Club), Erin Doherty (A Thousand Blows), Jodie Whittaker (Toxic Town) and Sheridan Smith (I Fought the Law), among others. Both Doherty and Wood are each nominated in two separate categories.

On the international front, the nominees read like a streaming greatest-hits playlist: Severance, The White Lotus, The Bear, The Diplomat and The Studio are all in contention.

The Red Carpet: Who Showed Up and What They Wore

The arrivals outside the Southbank Centre were a full fashion moment. On the international side, Severance stars Adam Scott and Chase Sui Wonders made the trip to London, joined by Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz repping The Studio, and Paapa Essiedu and Jessica Gunning also walking the carpet. Matt Smith, nominated for Leading Actor, was there too.

Aimee Lou Wood went full vampire glamour — a buckle-adorned gown, black eyeshadow, and the kind of commitment to a look that makes a red carpet moment. Jodie Whittaker went the opposite direction in a bold red halterneck gown that worked perfectly with her copper bob. Amandaland‘s Lucy Punch brought tangerine energy in a fitted gown with white heels, while Erin Doherty kept it sleek in a black strapless gown with her hair slicked back.

Amanda Holden was pure spectacle in a grey tassel-adorned crop top paired with a mermaid skirt and a train — the kind of look that guarantees a front page. Claudia Winkleman, the woman behind The Celebrity Traitors‘ five nominations, surprised in her usual all-black but swapped the gown for capri pants. Silent Witness star Emilia Fox was elegant in bottle green with gold hardware, and Back to Black‘s Marisa Abela wore an appropriately vampy black Bardot-neck gown with a corseted bodice.

Three baby bumps commanded their own spotlight on the carpet. Vogue Williams, pregnant with her fourth child with husband Spencer Matthews, was radiant in a white lace-adorned gown with a new fringe. Scarlett Moffatt — currently expecting her second — hugged her bump in a chocolate brown dress with a dramatic asymmetrical cape, coordinating her earrings and cuff to match. And presenter Laura Whitmore wore a textured gown with a linen skirt and a pearlescent clutch.

Mary Berry, national treasure, arrived in a soft pink A-line gown and a double string of pearls — because of course she did.

Katie Piper, stunning in a mint green cut-out ruched gown, took a moment on the carpet to speak about confidence and self-image. “Comparison is the fastest way to disconnect with yourself,” she told HELLO!. “I’ve always thought that the ultimate body positivity is actually feeling neutral about your appearance… the neutrality of it doesn’t define you.” She added simply: “I’m not beautiful like her, I’m beautiful like me.”

Among the What It Feels Like for a Girl contingent, Alex Thomas-Smith arrived in a high-neck, glossy PVC black gown with a thigh-high split and gloves, while Adam Ali went bold in a sequinned jacket, wide-collared shirt and flared trousers with platform shoes. Former EastEnders star Shona McGarty brought drama in a strapless black tulle gown covered in sequins — and crucially, with pockets.

Love Island and Strictly alum Tasha Ghouri went for sparkle in a stone-hued maxi with a diamante-detailed tulle skirt, and This Morning‘s Ashley James dazzled in a rhinestone-corseted gown that pooled at her feet. James used her carpet moment to speak out on body image too, telling HELLO!: “I think the advice is to know that you don’t need to shrink yourself. It doesn’t make you more lovable or more confident. Your worth isn’t defined by your body.”

The 2026 BAFTA TV Awards are live now — with Adolescence already the night’s biggest story before a single trophy has been handed out.