"We're Not Saving Lives, But We Tell the Human Condition": Adolescence Dominates Baftas with Four Wins on Historic Night

10 May 2026 | London, England

LONDON – The boy who dreamed of being on telly after watching Scully finally got his moment. And he used it to remind everyone why stories matter.

Netflix's Adolescence dominated the Bafta TV awards on Sunday, winning four prizes – including best limited drama, best leading actor for Stephen Graham, best supporting actor for 16-year-old Owen Cooper, and best supporting actress for Christine Tremarco.

Graham, who had been nominated eight times before without a win, finally took home the gold. "We're not saving lives," he said, holding the mask-shaped trophy. "But we have the opportunity to tell the human condition. And we have the obligation to tell beautiful stories."

"In the Words of John Lennon": Cooper's Emotional Speech

Owen Cooper, who became a household name for his performance as 13-year-old Jamie Miller – a boy arrested for murdering a girl at his school – bagged the best supporting actor award. At just 16, he delivered one of the night's most memorable speeches.

"In the words of John Lennon, you won't get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it," Cooper said. "I think you only need three things to succeed in life: one, an obsession, two, a dream, and three, the Beatles. So thank you so much."

The four-part series, where each episode was filmed in a single take, earned universal acclaim for its chilling portrayal of violence by disaffected teenage boys. It was the most nominated show of the night – and it delivered.

Gaza Documentary: "We Refuse to Be Silenced"

One of the most powerful moments of the evening came from a documentary the BBC refused to air. Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the current affairs category – a film first commissioned by the BBC, then dropped over impartiality fears, sparking uproar from within the corporation and the wider media.

Ramita Navai, the film's reporter, criticised the BBC and paid tribute to the 1,700 Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers killed by Israel. "These are the findings of our investigation that the BBC paid for, but refused to show," she said. "But we refuse to be silenced and censored."

Its executive producer, Ben De Pear, then dared the BBC to edit the remarks out of the ceremony, which is broadcast on a two-hour time delay. "Given you dropped the film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening?" he asked.

The room fell silent. Then applause erupted.

Jack Thorne's Adolescence has the most nods of the night, including Owen Cooper's nomination for best supporting actor.

"Back of the Net!": Steve Coogan Wins for Partridge

Steve Coogan won the award for best actor in a comedy for his latest portrayal of his iconic character Alan Partridge in the mockumentary How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) – a film about the UK's mental health crisis, told through the eyes of Britain's most awkward broadcaster.

"Back of the net!" Coogan quipped, channeling his character as he accepted the award.

Coogan beat out Jim Howick, Jon Pointing, Lenny Rush, Mawaan Rizwan, and Oliver Savell. The win added another accolade to Partridge's improbable 30-year career – a character who has become as quintessentially British as fish and chips.

Other Winners: The Bear, Severance, and The Studio

The international category was won by Apple TV's The Studio, beating out The Bear, The Diplomat, Pluribus, Severance, and The White Lotus. It was a sign of the growing global influence of streaming platforms at Britain's most prestigious TV awards.

Narges Rashidi won best leading actress for Prisoner 951, the true story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Briton imprisoned for six years in Iran. The performance was described by judges as "devastating and unforgettable."

Code of Silence took best drama, while EastEnders won best soap for the second year running, beating Casualty and Coronation Street. The soap category remains one of the most hotly contested of the night – and EastEnders is enjoying a renaissance.

Back of the net! Steve Coogan wins best actor in a comedy for How Are You? It's Alan. Steve Coogan, nominated for best actor in a comedy.

The Traitors, Bob Mortimer, and a Memorable Moment

The Celebrity Traitors won best reality show, as Alan Carr's tearful victory was voted the most memorable moment of the year by the public. After picking up his trophy, Carr said: "Was I good? Was I really – or were the other celebrities just thick?!" The audience roared.

Bob Mortimer won best entertainment performance for Last One Laughing UK, beating out Amanda Holden, Claudia Winkleman, Lee Mack, Rob Beckett, and Romesh Ranganathan. The series itself won best entertainment show.

Amandaland – the Motherland spin-off featuring Lucy Punch as a clueless north London mother downsizing after her divorce – won best scripted comedy. Katherine Parkinson won best actress in a comedy for Here We Go, beating both Lucy Punch and Jennifer Saunders.

The evening's host, Greg Davies, kept the ceremony moving through a night of powerful speeches and surprises.

Grenfell Documentary: "They Deserve Justice"

Netflix's Grenfell: Uncovered – which combines footage from the disaster and subsequent public inquiry with testimony from survivors and bereaved families – was named best single documentary.

Its director, Olaide Sadiq, said: "The victims of Grenfell deserve much more than remembrance. They deserve accountability, they deserve change and, most importantly, they deserve justice."

It was a sobering moment in an evening otherwise filled with celebration – a reminder that television can also bear witness to tragedy.

What Comes Next?

Adolescence has cemented its place in television history. Graham, after eight nominations, finally has his Bafta. Cooper, at 16, has a career ahead of him that seems limitless. And the Gaza documentary – dropped by the BBC, celebrated by Channel 4 – has become a symbol of editorial independence.

"We're not saving lives," Graham said. But on a night when television celebrated its power to illuminate, to provoke, and to grieve – that felt like exactly what they were doing.

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