The BAFTAs nominees have been announced, and it’s fair to say this year’s list has got a lot of people talking.
The show that led the way for 2025 was Baby Reindeer, which dominated the list with eight nominations, including for Limited Drama, Leading Actor for the show’s creator Richard Gadd and two for Supporting Actresses for Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau.
The fictional show is inspired by a true story and follows Gadd as he plays a comic who is stalked and harassed by a lonely woman called Martha. The show proved incredibly popular, rising the ranks to become No. 10 most popular English-language series of all times. Last year, Variety reported that Baby Reindeer reached 84.5 million views within the first 91 days of streaming, beating The Witcher off the list.
However, the show found itself at the centre of a controversy when it became the subject of a $170 million defamation lawsuit over its premise. Following the show’s release, internet sleuths found the ‘real’ Martha on social media and she sued Netflix for £50m for a litany of chargers, including defamation and emotional distress.
Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ show, and Disney’s Rivals, adapted from a Jilly Cooper novel of the same name, also received six nominations. David Tennant is nominated for Best Actor in Rivals. The show was so popular that it's been confirmed for a second season by Disney+ as Jilly Cooper says she's 'orgasmic with excitement.' Gary Oldman has been nominated for the same accolade in Slow Horses.
Katherine Parkinson has been nominated for Best Actress in Rivals, Maxine Peake for Say Nothing, Monica Dolan for Sherwood and Sue Johnston for Channel 4 drama Truelove.
Why are people surprised by the TV BAFTA nominations?
Many people were surprised that Strictly Come Dancing didn’t receive a nomination in the Entertainment category, after it topped this last year. Over the past year, the show has been at the centre of a number of controversies, including allegations of bullying and abusive behaviour by professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
Other surprises included a snub to The Day of the Jackal, which failed to win any nominations. And while Baby Reindeer swept up, other Netflix hits including Black Doves, The Gentlemen, and Fool Me Once all missed out on the main awards. The same goes for One Day, after neither Ambika Mod or Leo Woodall received nominations. Despite its popularity, Clarkson’s Farm, which has a loyal fanbase, didn’t receive a single nomination.
One show that’s also made an impression is Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which explored one of the greatest miscarriages in British legal history. The show led to an inquiry into the plight of more than 700 subpostmasters who were prosecuted by the Post Office and given criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015. It sparked six nominations and is also nominated in the P&O Cruises' memorable moment category. Alongsode Sherwood, Monica Dolan is also nominated in the leading actress category for her role in the show.
Scoop, which explored Emily Maitlis’ infamous interview with Prince Andrew, is also in the mix. Billie Piper, who plays Sam McAlister, is nominated for the show, while Marisa Abela is nominated for Industry, Lola Petticrew for Say Nothing and Sharon D Clarke for Mr Loverman.
As for which streaming platforms cleared up, Netflix led the way with 26 nominations, followed by Disney + with a record 15 nominations and Apple TV+ with 13.
Watch this space to see which TV shows take the winning spots!