Netflix's Adolescence Breaks Record with 4 Wins at BAFTA TV Awards

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Netflix drama Adolescence dominated the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards on Sunday, May 10, 2026, taking home four awards and setting a new record for the most wins at a single BAFTA TV ceremony.

As revealed by BBC, the hit limited series won Best Limited Series, while its stars Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, and Christine Tremarco secured acting awards following the show’s global success after its release in March 2025.

The drama, which follows a teenage boy accused of murdering a female classmate, became one of the most talked-about television productions of the past year. The series also gained attention for its filming style, with each episode shot in a single continuous take.

Sixteen-year-old Owen Cooper became the youngest-ever winner of the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Jamie Miller. During his acceptance speech, Cooper quoted John Lennon and credited “obsession, a dream, and The Beatles” as keys to success.

Stephen Graham won Best Leading Actor for his role as Jamie’s father, marking his first BAFTA victory after seven previous nominations. Graham used his speech to encourage young people to pursue acting and storytelling.

“We have the opportunity to tell the human condition, and we have the obligation to tell beautiful stories,” Graham said.

Meanwhile, Christine Tremarco won Best Supporting Actress for playing Jamie’s mother. According to Radio Times, Graham and his wife Hannah Walters were seen visibly emotional and wiping away tears during Tremarco’s acceptance speech.

“I feel so honoured to be a part of Adolescence,” Tremarco said while thanking Graham, Walters, writer Jack Thorne, and director Philip Barantini.

Radio Times also noted that Adolescence entered the awards with 12 nominations, while Graham’s separate series A Thousand Blows earned seven more nominations, making him the most-nominated individual at this year’s BAFTA TV Awards.

Elsewhere at the ceremony, BBC reported that Narges Rashidi won Best Leading Actress for portraying Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Prisoner 951, while ITV’s Code of Silence received the Best Drama award.

Reality series The Celebrity Traitors won Best Reality Programme, and comedian Alan Carr’s performance on the show was voted the year’s Most Memorable TV Moment by the public.

Prime Video’s Last One Laughing won Best Entertainment Programme, while comedian Bob Mortimer received the Best Entertainment Performance award for the same series.

In the comedy categories, Steve Coogan won Best Male Performance in a Comedy for How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), while Katherine Parkinson won Best Female Performance in a Comedy for Here We Go. The sitcom Amandaland also secured the Best Scripted Comedy award.

One of the evening’s most politically charged moments came when Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the Current Affairs category. The documentary was originally shelved by the BBC over impartiality concerns before later being aired by Channel 4.

Reporter Ramita Navai used the acceptance speech to highlight casualties in Gaza and criticized the BBC’s earlier decision not to broadcast the film.

Meanwhile, Netflix documentary Grenfell: Uncovered won Best Single Documentary for its coverage of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

The ceremony also honored television personalities Mary Berry and Martin Lewis with special awards. Berry, 91, received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement, while Lewis received the Special Award for his contributions to consumer journalism.

Read: BAFTA Film Awards 2026: Full List of Winners

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