The 2021 British Academy Television Awards were held on 6 June 2021, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2020. The nominees were announced along with the nominees for the

2021 British Academy Television Craft Awards The 22nd Annual British Academy Television Craft Awards are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and were held on 24 May 2021. The nominees were announced on 28 April 2021. The ceremony was hosted by Gbemisola Ikumel ...

on 28 April 2021, while the shortlist for the Virgin Media Must-See-Moment were announced the day before, on 27 April 2021. The ceremony was hosted for the second year in a row by

Richard Ayoade Richard Ellef Ayoade ( ; born 23 May 1977) is a British actor, comedian, broadcaster and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), for which he ...

. The only television programme to win multiple awards at the ceremony was '' I May Destroy You'', with star and creator

Michaela Coel Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson (born 1 October 1987), known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom ''Chewing Gum'' (2015–2017), for which she won ...

collecting both Best Miniseries and Best Actress.

Rule and award changes

In October 2020, the

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

(BAFTA) announced several changes in its rules and categories, both to achieve a wider variety of nominees and in response to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and its impact on the television industry: * For the individual performance categories, the number of nominees increased from four to six. * A new category, Best Daytime, was introduced, to recognise "the important role that daytime programming plays in the lives of viewers and in providing a pipeline for new and underrepresented talent". * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the eligibility period for the Best Soap and Continuing Drama category was extended to the end of January 2021. * A new requirement meant that at least half of the nominees in each category had to be members of a minority group (LGBT, non-white, disabled etc.). * Transgender and non-binary individuals were allowed to choose which gender category to be considered for. BAFTA suspended its Fellowship and Special Awards while reviewing its selection processes, after facing criticism for honouring Noel Clarke in April 2021 despite being aware of misconduct allegations against him.

Winners and nominees

''Sources'': Paul Mescal 44

Ceremony

The ceremony had a traditional

red carpet A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events. History The earliest known reference ...

, and nominees could attend via video or in-person. They sat in the venue in socially-distanced groups by television programme. Some award presenters, like Bob Mortimer and

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...

, also presented virtually. Tom Allen and

AJ Odudu Onatejiro "AJ" Odudu (born 12 February 1988) is a British television presenter from Blackburn, UK. She is best known for co-presenting the 2013 Channel 5 reality show spin-off ''Big Brother's Bit on the Side'', alongside Emma Willis and Rylan ...

hosted red carpet coverage. To open the ceremony,

Olly Alexander Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990) is a British singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of Years & Years and for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series, ''It's a Sin''. Early life Alexander w ...

performed " Starstruck"; the performance was outside the venue. Alexander also presented an award with ''

It's a Sin "It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's ...

'' co-star

Lydia West Lydia Dorothy West (born 24 June 1993) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC One series '' Years and Years'' and the Channel 4 series ''It's a Sin'', the latter of which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Early life West is f ...

. During the ceremony,

Alexis Ffrench Alexis Ffrench (born 1970) is a British classical - soul pioneer, musician, composer, producer, and pianist. Ffrench’s remarkable music has amassed more than half a billion streams and both albums ‘Evolution’ and ‘Dreamland’ reache ...

performed a piano version of "Bluebird" for the In Memoriam. The public vote for the "Must-See Moment" awarded dance troupe

Diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

performing a routine based on the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

movement; the performance was conversely also the most complained-about television moment of the year. Lead dancer

Ashley Banjo Ashley Modurotolu Banjo is an English street dancer, choreographer and actor. He is the leader of dance troupe Diversity who won the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Banjo was a judge on the Sky1 talent show '' Got to Danc ...

said that the award win "is what change looks like", as many of the complaints had been racially-charged. In accepting her award for Best Actress for '' I May Destroy You'',

, who had created the show based on things that had happened to her, spoke about the importance of

intimacy coordinator An intimacy coordinator, sometimes called an intimacy director, is a member of a film or television crew who ensures the well-being of actors and actresses who participate in sex scenes or other intimate scenes in theater, film and television prod ...

s. In entertainment programming, the

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

show ''Life & Rhymes'' was considered a surprise win, competing in a category against programmes the BBC described as "heavyweights", as was entertainment performance winner

Romesh Ranganathan Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (born 27 March 1978), is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and often self-deprecating comedy. Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows, and in 2016 he co-p ...

In Memoriam

''Source'': *

Ann Lynn Elizabeth Ann Lynn (7 November 1933 – 30 August 2020) was a British actress, especially prominent during the British New Wave of the 1960s, appearing in many films that represented what is known as kitchen sink realism. Lynn's career spanne ...

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...

Tony Morris Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

Frank Windsor Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs. Biography Win ...

Ronald Pickup Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''Doctor Who''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific sta ...

Sabine Schmitz Sabine Schmitz (; 14 May 1969 – 16 March 2021) was a German professional motor racing driver and television personality. Born in Adenau to a family in the hotel and catering business, and raised in one of the villages nestled within the Nürb ...

Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He ...

CBE *

Charlotte Cornwell Charlotte Cornwell (26 April 1949 – 16 January 2021) was an English actress, singer, and a celebrated teacher of acting on the faculty at the University of Southern California (2003-2012). She began her career as an actress in Richard Cott ...

* Ronald Forfar *

Eileen Pollock Eileen Pollock (18 May 1947 – 19 December 2020) was a Northern Irish actress whose work included political theatre, pantomime, and the role of Lilo Lil in television series ''Bread''. Early life Pollock was born in Belfast, and studied langu ...

Alan Igbon Alan Igbon (29 May 1952 – 9 December 2020) was a British actor, best known for his roles in television series such as '' The Professionals'', '' Coronation Street'' and ''Boys from the Blackstuff''. Life and career Igbon was born in Hulme, ...

Peter Alliss Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. Following the death of Henry Longhurst in 1978, he was regarded by many as the "Voice of ...

Murray Walker Graeme Murray Walker (10 October 1923 – 13 March 2021) was an English motorsport commentator and journalist. He provided television commentary of live Formula One coverage for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV between 1997 and 20 ...

OBE *

Nikki Grahame Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame (28 April 1982 – 9 April 2021) was an English television personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Big Brother UK'' in 2006, in which she finished in fifth place, and later st ...

* Tony Armatrading * Alan Curtis *

Mark Eden Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''Coronation Street'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life Mark Ede ...

Archie Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and became best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–2003). He also had major roles in other ...

* Johnny Briggs MBE *

Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer may refer to: Politicians * Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet (1598–1670), English lawyer and politician *Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 3rd Baronet (1655–1732), English politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicestershire *Geoffrey Pa ...

OBE *

Nicola Pagett Nicola Mary Pagett Scott (15 June 1945 – 3 March 2021), known professionally as Nicola Pagett, was a British actress, known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973), as well as being ...

Margaret Nolan Margaret Ann Nolan (29 October 1943 – 5 October 2020) was an English actress, visual artist and glamour model. She appeared in '' Goldfinger'', '' A Hard Day's Night'' and six '' Carry On'' films, and also regularly appeared on screen from t ...

Bobby Ball Robert Harper (28 January 1944 – 28 October 2020), known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon (Thomas ...

* Charles Beeson *

Colin Leventhal Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

Mahmood Jamal Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 199 ...

* Frank Bough *

John Sessions John Marshall (11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020), better known by the stage name John Sessions, was a British actor and comedian. He was known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as a panellist o ...

Paul Ritter Simon Paul Adams (20 December 1966 – 5 April 2021), known professionally as Paul Ritter, was an English actor. He had roles in films including ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), '' Quantum of Solace'' (2008), ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' ...

* Rosalind Knight *

Trevor Peacock Trevor Edward Peacock (19 May 1931 – 8 March 2021) was an English actor, screenwriter and songwriter. He made his name as a theatre actor, later becoming known for his Shakespearean roles. Later in his career, he became best known for playing ...

*Dame

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

DBE *

Helen McCrory Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021) was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Mac ...

OBE Viewers commented on the lack of presence of Dame

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.

's name; BAFTA responded that she had been included in the In Memoriam of the Film Awards ceremony in April.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:British Academy Television Awards 2021 British Academy Television Awards 2021 in British television 2021 television awards 2021 awards in the United Kingdom June 2021 events in the United Kingdom