'Small Axe' leads this year's Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards with 15 nominations.
![Sir Steve McQueen](/image-library/partners/bang/land/1000/s/steve-mcqueen-aW1hZ2VzMS8yMDE4LzEyLzIwLzAzODYxMDAwMDE1NDUyOT.jpg)
Sir Steve McQueen
The BBC One anthology film series, directed by Sir Steve McQueen, picked up six TV noms and nine in the craft categories, including a nod for the Mini-Series gong alongside 'Normal People', 'Adult Material' and 'I May Destroy You'.
'Small Axe' - which features five films that tell stories about lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s - also picked up two Leading Actor nominations with John Boyega and Shaun Parkes both receiving nods.
Letitia Wright, who also starred in the series, is up for the Leading Actress prize, and she will face competition from Billie Piper ('I Hate Suzie'), Daisy Edgar-Jones ('Normal People'), Hayley Squires ('Adult Material'), Jodie Comer ('Killing Eve') and Michaela Coel ('I May Destroy You)'.
I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu will go up against John and Shaun for the Leading Actor award, as well as Normal People's Paul Mescal, Baghdad Central's Waleed Zuaiter, and The Crown's Josh O'Connor.
'The Crown' received 10 nominations - four for TV and six for the craft categories - including a nod for the Drama Series accolade alongside 'I Hate Suzie', 'Save Me Too' and 'Gangs of London'.
Other nods included 'This Country', 'Man Like Mobeen', 'Inside No. 9', and 'Ghosts' for the Scripted Comedy prize, and siblings and 'This Country' creators Daisy May and Charlie Cooper received nominations for the Female and Male Performance in a Comedy Programme gongs respectively.
'Sex Education' stars Emma Mackey and Aimee Lou Wood will go up against Daisy for the award, as will Breeders' Daisy Haggard, Famalam's Gbemisola Ikumelo, and Mae Martin for 'Feel Good'.
The late Paul Ritter, who died of a brain tumour earlier this month aged 54, is also up for the Male Performance in a Comedy Programme accolade for his role as Martin Goodman in Channel 4's 'Friday Night Dinner'.After 'Small Axe' and 'The Crown', 'I May Destroy You' picked up a total of eight nods followed by seven for 'Normal People' and six for 'Sex Education'.
Comedian Richard Ayoade will host this year's Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards, which will air on Sunday 6th June 2021 on BBC One.
Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards 2021 nominations:
Mini-Series:
Small Axe
Normal People
I May Destroy You
Adult Material
Comedy Entertainment Programme:
Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe
Rob & Romesh Vs
The Big Narstie Show
The Ranganation
Current Affairs:
America's War on Abortion
Italy's Frontline: A Doctor's Diary
The Battle for Hong Kong
The Cyprus Papers Undercover
Daytime:
Jimmy McGovern's Moving One
Richard Osman's House of Games
The Chase
The Great House Giveaway
Drama Series:
Gangs of London
I Hate Suzie
Save Me Too
The Crown
Entertainment Performance:
Adam Hills, The Last Leg
Bradley Walsh, The Chase
Claudia Winkleman, Strictly Come Dancing
David Mitchell, Would I Lie to You?
Graham Norton, The Graham Norton Show
Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation
Entertainment Programme:
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Life & Rhymes
Strictly Come Dancing
The Masked Singer
Factual Series:
Crime & Punishment
Hospital
Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency
Once Upon a Time in Iraq
Features:
Big Zuu's Big Eats
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
The Repair Shop
Female Performance in a Comedy Programme:
Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education
Daisy Haggard, Breeders
Daisy May Cooper, This Country
Emma Mackey, Sex Education
Gbemisola Ikumelo, Famalam
Mae Martin, Feel Good
International:
Little America
Lovecraft Country
Unorthodox
Welcome to Chechyna: The Gay Purge
Leading Actor:
John Boyega, Small Axe
Josh O'Connor, The Crown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Shaun Parkes, Small Axe
Waleed Zuaiter, Baghdad Central
Leading Actress:
Billie Piper, I Hate Suzie
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People
Hayley Squires, Adult Material
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Letita Wright, Small Axe
Michaela Cole, I May Destroy You
Live Event:
Life Drawing Live!
Springwatch 2020
The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
The Third Day: Autumn
Male Performance in a Comedy Programme:
Charlie Cooper, This Country
Guz Khan, Man Like Mobeen
Joseph Gilgun, Brassic
Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education
Paul Ritter, Friday Night Dinner
Reece Shearsmith, Inside No. 9
Scripted Comedy:
Ghosts
Inside No. 9
Man Like Mobeen
This Country
Single Documentary:
American Murder: The Family Next Door
Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me
Locked In: Breaking The Silence
Surviving COVID
Soap and Continuing Drama:
Casualty
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Hollyoaks
Supporting Actor:
Kunal Nayyar, Criminal UK
Malachi Kirby, Small Axe
Michael Sheen, Quiz
Michael Ward, Small Axe
Rupert Everett, Adult Material
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Supporting Actress:
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Leila Farzad, I Hate Suzie
Rakie Ayola, Anthony
Sienna Kelly, Adult Material
Sophie Okonedo, Criminal UK
Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You
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