At London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, the British television industry gathered to honor the stories that moved and unsettled it most — and in doing so, revealed something of what a society chooses to see in itself. A Belfast police drama claimed the night's highest drama prize, while tales of obsession, injustice, hidden identity, and blindness transformed into grace each found their moment in the light. The evening suggested that British television, at its best, remains drawn to the margins — to the overlooked, the wronged, and the quietly extraordinary.
Blue Lights wins Bafta for best drama as Baby Reindeer's Gunning takes supporting actress
Belfast, this one's for you.
Mark
Why does Blue Lights winning matter? It's a police drama from Northern Ireland—is that the story, or is there something else underneath?
Mimi
It matters because it's a show about a place that doesn't often get to tell its own stories at this scale. Belfast has a particular history, and Blue Lights is set in the present day, not the past. The creators made a point of thanking the city itself.
Luke
But we should be clear: we don't know how many people watched it, or how it performed against the other nominees. The Bafta is a prestigious award, but it's voted by industry members and the public in certain categories. That's different from saying it's the "best" in any objective sense.
Mark
Fair point. What about Jessica Gunning? She's won a lot of awards for this role—Emmy, SAG, Golden Globe, now Bafta. Is that unusual?
Mimi
It's a sign that the performance resonated across different voting bodies. She plays a stalker, which is a difficult role—it requires making someone threatening but also human enough that the audience understands her. She's done that work.
Luke
Though we should note: Baby Reindeer is a Netflix show, and Netflix has significant resources for awards campaigns. That doesn't diminish her performance, but it's part of why she's won so much. The infrastructure matters.
Mark
The Strictly moment with Chris McCausland—that felt like a genuine cultural moment, not just a dance.
Mimi
It was. A blind comedian winning a Bafta for dancing, through a routine that literally visualized his experience—that's the kind of thing that sticks with people. And it went viral, which means it reached people who don't normally watch Strictly.
Luke
The public voted for it, which is interesting. That's different from the industry votes. It suggests something resonated beyond the usual awards circuit.
Mark
What does the Mr Bates win tell us?
Mimi
That drama can still change things. The show brought attention back to a real scandal, real people who were wronged. The producer made a point of crediting the journalists and the people who fought for justice.
Luke
Though we should be careful: the drama won the award, but we don't know if it actually changed policy or just changed public sentiment. Those are different things. The source doesn't tell us what happens next for the subpostmasters.
The Pulse
- Blue Lights, a grounded portrait of policing in Belfast, beat out established rivals to claim the Bafta's top drama prize — a win that felt like a vindication of regional, unglamorous storytelling.
- Jessica Gunning's portrayal of an obsessive stalker in Baby Reindeer continued its awards sweep, adding a Bafta to her Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG award in a season that has made her one of television's most discussed performers.
- A Strictly Come Dancing routine representing a blind comedian's experience of the world won the public vote for most memorable moment, turning a ninety-second dance into a statement about visibility and resilience.
- Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, the drama that reignited public fury over the Horizon scandal, took the limited drama award — its producer framing the win as proof that audiences still reject those who lie and bully.
- Lennie James and Ariyon Bakare's wins for Mr Loverman, an LGBT+ drama rooted in Bernardine Evaristo's novel, carried emotional weight beyond the trophies, with Bakare dedicating his award to those who came before him afraid to be themselves.
- Veteran broadcaster Kirsty Wark received the Bafta Fellowship to a standing ovation, closing a ceremony that consistently rewarded stories told from the edges of mainstream experience.
At London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, the British television industry gathered to honor the stories that moved and unsettled it most — and in doing so, revealed something of what a society chooses to see in itself. A Belfast police drama claimed the night's highest drama prize, while tales of obsession, injustice, hidden identity, and blindness transformed into grace each found their moment in the light. The evening suggested that British television, at its best, remains drawn to the margins — to the overlooked, the wronged, and the quietly extraordinary.
The Bafta Television Awards ceremony, held Sunday at London's Royal Festival Hall and hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, delivered its top drama prize to Blue Lights — the Northern Ireland police procedural set among officers at a fictional Belfast station. Co-creator Declan Lawn accepted alongside his writing partners, closing with a dedication to the city that shaped the show: "Belfast, this one's for you."
Jessica Gunning had already set the tone earlier in the evening, winning best supporting actress for her role as Martha in Netflix's Baby Reindeer — a stalker whose fixation unravels the life of a struggling comedian played by the show's creator, Richard Gadd. The win added a Bafta to an already remarkable haul that includes an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild award. Gunning's acceptance speech moved between humor and genuine gratitude, crediting Gadd with changing the course of her career.
The public's vote for most memorable moment went to a Strictly Come Dancing routine featuring blind comedian Chris McCausland and professional dancer Dianne Buswell. The sequence — in which Buswell covered McCausland's eyes as the room went dark, then the lights returned to find him spinning her on his shoulders amid pyrotechnics — was described by Buswell as ninety seconds of hope, determination, and vulnerability. McCausland, unable to attend, had asked Buswell to pass along a single message: that he had won a Bafta for dancing.
In comedy, Ruth Jones won best female performance for Gavin and Stacey: The Finale, crediting co-creator James Corden as essential to her character's existence. Danny Dyer took the male equivalent for Sky's Mr BigStuff, while Marisa Abela — who first booked BBC's Industry during her debut year of drama school — won leading actress after six years with the series. Lennie James won leading actor for Mr Loverman, the BBC's LGBT+ drama based on Bernardine Evaristo's novel, expressing genuine surprise at the result. His co-star Ariyon Bakare won best supporting actor for the same production, dedicating the award to those who came before him and were afraid to live openly.
The limited drama prize went to ITV's Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, the production credited with reinvigorating public pressure around the Horizon scandal. Producer Patrick Spence thanked the journalists who had kept the story alive and said the drama's reception proved that audiences cannot abide liars and bullies.
The ceremony closed with the Bafta Fellowship awarded to former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, who received a standing ovation and reflected on what she called the most joyous shift in television: the growing presence of women in senior roles across the industry.
The Northern Ireland police procedural Blue Lights claimed the top prize at the Bafta Television Awards on Sunday evening, taking home the award for best drama series at a ceremony held at London's Royal Festival Hall. The show, which follows officers at the fictional Blackthorn police station in Belfast, stars Siân Brooke, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff, and Richard Dormer in a gritty portrayal of contemporary policing. Co-creator Declan Lawn accepted the award alongside his writing partners Adam Patterson, offering thanks to the cast and crew both present and back in Belfast. "Belfast, this one's for you," Lawn said, acknowledging the city that inspired the drama.
Jessica Gunning emerged as an early victor in the evening's proceedings, winning best supporting actress for her portrayal of Martha, a stalker who becomes obsessed with the protagonist in Netflix's Baby Reindeer. The series, inspired by creator Richard Gadd's own experiences, follows his character Donny as his life unravels after he serves the woman a complimentary cup of tea at the pub where he works. Gunning's performance has already accumulated significant recognition this awards season, including an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a Golden Globe. On stage, she reflected on her improbable journey, joking about pretending to be a dog in her childhood garden before thanking Gadd for changing her life.
The evening saw Strictly Come Dancing secure the memorable moment award, a prize voted on by the British public, when professional dancer Dianne Buswell and her celebrity partner Chris McCausland won for a dance routine that went viral on social media. The performance, which McCausland could not attend to see honored in person, featured a "blackout" sequence where Buswell placed her hands over his eyes as the room darkened, representing his lived experience of blindness. When the lights returned, McCausland was spinning with Buswell on his shoulders as pyrotechnics erupted behind them. Buswell described the routine as telling "a story of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability" in just ninety seconds. McCausland, a blind comedian with twenty-two years in the profession, had wanted Buswell to relay a message: that he had won a Bafta for dancing.
In comedy performance categories, Welsh comedian Ruth Jones claimed best female performance in a comedy for her role in BBC's Gavin and Stacey: The Finale, the show's concluding installment. Jones credited her co-star James Corden, saying that without him, her character Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins would not exist. Former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer won the male equivalent for his role in Sky's Mr BigStuff. The leading actress award went to Marisa Abela, a twenty-eight-year-old who booked the BBC series Industry about young finance graduates during her first year of drama school. She has been filming the show for approximately six years and credited the production company Bad Wolf and HBO for allowing the series to continue beyond its first season.
Lennie James won leading actor for his performance in the BBC's LGBT+ drama Mr Loverman, based on Bernardine Evaristo's novel about a man contemplating leaving his wife for his male lover. James expressed surprise at the win, saying he had not prepared remarks because he did not expect to receive the award. Ariyon Bakare collected the best supporting actor prize for the same series, reflecting on how the award "stands on the shoulders of those who came before me, those who might have been afraid to come out, to be who they want to be."
The limited drama award went to ITV's Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, a production that has renewed public attention on subpostmasters who fought to clear their names following the Horizon scandal. Producer Patrick Spence accepted the award and credited both ITV and the journalists who had covered the scandal, noting that figures like Alan Bates "demanded action with such rage." He said the drama's success demonstrated that the public "cannot abide liars and bullies." EastEnders won the soap award, while entertainment programme honors went to BBC's Would I Lie To You?, hosted by Rob Brydon, and factual entertainment went to Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour, featuring Rylan Clark and Robert Rinder exploring Italy. Comedian Joe Lycett won entertainment performance for his Channel 4 show Late Night Lycett, though he could not attend the ceremony.
Former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark received the Bafta Fellowship, the organization's highest honor, and received a standing ovation as she collected the award. Wark reflected on her career and highlighted what she called the "most joyous change in television"—the increasing number of women in senior roles. The ceremony was hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, who opened the evening with sketches referencing his role on The Traitors US and made jokes about his acting career and the conventions of acceptance speeches.
Notable Quotes
In one minute and 30 seconds of a dance, I feel like this told such a story. A story of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability.— Dianne Buswell, on the Strictly routine with Chris McCausland
The public cannot abide liars and bullies.— Patrick Spence, producer of Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, on why the drama resonated
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