The critically acclaimed Netflix drama, which sparked widespread public debate following its release in March 2025, won Best Limited Series and swept major acting categories for its cast members Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, and Christine Tremarco.
The series, praised for its raw portrayal of youth violence and social pressures, became one of the most talked-about television productions of the past year and now holds the record for the most wins at a single Bafta TV Awards ceremony.
One of the evening’s standout moments came when 16-year-old Owen Cooper became the youngest-ever winner of the Best Supporting Actor award. Cooper, who played a teenage boy accused of murdering a female classmate, has already collected an impressive list of honours for the role, including Emmy, Golden Globe, National Television, Royal Television Society, and Actor Awards.
During his acceptance speech, the young actor referenced The Beatles and encouraged dreamers to remain ambitious.
“In the words of John Lennon, you won't get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it,” Cooper said.
“So in my eyes I think you only need three things to succeed: one, you need an obsession; two, you need a dream; and, three, you need the Beatles.”
Stephen Graham, who portrayed Cooper’s on-screen father, finally secured his first Bafta victory after seven previous nominations. The veteran actor used his speech to reflect on storytelling and the impact of television drama.
“We're not digging holes, we're not digging ditches, we're not saving lives, but we have the opportunity to tell the human condition, and we have the obligation to tell beautiful stories and we need to keep that going,” Graham told the audience.
He ended his remarks with another nod to The Beatles, adding:
“The kid's already said it, but in the words of the Beatles, all we need is love.”
Christine Tremarco also received praise for her emotional performance as the boy’s mother, winning Best Supporting Actress and completing Adolescence’s dominant night.
Elsewhere, Narges Rashidi earned the Best Leading Actress award for portraying Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Prisoner 951, a drama based on the real-life imprisonment of Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran.
In an emotional tribute, Rashidi dedicated the award to Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family.
“Your resilience, your dignity, your love through impossible circumstances have moved us all,” she said.
“Your courage will stay with me for the rest of my life. This is for you.”
ITV drama Code of Silence won Best Drama Series, with star Rose Ayling-Ellis receiving widespread praise for her portrayal of a deaf woman assisting police investigations through lip-reading.
Reality television also enjoyed a successful evening. The Celebrity Traitors, which reportedly attracted more than 15 million viewers and became one of the year’s most-watched programmes, won Best Reality Programme.
Host Claudia Winkleman dedicated the award to the cast.
“Extraordinary cast who played with dignity, gusto and their entire hearts and we love them,” she said.
Comedian Alan Carr also picked up the public-voted award for Most Memorable TV Moment for his appearance on the show.
In typical fashion, Carr mixed humour with disbelief during his speech.
“Was I good? Was I really - or were the other celebrities just thick?!” he joked.
Prime Video comedy hit Last One Laughing was named Best Entertainment Programme, overcoming strong competition from popular BBC productions including The Graham Norton Show and Would I Lie To You?.
Veteran comedian Bob Mortimer won Best Entertainment Performance for his standout role in the series.
Meanwhile, Steve Coogan claimed Best Male Performance in a Comedy for How Are You? It's Alan Partridge.
Reflecting on comedy’s importance during difficult times, Coogan said:
“Doing comedy in these troubled times is so important. It's a privilege to make people laugh after all these years.”
He also joked about continuing his famous Alan Partridge character indefinitely.
“If anyone wants to know when Alan Partridge is going to die, it's about the same time that I am going to die.”
Another notable winner was Amandaland, which secured the Best Scripted Comedy prize. Creator Holly Walsh dedicated the award to people rebuilding their lives.
“This is for everyone who is going through a process of reinvention, whatever that is, because it takes a lot to start again,” she said.
One of the evening’s most politically charged moments came when documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the Current Affairs category after previously being dropped by the BBC over impartiality concerns before eventually airing on Channel 4.
Reporter and producer Ramita Navai used her speech to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“These are the findings of our organisation that the BBC failed to show but we refused to be silenced and censored and we thank Channel 4,” she said.
The documentary’s producer Ben de Pear also questioned the BBC publicly during the ceremony, asking whether the broadcaster would now remove the documentary from its own Bafta screening schedule.
Another emotional highlight came when beloved television cook Mary Berry received the prestigious Bafta Fellowship at the age of 91.
Clearly moved, Berry reflected on her decades-long career and remembered her late son William, who died in 1989.
“I'm really bowled over by this accolade. I'm a cook, I'm a teacher, so I feel very honoured to be given Bafta's highest award,” she said.
“William is in heaven, but I thank him.”
Financial journalist Martin Lewis was honoured with the Special Award and delivered one of the night’s most heartfelt speeches as he reflected on childhood grief following the death of his mother.
“For six years, barring school, I barely left the house. Now I'm picking up a Bafta,” Lewis told the audience.
“Life can be transformed, it can get better.”
The ceremony ultimately showcased television’s ability to entertain, challenge, comfort, and provoke debate — from hard-hitting dramas and documentaries to comedy and reality television — while reminding audiences of the emotional power behind the stories being told on screen.
See the complete list of BAFTA TV Awards winners below.
Drama Series
- A Thousand Blows
- Blue Lights
- [winner] Code of Silence
- This City Is Ours
- Aimee Lou Wood, Film Club
- Erin Doherty, A Thousand Blows
- Jodie Whittaker, Toxic Town
- [winner] Narges Rashidi, Prisoner 951
- Sheridan Smith, I Fought the Law
- Sian Brooke, Blue Lights
- Colin Firth, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
- Ellis Howard, What It Feels Like for a Girl
- James Nelson-Joyce, This City Is Ours
- Matt Smith, The Death of Bunny Munro
- [winner] Stephen Graham, Adolescence
- Taron Egerton, Smoke
- Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus
- [winner] Christine Tremarco, Adolescence
- Chyna McQueen, Get Millie Black
- Emilia Jones, Task
- Erin Doherty, Adolescence
- Rose Ayling-Ellis, Reunion
- Ashley Walters, Adolescence
- Fehinti Balogun, Down Cemetery Road
- Joshua McGuire, The Gold
- [winner] Owen Cooper, Adolescence
- Paddy Considine, MobLand
- Rafael Mathe, The Death of Bunny Munro
- [winner] Amandaland
- Big Boys
- How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- Things You Should Have Done
- Diane Morgan, Mandy
- Jennifer Saunders, Amandaland
- [winner] Katherine Parkinson, Here We Go
- Lucy Punch, Amandaland
- Philippa Dunne, Amandaland
- Rosie Jones, Pushers
- Jim Howick, Here We Go
- Jon Pointing, Big Boys
- Lenny Rush, Am I Being Unreasonable?
- Mawaan Rizwan, Juice
- Oliver Savell, Changing Ends
- [winner] Steve Coogan, How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- [winner] Adolescence
- I Fought the Law
- Trespasses
- What It Feels Like For a Girl
- The Graham Norton Show
- [winner] Last One Laughing
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
- Would I Lie To You?
- Amanda Holden, Alan Carr, Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job
- [winner] Bob Mortimer, Last One Laughing
- Claudia Winkleman, The Celebrity Traitors
- Lee Mack, The 1% Club
- Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob & Romesh Vs…
- Romesh Ranganathan, Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle
- [winner] The Celebrity Traitors
- The Jury: Murder Trial
- Squid Game: The Challenge
- Virgin Island
- The Chase
- Lorraine
- Richard Osman’s House of Games
- [winner] Scam Interceptors
- Casualty
- Coronation Street
- [winner] EastEnders
- A Real Bug’s Life
- Boosnoo!
- Deadly 60 Saving Sharks
- [winner] Word.War.Me (Sky Kids Investigates)
- [winner] Crongton
- Horrible Science
- Shaun the Sheep
- The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
- Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War (Exposure)
- The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money
- [winner] Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
- Undercover in the Police
- The Assembly
- [winner] Go Back to Where You Came From
- Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars
- Race Across the World
- Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park
- Educating Yorkshire
- [winner] See No Evil
- The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed
- The Bear
- The Diplomat
- Pluribus
- Severance
- [winner] The Studio
- The White Lotus
- Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, BBC One
- Last Night of the Proms: Finale, BBC One
- [winner] VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, BBC One
- BBC Newsnight: Grooming Survivors Speak, BBC Two
- [winner] Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War, Channel 4
- Sky News: Gaza: Fight for Survival, Sky News
- "Donkey"
- [winner] "Hustle and Run"
- "Rocket Fuel"
- "Zoners"
- [winner] Grenfell: Uncovered
- Louis Theroux: The Settlers
- One Day in Southport
- Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire
- Belsen: What They Found
- [winner] Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz
- Surviving Black Hawk Down
- Vietnam: The War That Changed America
- The 2025 Ryder Cup, Sky Sports
- The FA Cup Final, BBC Sport
- [winner] UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, BBC One
- Wimbledon, BBC Sport
- Adolescence, Jamie snaps at the psychologist
- Big Boys, “I didn’t make it, did I?”
- Blue Lights, Police warned of an ambush
- [winner] The Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr wins
- Last One Laughing, Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade’s speed date
- What It Feels Like For a Girl, Byron leaves for Brighton