It was a night to remember for crime-related programmes as the best of the small-screen came together for the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards.

On the drama front, the final series of both Happy Valley, and Top Boy bagged two wins apiece. Netflix’s drugs-based production Top Boy clinched a surprise victory in the prestigious Best Drama Series category while star Jasmine Jobson made it third time lucky by taking home Best Supporting Actress for her performance as drug dealer Jaq.

However, the much-loved BBC programme Happy Valley claimed two notable awards including a third BAFTA success for Sarah Lancashire in her swansong turn as seasoned Yorkshire police officer Catherine Cawood. Additionally, the crime drama also won the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award for Catherine’s final showdown with her nemesis Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).

Elsewhere, the fact-based crime series The Sixth Commandment scored a key victory in Best Limited Drama while veteran star Timothy Spall finally landed his first BAFTA win for his lead role as tragic teacher Peter Farquhar. His competition in that versatile category included Steve Coogan (The Reckoning) and Dominic West’s (The Crown) portrayals of real-life figures Jimmy Savile and King Charles III.

Meanwhile, an absent Matthew Macfadyen won his third BAFTA for his farewell turn as ambitious CEO Tom Wambsgans in the final series of the hit HBO drama Succession. However, the biggest upset of the night came in Best International where Succession, The Bear and The Last of Us all lost out to the French miniseries Class Act.

In the comedy categories, the female-led sitcom Such Brave Girls scored a surprise victory in Best Scripted Comedy ahead of Big Boys while Gbemisola Ikumelo and Mawaan Rizwan nabbed the comedy acting prizes for their respective roles in BBC programmes Black Ops and Juice.

Elsewhere, Casualty overcame EastEnders and Emmerdale to win Best Soap for the third time in four years while Joe Lycett held off strong competition from Ant & Dec, Graham Norton and Hannah Waddingham to take home Best Entertainment Performance.

Other notable victors included Strictly Come Dancing (Best Entertainment Programme), Lockerbie (Best Factual Series), Ellie Simmons: Finding My Secret Family (Best Single Documentary), Squid Game: The Challenge (Best Reality) and Eurovision Song Contest 2023 (Best Live Event Coverage).

In a humorous turn of events, BAFTA hosts Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan were also in a jubilant mood as their Sky series Rob & Romesh vs. triumphed in the Best Comedy Entertainment Programme category.

The night also saw Baroness Floella Benjamin become the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Fellowship while seasoned television presenter Lorraine Kelly was honoured with a special award for her outstanding contribution to television over the past forty years.

The full list of BAFTA (TV) winners are:

BEST DRAMA SERIES
TOP BOY

BEST LIMITED DRAMA
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Sarah Lancashire, HAPPY VALLEY

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Timothy Spall, THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jasmine Jobson, TOP BOY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matthew Macfadyen, SUCCESSION

BEST SCRIPTED COMEDY
SUCH BRAVE GIRLS

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Gbemisola Ikumelo, BLACK OPS

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Mawaan Rizwan, JUICE

BEST SOAP
CASUALTY

BEST INTERNATIONAL
CLASS ACT

BEST DAYTIME PROGRAMME
SCAM INTERCEPTORS

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
STRICTLY COME DANCING

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
Joe Lycett, LATE NIGHT LYCETT

BEST COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
ROB & ROMESH VS

BEST FACTUAL SERIES
LOCKERBIE

BEST SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
ELLIE SIMMONDS: FINDING MY SECRET FAMILY

BEST FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT
CELEBRITY RACE ACROSS THE WORLD

BEST REALITY
SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE

BEST SPECIALIST FACTUAL
WHITE NANNY, BLACK CHILD

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS
THE SHAMIMA BEGUM STORY (THIS WORLD)

BEST NEWS COVERAGE
CHANNEL 4 NEWS: INSIDE GAZA: ISRAEL AND HAMAS AT WAR

BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY ONE

BEST LIVE EVENT COVERAGE
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2023

BEST SHORT FORM PROGRAMME
MOBILITY

P&O CRUISES MEMORABLE MOMENT
HAPPY VALLEY (Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce’s final kitchen showdown)