The stars were out in force during last night’s BAFTA Television Awards as the biggest names of the small-screen came together to celebrate the best of British telly in 2024.

After making a huge impact on audiences and bringing real-world change early last year, ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office took centre stage by winning the Best Limited Drama accolade.

The four-part miniseries, which explored the British Post Office scandal and the intense fight for justice, saw off immense pressure from the multi-award-winning Netflix drama Baby Reindeer to clinch the prize.

Upon accepting the award, producer Patrick Spence said the response to the programme proved that the public “cannot abide liars and bullies”.

He added that “maybe it is a warning to those who are supposed to have our backs, that they’d better not abuse that power”, and said: “Our show didn’t change the law, the people of this nation did that.”

In the acting categories, Lennie James picked up the Leading Actor prize for his terrific performance as Barrington Jedidiah ‘Barry’ Walker, a homosexual Black British patriarch in the BBC One drama Mr Loverman. By doing so, he becomes just the second non-white actor to win the category in the history of the BAFTA Television Awards.

In a stirring speech, the Nottingham-born performer described his victory as “a fantastic honour” after overcoming fierce competition from the likes of Richard Gadd, Gary Oldman and David Tennant.

Earlier in the evening, James’s co-star Ariyon Bakhare took home Best Supporting Actor for his subtle turn as Barry’s lifelong lover Morris De La Roux while Jessica Gunning added yet another accolade to her awards cabinet after securing Best Supporting Actress for her career-defining performance as obsessive stalker Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer.

“Gosh thank you BAFTA, wow,” she said. “I sometimes do this kind of cheesy thing where I look back on the younger me and moments in my life, and I imagine the kind of then me, seeing me now, and think, ‘little did we know’.”

Gunning’s victory marks the end of a remarkable sweep of award wins across the past year, with previous successes coming at the Emmys, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

A more unexpected outcome came in the Leading Actress category, as Marisa Abela held off stern competition from Anna Maxwell Martin and Billie Piper to win the gong for her acclaimed turn as ambitious banking graduate Yasmin Kara-Hanani in the BBC One drama Industry.

The Brighton-born starlet described her victory as “insane” and paid tribute to a number of people, including her agent and her mother. She is due to reprise her role as Yasmin in the upcoming fourth series of Industry, which has just started filming.

Elsewhere, the BBC One cop drama Blue Lights scored a memorable win for Best Drama Series ahead of the likes of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, while the multi-award-winning Disney+ series Shōgun eased its way to victory in the Best International category.

In the comedy fields, the second series of BBC Two’s Alma’s Not Normal clinched the Best Scripted Comedy prize, which brought a giddy reaction from creator and star Sophie Willan.

A popular win on the night saw Ruth Jones take home the Female Comedy Performance gong for her swansong turn as Nessa Jenkins in the Christmas finale of the beloved BBC One sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

The Welsh performer accepted her award in character and concluded by paying tribute to her co-star and co-creator James Corden, saying that “without whom, Nessa Shanessa Jenkins would not exist”.

In contrast, the Male Comedy Performance award was presented to Danny Dyer for his brash role as alpha male and drug addict Lee in the Sky comedy Mr. Bigstuff.

Accepting his prize, Dyer said “the acting was so bad it was funny”, before he swore several times despite being warned about the rules. He also thanked his family, and writer and actor Ryan Sampson, who he called the “best thing to come out of Rotherham”.

On the subject of Londoners, BBC One’s EastEnders followed up its recent forty-year anniversary by clinching the Best Soap award ahead of Casualty and Coronation Street, while Birmingham comedian Joe Lycett scored back-to-back wins in the Best Entertainment Performance category for his work on the Channel 4 comedy variety series Late Night Lycett.

The other major winners on the night included Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure (Daytime Programme), Would I Lie to You? (Entertainment Programme), CBeebies As You Like It at Shakespeare’s Globe (Children’s Programme – Scripted), To Catch a Copper (Factual Series), Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods (Single Documentary), Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour (Factual Entertainment), The Jury: Murder Trial (Reality), Atomic People (Specialist Factual), and Glastonbury 2024 (Live Event Coverage).

In a close battle, blind comedian Chris McCausland’s waltz to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on Strictly Come Dancing won the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award ahead of memorable sequences from the likes of Gavin & Stacey, Rivals and The Traitors.

Finally, the BAFTA Fellowship was presented to experienced presenter Kirsty Wark, who left BBC Two’s Newsnight last summer after 30 years, and said it was a “privilege and an honour” to be recognised.

The full list of BAFTA winners are…

BEST DRAMA SERIES
BLUE LIGHTS

BEST LIMITED DRAMA
MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Marisa Abela, INDUSTRY

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Lennie James, MR LOVERMAN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Gunning, BABY REINDEER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ariyon Bakhare, MR LOVERMAN

BEST SCRIPTED COMEDY
ALMA’S NOT NORMAL

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Ruth Jones, GAVIN & STACEY: THE FINALE

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
Danny Dyer, MR. BIGSTUFF

BEST SOAP
EASTENDERS

BEST INTERNATIONAL
SHŌGUN

BEST DAYTIME PROGRAMME
CLIVE MYRIE’S CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
WOULD I LIE TO YOU?

BEST ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
Joe Lycett, LATE NIGHT LYCETT

BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME (SCRIPTED)
CBEEBIES AS YOU LIKE IT AT SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE

BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME (NON-SCRIPTED)
DISABILITY AND ME (FYI INVESTIGATES)

BEST FACTUAL SERIES
TO CATCH A COPPER

BEST SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
UKRAINE: ENEMY IN THE WOODS

BEST FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT
ROB AND RYLAN’S GRAND TOUR

BEST REALITY
THE JURY: MURDER TRIAL

BEST SPECIALIST FACTUAL
ATOMIC PEOPLE

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS
STATE OF RAGE

BEST NEWS COVERAGE
BBC BREAKFAST: POST OFFICE SPECIAL

BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS (BBC ONE)

BEST LIVE EVENT COVERAGE
GLASTONBURY 2024

BEST SHORT FORM PROGRAMME
QUIET LIFE

P&O CRUISES MEMORABLE MOMENT
STRICTLY COME DANCING (Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell waltz to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’)