It was an exceptional evening for the British stars of television, as the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards took place in Hollywood.

On the dramatic side of things, Netflix’s The Crown made history by becoming the first drama series to win all seven major awards in the drama categories.

The fourth series of the historical drama saw off competition from the likes of Bridgerton, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Mandalorian to become the first Netflix programme to clinch the Outstanding Drama Series.

Additionally, The Crown bagged a quartet of acting wins for stars Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor, Gillian Anderson and Tobias Menzies while series creator Peter Morgan and director Jessica Hobbs were triumphant in the writing and directing categories.

Despite fierce competition from co-star and recent Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin, Olivia Colman scored a key victory in Lead Actress for her swansong portrayal of royal monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

Upon receiving her award from a separate hub in London, Colman said:

“What a lovely end to the most extraordinary journey with this lovely family.

I loved every second of it, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Meanwhile, co-star Josh O’Connor saw off former category winners Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) and Billy Porter (Pose) to receive the Lead Actor prize for his performance as Prince Charles while Gillian Anderson overcame co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Emerald Fennell to win Supporting Actress for her portrayal of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

The more surprising acting success for The Crown came in the Supporting Actor field, as the absent Tobias Menzies picked up the accolade for his performance as Prince Phillip. His victory came at the expense of the late Michael K. Williams, who was previously tipped to win the award for his role in Lovecraft Country.

Despite garnering an impressive 21 nominations from across the Primetime and Creative awards, the fourth series of the dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale had the misfortune of failing to win a single award, thus enduring the largest shutout in Emmys history.

On the humour front, Apple TV’s Ted Lasso scored four major wins including the Outstanding Comedy Series prize ahead of the likes of Cobra-Kai, The Flight Attendant and Hacks.

The football-based comedy also landed a hat-trick of accolades for its cast members, with Jason Sudeikis easing his way to the Lead Actor prize for his raved turn as folksy coach Ted Lasso.

Meanwhile, British stars Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein were triumphant in the supporting categories for their respective roles as poised club owner Rebecca Welton and cantankerous team captain Roy Kent.

Waddingham paid tribute to fellow nominee and ‘bestie’ Juno Temple while calling for more stage stars to be given TV roles during her acceptance speech. In contrast, Goldstein dropped an F-bomb during his second-chance address, having won his award over three of his co-stars.

Elsewhere, HBO’s Hacks celebrated its own trio of gongs, including a Lead Actress success for Jean Smart and her performance as veteran comedian Deborah Vance. Additionally, the dark comedy also secured double wins for Lucia Aniello for her contributions to its writing and directing.

In the limited series categories, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit picked up two major wins to add to the nine it scooped at the Creative Emmys, including the coveted Outstanding Limited Series honour.

Co-creator Scott Frank was also in a celebratory mood after he took home the directing accolade for his work on the chess-based miniseries.

However, central star Anya Taylor-Joy missed out on the Lead Actress accolade, as British favourite Kate Winslet clinched the gong for her lauded performance as Detective Mare Sheehan in HBO’s Mare of Easttown.

On her win, Winslet said:

“Mare of Easttown was this cultural moment, and it brought people together and gave people something to talk about other than a pandemic, and I want to thank everybody for watching our show.”

Additionally, fellow cast members Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson nabbed wins in the supporting acting categories for their respective roles as Det. Colin Zabel and Lori Ross.

Elsewhere, Scottish star Ewan McGregor saw off competition from Hamilton pair Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. to pick up Lead Actor for his portrayal of fashion designer Halston in the Netflix miniseries Halston.

There was also a key success for another Brit, as Michaela Coel became the first black woman to win a writing prize in Limited Series for her work on the multi-BAFTA-winning consent drama I May Destroy You.

During her speech, she dedicated her win to every single survivor of sexual assault, while telling other aspiring writers to stay away from social media.

Another individual achievement was made by seasoned drag queen RuPaul, as he became the most-awarded black individual in Emmys history with his win as a producer of RuPaul’s Drag Race for Outstanding Competition Program.

Despite Coel and RuPaul’s successes, there was online criticism made about the award’s failure to reward more non-white stars, with the majority of winners being white.

Away from the controversy, there was disappointment for other programmes as the likes of Pose, The Flight Attendant, and Wandavision all went home empty-handed while the live stage recording of the hit 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton managed just one notable win for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).

The full list of major Emmy winners are…

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Olivia Colman, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Josh O’Connor, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gillian Anderson, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Tobias Menzies, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Jessica Hobbs, THE CROWN

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
THE CROWN (Peter Morgan)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
TED LASSO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jean Smart, HACKS

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Sudeikis, TED LASSO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hannah Waddingham, TED LASSO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Brett Goldstein, TED LASSO

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Lucia Aniello, HACKS

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
HACKS (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky)

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Kate Winslet, MARE OF EASTTOWN

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Ewan McGregor, HALSTON

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Julianne Nicholson, MARE OF EASTTOWN

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Evan Peters, MARE OF EASTTOWN

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, TV MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Scott Frank, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, TV MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
I MAY DESTROY YOU (Michaela Coel)

OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES
LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER

OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

The full list of this year’s Emmy winners can be found in the following link: https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2021