Television nominations for this year’s BPG Awards revealed

Hugh Grant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keeley Hawes and Ruth Wilson lead the nominations at this year’s Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, sponsored by Virgin Media. All are nominated for TV performances based on real people, in dramas which have themselves been shortlisted for this year’s awards.

The BPG Awards – which are for work commissioned or produced in the UK and screened in 2018 – are chosen independently by TV and radio correspondents, critics and previewers and acknowledge the on-screen and off-screen talent that showcase the best of TV. The 45th annual BPG Awards will be held at Banking Hall in the City on Friday March 15th 2019.

Hugh Grant, nominated for his role as the Liberal party leader Jeremy Thorpe in A Very English Scandal (BBC One and Amazon), has been nominated for the BPG’s Best Actor award along with co-star Ben Whishaw who played Norman Scott. Both will go head to head with Benedict Cumberbatch who is nominated for his role as Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic and Showtime), which is based on the semi-autobiographical novels of Edward St Aubin.

Ruth Wilson and Keeley Hawes have been nominated as Best Actress for their performances in Mrs Wilson, a drama based on the story of Ruth Wilson’s grandmother. They will compete with Killing Eve’s (BBC Three and BBC America) Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Hawes is also nominated for her role as a fictional Home Secretary, Julia Montague, in action-packed series Bodyguard (BBC One).

A Very English Scandal and Mrs Wilson will contest the award for Best Single Drama/Mini series against BBC One’s The ABC Murders, based on the Agatha Christie novel. Bodyguard, Killing Eve and Patrick Melrose are nominated as Best Drama Series alongside ITV’s Vanity Fair, from the book by William Thackeray. The writers of A Very English Scandal (Russell T Davies), Killing Eve (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Patrick Melrose (David Nicholls) have also been nominated for Best Writer, alongside Lisa McGee, the writer of the Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls.

Two BBC One documentaries – Drowning In Plastic and Grenfell – have been nominated as Best Single Documentary, alongside Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage (Channel 4). Michael Palin in North Korea (Channel 5) is nominated for Best Documentary Series, with Inside The Foreign Office (BBC Two), Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation (BBC One) and Why Does Everyone Hate The English? (History).

Car Share (BBC One), Derry Girls (Channel 4), Inside No 9 – Live Halloween Special (BBC Two) and Women On The Verge (W) have been shortlisted as Best Comedy.

In the Best Entertainment category, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One) will be competing with Taskmaster (Dave), Cruising With Jane McDonald (Channel 5) and Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two).

The BPG is again recognising the importance of programmes commissioned not for a broadcast channel but for streaming or showing online first. The Best Online First/Streaming award will be contested by Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix), Killing Eve, This Country and People Just Do Nothing (all BBC Three).

The Best of Multichannel Award will go to one of the non-PSB programmes shortlisted in drama, documentaries, comedy and entertainment. The nominations are Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic + Showtime); Taskmaster, Series 7 (Dave); Why Does Everyone Hate the English? (History) and Women on the Verge (W).

The nominations for the annual BPG award for innovation in broadcasting are Cameroon: Anatomy of a Killing (BBC Africa Eye) – for using technology to expose ‘fake news’ claims; Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix) – for a ground-breaking form of storytelling; and The Circle (Channel 4) – for taking the next step in factual entertainment.

The Awards lunch will be attended by the winners, BPG members and leading broadcasting executives and sponsored for the third year by Virgin Media.

David Bouchier, Virgin Media Chief Digital Entertainment Officer, said: “Virgin Media is delighted to be sponsoring the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2019 for the third consecutive year. It’s great to be a part of this prestigious event that celebrates the TV people love.”

The full list of nominations is:

BPG Awards 2019 TV Nominations

• Best Single Drama/Mini Series
  • A Very English Scandal (BBC One + Amazon)
  • Mrs Wilson (BBC One)
  • The ABC Murders (BBC One + Amazon)
• Best Drama Series
  • Bodyguard (BBC One)
  • Killing Eve (BBC Three + BBC America)
  • Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic + Showtime)
  • Vanity Fair (ITV)
• Best Single Documentary
  • Drowning In Plastic (BBC One)
  • Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage (Channel 4)
  • Grenfell (BBC One)
• Best Documentary Series
  • Inside the Foreign Office (BBC Two)
  • Michael Palin In North Korea (Channel 5)
  • Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation (BBC One)
  • Why Does Everyone Hate the English? (History)
• Best Online First / Streaming
  • Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix)
  • Killing Eve (BBC Three)
  • People Just Do Nothing (BBC Three)
  • This Country (BBC Three)
• Best Comedy
  • Car Share (BBC One)
  • Derry Girls (Channel 4)
  • Inside No 9 – Live Halloween Special (BBC Two)
  • Women on the Verge (W)
• Best Entertainment
  • Cruising With Jane McDonald (Channel 5)
  • Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC One)
  • Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two)
  • Strictly Come Dancing, Series 15 (BBC One)
  • Taskmaster, Series 7 (Dave)
• Best Actor
  • Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal
  • Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
  • Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal
• Best Actress
  • Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
  • Keeley Hawes, Bodyguard + Mrs Wilson
  • Ruth Wilson, Mrs Wilson
  • Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
• Best of Multichannel
  • Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic + Showtime)
  • Taskmaster, Series 7 (Dave)
  • Why Does Everyone Hate the English? (History)
  • Women on the Verge (W)
• Best Writer
  • David Nicholls, Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic + Showtime)
  • Lisa McGee, Derry Girls (Channel 4)
  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve (BBC Three + BBC America)
  • Russell T Davies, A Very English Scandal (BBC One + Amazon)
• Innovation in Broadcasting Award
• Cameroon: Anatomy of a Killing, BBC Africa Eye – for exposing ‘fake news’ claims
• Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Netflix – for a ground-breaking form of storytelling
• The Circle, Channel 4 – for taking the next step in factual entertainment