Netflix drama Adolescence and BBC hit The Celebrity Traitors led the 2026 BAFTA Television Craft Awards, each taking two prizes at Sunday’s ceremony in London, where behind-the-camera talent received the industry’s early verdict on one of British television’s strongest recent awards fields. Adolescence won Director: Fiction for Philip Barantini and Sound: Fiction for James Drake, Jules Woods, Rob Entwistle, Kiff McManus, Kyle Pickford and Adam Méndez.
The Celebrity Traitors matched that total with wins for Entertainment Craft Team and Sound: Factual, a strong result for a format that turned celebrity strategy, production design and audio tension into event television. The result gives the series added momentum before the main television awards on May 10, where it competes in Reality and Entertainment Performance through Claudia Winkleman.
The night spread recognition across drama, comedy, factual and genre television. Will Smith won Writer: Drama for Slow Horses, while Jack Rooke won Writer: Comedy for Big Boys. Janice Okoh received Emerging Talent: Fiction for Just Act Normal, and Olaide Sadiq took Emerging Talent: Factual for Grenfell: Uncovered. Andor won Special, Visual & Graphic Effects, giving the Disney+ series a craft prize in a category built for scale and precision.
The ceremony, hosted by Maisie Adam at The Brewery, also honored Simone Pennant MBE with the BAFTA Television Craft Special Award. Pennant, founder and CEO of The TV Collective, was recognized for work supporting global majority creatives and widening access to senior roles across the screen industries. BAFTA said her Breakthrough Leaders programme has supported over 250 senior creatives.
The awards arrived after nominations that placed Adolescence at the front of the field, with A Thousand Blows, Andor, Trespasses and The Celebrity Traitors also heavily represented. In her opening remarks, BAFTA chair Sara Putt pointed to 124 nominated programmes while acknowledging tighter budgets, changing commissioning habits and continued pressure on freelancers, a reminder that the craft sector remains creatively strong while its working conditions stay strained.
