The National Television Awards has produced an all-female NTA drama performance shortlist for the first time, with five nominees selected by public vote from an initial longlist that also featured David Tennant, Gary Oldman, Idris Elba, James Norton and Tom Hiddleston.
The five nominees are Sheridan Smith, who played campaigner Ann Ming in the ITV true crime drama I Fought The Law; Ruth Jones for her role in Netflix thriller Run Away; Vicky McClure as Lana Washington in Trigger Point; Ella Bruccoleri for The Other Bennet Sister; and Judy Parfitt for her portrayal of Sister Monica Joan in Call The Midwife. Smith is a previous winner of the category.
Second-stage voting now open across all 15 categories
The drama performance nominees were whittled down through a first public vote. A second stage of voting is now open to determine winners across all 15 NTA categories. Voting closes at midday on 8 September, the day of the ceremony itself.
The event will be hosted again by Joel Dommett and will take place at London’s O2 Arena. It will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 20:00 BST. The NTAs, which recognise the best in British television over the preceding twelve months, first launched in 1995.
Stacey Solomon earns three nominations as presenter battle looms
Stacey Solomon has secured a hat-trick of nominations this year, including a place in the best TV presenter category. That award was won last year by Gary Lineker, then the outgoing Match of the Day presenter, breaking Ant and Dec’s 23-year winning run in the category.
Solomon will compete against the Geordie duo again this year, alongside Sir David Attenborough in his 100th birthday year, Claudia Winkleman and Alison Hammond.
Solomon also features in the inaugural celebrity-led reality docuseries award, where she and partner Joe Swash face competition from Tyson Fury, Jeremy Clarkson, Kelvin Fletcher, and Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse.
The NTA drama performance shortlist sits alongside a broad slate of nominations. In the returning drama category, Trigger Point and Call The Midwife appear again, joined by Blue Lights, Bridgerton and Stranger Things. Canadian breakout romance Heated Rivalry is nominated for best new drama, while Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s final series of Strictly Come Dancing is up for best talent show.
Mrs Brown’s Boys has a comedy nomination despite the show officially cancelling its festive specials this week, following creator and star Brendan O’Carroll suffering a broken jaw. The show competes in the category alongside Amandaland, Changing Ends, Last One Laughing and Not Going Out.
In the serial drama performance category, the five nominees are Aaron Thiara as Ravi Gulati in EastEnders, Gareth Pierce as Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street, Jeff Hordley as Cain Dingle in Emmerdale, Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates in EastEnders, and Sue Devaney as Debbie Webster in Coronation Street.
The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award shortlist features Gladiators, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, The Graham Norton Show, The Masked Singer and Would I Lie to You?. In the quiz show category, The 1% Club, The Chase, Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Richard Osman’s House of Games are all shortlisted.
Public voting on the full shortlists across all categories remains open until midday on 8 September. All winners will be announced at the O2 Arena that evening, with the broadcast on Netflix title Run Away nominee Ruth Jones among those who will learn their fate live on the night.
