Entertainment

Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway in running for Bafta TV gong

The show is up for best entertainment programme, alongside Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
The show is up for best entertainment programme, alongside Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show. The show is up for best entertainment programme, alongside Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

Saturday Night Takeaway has been nominated for a TV Bafta – just days after Declan Donnelly had to host the show alone.

The show is up for best entertainment programme, alongside Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice, also on ITV, and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, on BBC1.

But big BBC1 hit Strictly Come Dancing fails to get a nod.

SStrictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (Matt Crossick/PA)
SStrictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (Matt Crossick/PA) Strictly Come Dancing hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (Matt Crossick/PA)

The nominations are for shows which aired last year, meaning Saturday Night Takeaway is in the running for the series which Ant and Dec hosted together.

Dec is hosting the rest of the current series on his own and last weekend joked he had “twice the amount of work to do”.

Ant McPartlin stepped down from his presenting commitments when he was charged with drink-driving last month.

Elsewhere in the nominations, the late Tim Pigott-Smith, who died last year, is up for leading actor for his role in controversial royal drama King Charles III.

Tim Pigott-Smith and his co-star in King Charles III (Robert Viglasky/BBC)
Tim Pigott-Smith and his co-star in King Charles III (Robert Viglasky/BBC) Tim Pigott-Smith in King Charles III (Robert Viglasky/BBC)

The Crown’s Claire Foy, whose pay packet recently made headlines when it emerged she was earning less playing the Queen than her male co-star Matt Smith, is nominated for leading actress for the second consecutive year.

Smith, who played Prince Philip, is not in the running for best actor.

Netflix drama The Crown also has nominations for supporting actress (Vanessa Kirby) and drama series.

Foy is up against Molly Windsor (Three Girls), Sinead Keenan (Little Boy Blue) and Thandie Newton (Line Of Duty) in the leading actress category.

Thandie Newton (PA)
Thandie Newton (PA) Thandie Newton (PA)

Jack Rowan (Born To Kill), Joe Cole (Hang The DJ/Black Mirror) and Sean Bean (Broken) are also up for leading actor.

Line Of Duty (BBC1), Peaky Blinders (BBC2), and The End Of The F*****g World (All4) are up alongside The Crown for drama series.

Along with The Crown, Black Mirror, Line Of Duty and Three Girls have three nominations.

Line Of Duty is also up for the previously announced Virgin Must See Moment.

Actress Michelle Keegan and presenter Ore Oduba announced the nominations at Bafta in London.

EastEnders was snubbed in the soap/continuing drama category, with Casualty, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks up for the award.

Bafta chair Jane Lush said the British TV industry was in “pretty good health”.

The nominations come after stars at the Bafta film awards wore black in support of the Time’s Up movement.

Asked whether the TV gongs would follow suit, she told the Press Association: “I don’t know yet. Nobody was forced to wear black at the film awards but we were all delighted to stand up and be associated with the Time’s Up movement.”

She said: “The problems that the film industry had to face are universal.

“They’re not just in the creative industries. It’s something that Bafta takes very seriously. Everybody should be able to go to work feeling comfortable.”

Sue Perkins (Ian West/PA)
Sue Perkins (Ian West/PA) Sue Perkins (Ian West/PA)

TV presenter Sue Perkins will be hosting the Baftas once again.

The former Great British Bake Off presenter made her debut presenting the ceremony last year.

The Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards will be held at the Royal Festival Hall on May 13 and will be broadcast on BBC1.