Entertainment

Fans' anger after royal drama The Crown leaves Baftas empty-handed

The Netflix piece had gone into the ceremony showered with nominations.
The Netflix piece had gone into the ceremony showered with nominations. The Netflix piece had gone into the ceremony showered with nominations.

Fans of The Crown have been left angered after the big-budget royal drama failed to win a single award at the Baftas.

The lavish Netflix series, starring Claire Foy as the Queen, left empty-handed despite going into the awards with five nominations.

Claire Foy arriving at the Baftas
Claire Foy arriving at the Baftas
Claire Foy arriving at the Baftas (Matt Crossick/PA)

Gritty BBC One drama Happy Valley and its star Sarah Lancashire triumphed over its royal rival in the best drama series and leading actress categories, while The Crown also missed out on gongs for supporting actor and actress.

Sarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire (Ian West/PA)

Some weren’t surprised:

In a night of success for the BBC, other wins as well as Happy Valley included Charlie Brooker’s 2016 Wipe, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Who Do You Think You Are?, Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, drama Damilola, Our Loved Boy, The Night Manager’s Tom Hollander, reality series Muslims Like Us, and Planet Earth II.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Ian West/PA)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Ian West/PA)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Ian West/PA)

Director of BBC content Charlotte Moore called the triumphs “an incredible night for the BBC”.“I want to thank all the winners for their contribution to British television – the sheer quality on display is inspiring, and I feel honoured to lead BBC content on such top creative form,” she said.