Bafta TV 2021 nominations: From Bridgerton to The Queen’s Gambit – the biggest snubs from this year’s awards

The Bafta TV award nominations were revealed today – and while we’re celebrating the successes, there were a couple of shocking snubs we need to talk about. 

Some shows did finally get the recognition they deserved (we’re looking at you I May Destroy You), with Small Axe leading the nominations list.

But then there are other performances and dramas that seemed like a guaranteed steal for the gong – only to be completely ignored.

So, who got snubbed and why?

Here’s just some of the stars and roles we are surprised didn’t get a mention.

Emma Corrin – Princess Diana, The Crown 

As arguably the stand-out performance of season four, Emma Corrin didn’t even get a look in as Princess Diana in The Crown. 

The noticeable absence from the list comes despite her winning a Golden Globe for the performance, and getting a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Female Performance. 

However, her long-running scene partner Josh O’Connor, did get a nod for leading actor as Prince Charles. 

Olivia Colman – Queen Elizabeth, The Crown 

Again, while Tobias Menzies, who played Prince Philip, got nominated for an award at this year’s celebrations as best supporting actor, Olivia Colman was again missing from the nominations. 

Olivia has been widely celebrated for her role of Queen Elizabeth, and this awards season was nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG award for best actress. 

She also won a Satellite award and a gong at the Broadcast Film Critics Awards. 

Gillian Anderson – Margaret Thatcher, The Crown 

The third major Crown miss on the list was Gillian Anderson, who appeared throughout the fourth season as ‘Iron Lady’ Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 

The snub comes despite recognition from all other major awards shows, including wins at the Golden Globes, Sag Awards and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. 

David Tennant – Dennis Nilsen, Des 

David Tennant’s pitch perfect portrayal of sick serial killer Dennis Nilsen was widely praised for its shocking accuracy when it aired in September last year. 

The Scottish actor went to great lengths to accurately replicate Nilsen, who murdered at least 15 men between the years of 1978 and 1983 in London. 

Matthew Macfadyen – Major Charles Ingram, Quiz

To be fair, Michael Sheen rightly won a nomination as Chris Tarrant in this retelling of the ‘Coughing Major’ scandal on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. 

But where would the show even be without the Major himself? 

Quiz, in general, has been widely overlooked during this awards season, despite 6.4million people tuning in to the finale of the three-episode drama.

Sian Clifford, who played Diana Ingram, and the writing team have also been snubbed from the nominations. 

Britain’s Got Talent 

Britain’s Got Talent has been swerved for the best entertainment show, with the lesser known Life and Rhymes getting a nod instead. 

Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Strictly Come Dancing and The Masked Singer round off the nominations.

However, it did at least get a little recognition, and is up for the audience voted ‘TV moment of the year’ award at the ceremony for Diversity’s Black Lives Matter inspired routine. 

The Great British Bake Off 

While BGT got at least a little nod, Bake Off was completely ignored this year. 

Maybe they need to up the soggy bottoms next year. 

Bridgerton 

Bridgerton is Netflix’s most successful series EVER with more than 80million tuning in to see the randy tales of the London’s Regency era elite. 

Sadly that has not translated to awards, with the Shonda Rhimes series being ignored in the international category. 

The reveal of Lady Whistledown has been acknowledged in the TV Moment of the Year category, but that’s it. 

The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit was another sleeper hit for Netflix, and in the midst of lockdown two in the UK became the must-watch drama. 

It even sparked a 273% surge in searches for chess sets as the tale gripped the nation.  

However, the series, and its star Anya Taylor-Joy, have all been skipped at this year’s ceremony.

The Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 6 June on BBC One.

Got A Story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Nigella Lawson has actually received a Bafta nomination for mee-cro-wah-vay

MORE : Paul Ritter nominated for a posthumous Bafta TV Award just weeks after death