British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series explained

British Academy Television Award
Presenter:	British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Country:	United Kingdom
Year:	1992
Holder:	Top Boy (2024)
Website:	http://www.bafta.org/

The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official BAFTA website as being open a drama series "of between two and 19 episodes, that is intended to return."^[1]

The category has been through several name and category changes:

• From 1958 to 1972 the award was presented usually individually under the name "Best Drama Production".
• Also during the same period another category was awarded briefly as "Best Drama Series" from 1964 to 1970.
• Then from 1970 to 1991 it was joined with drama serials into a category named "Best Drama Series or Serial" with the exception of the years 87, 88 and 89 where it was awarded just as "Best Drama Series".

From 1992 onwards,^[2] the category was split in two, with a separate Best Drama Serial category also established.

Inspector Morse, Cracker, The Cops, The Street and Happy Valley have all won the category twice, all except the last in successive years.

Winners and nominees

1950s

Best Drama Production

width=5%	Year	width=20%	Recipient(s)
1958	Rudolph Cartier
1959	Silvio Narizzano

1960s

Best Drama Production

width=5%	Year	width=20%	Recipient(s)	width=25%	Title
1960	William Kotcheff
1961	Peter Dews
1962	Andrew Osborn
1963	David Rose, Charles Jarrott
1964	John Jacobs
1965	Philip Saville
1966	Peter Hammond	The Count of Monte Cristo Contract To Kill Hereward The Wake I Took My World Away Ambrose
	Cyril Coke	Crime and Punishment The Rules of the Game Four of Hearts
		Captain Carvallo The Big Breaker The Young Elizabeth The Tea Party
	Production Team	The Wars of the Roses
1967	Ken Loach
1968	Ken Loach
1969	Anthony Page	Parachute

Best Drama Series

width=5%	Year	width=20%	Recipient(s)	width=25%	Title
1964	Philip Mackie
1965	Rex Firkin
1966	Philip Mackie, Silvio Narizzano	Paris 1900 The Changeling Women Beware Women The Old Boys, The Babysitter
		Mogul Memory of October The Campaign Redcap Danger Man
		Missing Believe Killed Hidden Truth: One of the Hampshire Pargeters Take Care of Madam, Kill Me!
		Danger Man
1967	Peter Graham Scott

1970s

Best Drama Production

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)
1970	The Letter Nora You've Made Your Bed Now Lie On It	Christopher Morahan
	Rembrandt	Rudolph Cartier
	A Voyage Round My Father	Claude Whatham
1971	The Lie	Alan Bridges
	Callan	Reginald Collin
	Mad Jack	Jack Gold
	The Roads To Freedom	James Cellan Jones
	The Six Wives Of Henry VIII	Ronald Travers, Mark Shivas
	The Six Wives Of Henry VIII: Catherine Of Aragon	John Glenister
1972	Edna, The Inebriate Woman	Ted Kotcheff
	Cider With Rosie	Claude Whatham
	Eyeless In Gaza	James Cellan Jones
	The Snow Goose	Patrick Garland
	Upstairs, Downstairs (for "Episode 1")	John Hawkesworth

Best Drama Series

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)
1970	W Somerset Maugham Series	Verity Lambert
	Callan	Reginald Collin
	The Gold Robbers	John Hawkesworth

Best Drama Series or Serial

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)
1973	Country Matters	Derek Granger
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
	Colditz	Gerard Glaister
1974	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
	Country Matters	Derek Granger
	The Onedin Line	Peter Graham Scott
	Wessex Tales	Irene Shubik
1975	South Riding	James Ormerod
	Jennie	James Cellan Jones
	Shoulder to Shoulder	Verity Lambert
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
1976	Edward VII	Cecil Clarke, John Gorrie
	Day of Hope	Tony Garnett, Ken Loach
	The Sweeney	Ted Childs
	Upstairs, Downstairs	John Hawkesworth
1977	Rock Follies	Andrew Brown
	The Duchess of Duke Street	John Hawkesworth
	The Glittering Prizes	Mark Shivas
	I, Claudius	Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise
	When the Boat Comes In	Leonard Lewis
1978	Marie Curie	Peter Goodchild, John Glenister
	Hard Times	Peter Eckersley, John Irvin
	The Norman Conquests	Verity Lambert, Herbert Wise
	When the Boat Comes In	Andrew Osborn
1979	Edward and Mrs Simpson	Andrew Brown, Waris Hussein
	All Creatures Great And Small	Bill Sellars
	Lillie	Jack Williams
	Pennies From Heaven	Kenith Trodd, Piers Haggard

1980s

Best Drama Series or Serial

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)	width=10%	Broadcaster
1980	Testament of Youth	Jonathan Powell, Moira Armstrong	BBC Two
	Rumpole of the Bailey	Jacqueline Davis	ITV
	Telford's Change	Mark Shivas, Barry Davis	BBC One
	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy		BBC Two
1981	Oppenheimer	Peter Goodchild, Barry Davis	BBC Two
	Shoestring		BBC One
	To Serve Them All My Days
	Therese Raquin		BBC Two
1982	Brideshead Revisited	Derek Granger, Charles Sturridge, Michael Lindsay-Hogg	ITV
	The History Man		BBC Two
	Private Schulz	Philip Hinchcliffe, Robert Chetwyn
		Richard Broke, Ferdinand Fairfax	ITV
1983	Boys from the Blackstuff	Michael Wearing, Philip Saville	BBC Two
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	The Barchester Chronicles		BBC Two
	Smiley's People	Jonathan Powell, Simon Langton
1984	Kennedy	Andrew Brown, Jim Goddard	ITV
	Rumpole of the Bailey	Jacqueline Davis	ITV
	Auf Wiedersehen, Pet	Martin McKeand
	Widows	Linda Agran, Ian Toynton
1985	The Jewel in the Crown	Christopher Morahan, Jim O'Brien	ITV
	Tenko		BBC One
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	Auf Wiedersehen, Pet	Martin McKeand
1986	Edge of Darkness	Michael Wearing, Martin Campbell	BBC Two
	Minder	Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor	ITV
	Bleak House		BBC Two
	The Price	Mark Shivas, Peter Smith	Channel 4

Best Drama Series

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)	width=10%	Broadcaster
1987	The Life and Loves of a She-Devil	Sally Head, Philip Saville	BBC Two
	All Passion Spent	Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend	BBC
	The Monocled Mutineer	Richard Broke, Jim O'Brien	BBC One
	The Singing Detective	Kenith Trodd, John Harris, Jon Amiel
	Paradise Postponed		ITV
	A Very Peculiar Practice	Ken Riddington, David Tucker	BBC Two
1988	Tutti Frutti	Andy Park, Tony Smith	BBC Scotland
	Fortunes of War		BBC One
	Porterhouse Blue		Channel 4
	A Perfect Spy	Colin Rogers, Peter Smith	BBC Two
1989	A Very British Coup	Alan Plater, Anne Skinner, Sally Hibbin, Mick Jackson	Channel 4
	Blind Justice	Peter Flannery, Michael Wearing, Robert Walker, Michael Whyte	BBC One
	Talking Heads	Alan Bennett, Innes Lloyd
	Rumpole of the Bailey	John Mortimer, Jacqueline Davis	ITV

1990s

Best Drama Series or Serial

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=20%	Recipient(s)	width=10%	Broadcaster
1990	Traffik	Simon Moore, Brian Eastman, Alastair Reid	Channel 4
	Inspector Morse	Chris Burt	ITV
	Summer's Lease	John Mortimer, Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend	BBC Two
	Mother Love		BBC One
1991	Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit	Jeanette Winterson, Phillippa Giles, Beeban Kidron	BBC Two
	Agatha Christie's Poirot		ITV
	Inspector Morse	David Lascelles
	House of Cards		BBC

Best Drama Series

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=25%	Recipient(s)	width=20%	Production company	width=10%	Broadcaster
1992	Inspector Morse	David Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles	Central Independent Television	ITV
	Agatha Christie's Poirot			ITV
	Casualty
	Spender	Martin McKeand
1993	Inspector Morse	Deirdre Kerr	Central Independent Television	ITV
	Between the Lines	Peter Norris
	Casualty	Gerraint Morris
	Jeeves and Wooster	Clive Exton, Brian Eastman, Ferdinand Fairfax		ITV
1994	Between the Lines	Peter Norris	World Productions	BBC One
	Cracker			ITV
	Casualty		BBC Bristol
	The Riff Raff Element		BBC Television
1995	Cracker	Paul Abbott	Granada Television	ITV
	The Bill	Michael Chapman		ITV
	Sharpe		Central Independent Television
	Common As Muck		BBC Television	BBC One
1996	Cracker	Hilary Bevan Jones	Granada Television	ITV
	Preston Front		BBC Television
	Prime Suspect		Granada Television	ITV
	A Touch of Frost	Don Leaver
	EastEnders	Corinne Hollingworth, Jane Harris	BBC Television	BBC One
	This Life	Jane Fallon	World Productions
	Ballykissangel	Joy Lale
	Hamish Macbeth	Deidre Kerr	Skyline Films, Zenith Entertainment Ltd.
	Jonathan Creek	Susan Belbin, Sandy Johnson, Marcus Mortimer, David Renwick	BBC Television	BBC One
	Touching Evil	Jane Featherstone, Paul Abbott
	Common As Muck	Catherine Wearing, Metin Hüseyin, William Ivory	BBC Television
	Wing and a Prayer	Jacinta Peel, Richard Laxton, Robin Sheppard, Matthew Hall	Thames Television
	The Cops	Eric Coulter, Harry Bradbeer, Alrick Riley	World Productions	BBC Two
	Jonathan Creek	Verity Lambert, Keith Washington, David Renwick, Sandy Johnson	BBC Television
	Playing the Field	Greg Brenman, Catherine Morshead, Paul Seed, Kay Mellor
	Undercover Heart	Jane Fallon, John Strickland, Richard Signy, Peter Bowker	BBC Television

2000s

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=25%	Recipient(s)	width=20%	Production company	width=10%	Broadcaster
	The Cops		World Productions	BBC Two
	Cold Feet		Granada Television
	Playing the Field	Greg Brenman, Hugh Warren, Kay Mellor	Tiger Aspect Productions
	Psychos
	Clocking Off	Nicola Shindler, Ann Harrison-Baxter, Paul Abbott	Red Production Company	BBC One
	The Cops		World Productions
	Fat Friends	Kay Mellor, Gareth Morgan	Rollem Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions, Yorkshire Television
	The Sins		BBC Television
	Cold Feet	Andy Harries, Spencer Campbell, Mike Bullen	Granada Television	ITV
	Clocking Off	Nicola Shindler, Juliet Charlesworth, Paul Abbott	Red Production Company
	At Home with the Braithwaites	Carolyn Reynolds, Jacky Stoller, Sally Wainright	Yorkshire Television
	Tales from Pleasure Beach		Blast! Film Productions
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	Teachers		Tiger Aspect Productions
	Clocking Off		Red Production Company
	Cutting It		BBC Television
	Buried		World Productions	Channel 4
	Clocking Off		Red Production Company
	Foyle's War		Greenlit Productions
	William and Mary
	Shameless		Company Pictures	Channel 4
	Spooks	Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins, Andrew Woodhead	Kudos Film & Television
	Bodies
	Conviction		Red Production Team
	Doctor Who	Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner	BBC Wales	BBC One
	Bodies	Mark Redhead, Sue de Beauvoir, Jed Mercurio	Hat Trick Productions
	Shameless		Company Pictures
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television
	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, David Blair, Ken Horn	Granada Productions	BBC One
	Shameless		Company Pictures
	Sugar Rush		Shine Productions
	Life on Mars		Kudos Film & Television
	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, Terry McDonough, John Chapman	Granada Productions	BBC One
	Rome
	Life on Mars		Kudos Film & Television
	Skins		Company Pictures
	Wallander	Richard Cottan, Kenneth Branagh, Philip Martin, Francis Hopkinson	Left Bank Pictures, Yellow Bird, TKBC	BBC One
	Shameless	Paul Abbott, George Faber, John Griffin, Johann Knobel	Company Pictures
	Doctor Who	Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Susie Liggat	BBC Wales
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television

2010s

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=25%	Recipient(s)	width=20%	Production company	width=10%	Broadcaster
	Misfits		Clerkenwell Films	E4
	Being Human		Touchpaper Television
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television	BBC One
	The Street	Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, Roxy Spencer, David Blair	Granada Television
	Sherlock	Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sue Vertue, Beryl Vertue	Hartswood Films, BBC Wales	BBC One
	Being Human	Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan, Toby Whithouse, Colin Teague	Touchpaper Television
	Downton Abbey	Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge, Nigel Stafford-Clark	Carnival Films
	Misfits	Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Kate Crowe	Clerkenwell Films
	The Fades	Jack Thorne, Susan Hogg, Caroline Skinner, Farren Blackburn	BBC Television	BBC Three
	Misfits	Murray Ferguson, Petra Fried, Howard Overman, Matt Strevens	Clerkenwell Films
	Scott & Bailey		Red Production Company
	Spooks		Kudos Film & Television
	Last Tango in Halifax	Sally Wainwright, Nicola Shindler, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn	BBC Television	BBC One
	Scott & Bailey		Red Production Company	ITV1
	Ripper Street		BBC Television
	Silk	Hilary Salmon, Peter Moffat, Richard Stokes, Jeremy Webb	BBC Television
	Broadchurch		Kudos Film & Television	ITV
	Top of the Lake	Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jane Campion, Philippa Campbell
	The Village		Company Pictures
	My Mad Fat Diary		Tiger Aspect Productions
	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn, Nicola Shindler	Red Production Company	BBC One
	Line of Duty	Jed Mercurio, Simon Heath, Peter Norris, Douglas Mackinnon
	Peaky Blinders		Tiger Aspect Productions
	The Missing	Charlie Pattinson, Willow Grylls, Jack Williams, Harry Williams	New Pictures
	Wolf Hall	Peter Kosminsky, Peter Straughan, Mark Pybus, Colin Callender	Company Pictures	BBC Two
	The Last Panthers	Jack Thorne, Johan Renck, Peter Carlton, Caroline Benjo
	Humans		Channel 4
	No Offence	Paul Abbott, Martin Carr, Anna Ferguson, Catherine Morshead
	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Karen Lewis, Euros Lyn, Nicola Shindler	Red Production Company	BBC One
	The Crown
	The Durrells		Sid Gentle Films
	War & Peace
	Peaky Blinders		Tiger Aspect Productions	BBC Two
	Line of Duty
	The Crown
	The End of the F***ing World
2019	Killing Eve		Sid Gentle Films	BBC One
	Save Me
	Bodyguard		World Productions
	Informer	Jonny Campbell, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, Julian Stevens

2020s

width=5%	Year	width=25%	Title	width=25%	Recipient(s)	width=20%	Production company	width=10%	Broadcaster
2020	The End of the F***ing World		Clerkenwell Films	Channel 4
	The Crown	Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Benjamin Caron, Michael Casey	Left Bank Pictures
	Gentleman Jack	Sally Wainwright, Faith Penhale, Laura Lankester, Phil Collinson	Lookout Point
	Giri/Haji		Sister Pictures
2021 ^[3]	Save Me Too	Simon Heath, Jessica Sykes, Lennie James, Lizzie Rusbridger, Coky Giedroyc, Jim Loach	World Productions	Sky Atlantic
	The Crown	Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Michael Casey, Oona O’Beirn, Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison	Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television	Netflix
	Gangs of London	Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery, Thomas Benski, Jane Featherstone, Lucas Ochoa, Hugh Warren	Pulse Films, Sister Studios	Sky Atlantic
	I Hate Suzie	Lucy Prebble, Billie Piper, Andrea Dewsbery, Julie Gardner, Georgi Banks-Davies, Anthony Neilson	Bad Wolf
2022 ^[4]	In My Skin	Kayleigh Llewellyn, Nerys Evans, Molly Manners, Sophie Francis	Expectation Entertainment	BBC Three
	Unforgotten		Mainstreet Pictures	ITV
	Manhunt: The Night Stalker	Ed Whitmore, Marc Evans, Jo Willett, Evie Bergson-Korn, Philippa Braithwaite	Buffalo Pictures
	Vigil	Tom Edge, Simon Heath, Jake Lushington, Angie Daniell, James Strong, Isabelle Sieb		BBC One
2023 ^[5] ^[6]	Bad Sisters	Sharon Horgan, Dearbhla Walsh, Faye Dorn, Brett Baer, Dave Finkel, Johann Knobel	Merman, ABC Signature	Apple TV+
	The Responder	Chris Carey, Laurence Bowen, Tony Schumacher, Tim Mielants, Rebecca Ferguson, Toby Bruce	Dancing Ledge	BBC One
	Sherwood	James Graham, Lewis Arnold, Rebecca Hodgson, Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross, Harriet Spencer	House Productions
	Somewhere Boy	Pete Jackson, Petra Fried, Emily Harrison, Gavin O'Grady, Alex Winckler		Channel 4
2024 ^[7] ^[8]	Top Boy		Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan, DreamCrew, SpringHill Entertainment	Netflix
	Happy Valley	Sally Wainwright, Sarah Lancashire, Jessica Taylor, Faith Penhale, Will Johnston, Fergus O'Brien		BBC One
	The Gold		Tannadice Pictures
	Slow Horses			Apple TV+

• Note: The series that don't have recipients on the table had Production team credited as the recipients of the award or nomination.

Television Dramas with multiple awards nominations

Multiple awards

The following television series have won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times:2 awards

• Cracker (consecutive)
• Happy Valley
• The Cops (consecutive)
• The Street (consecutive)

Multiple nominations

The following television series have been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times:6 nominations

• Spooks

4 nominations

• Clocking Off
• The Crown
• Shameless

3 nominations

• Casualty
• The Cops
• Cracker
• Happy Valley
• Misfits
• The Street

2 nominations

• Being Human
• Between the Lines
• Bodies
• Cold Feet
• Common As Muck
• Doctor Who
• The End of the F***ing World
• Inspector Morse
• Jonathan Creek
• Life on Mars
• Line of Duty
• Peaky Blinders
• Playing the Field
• Scott & Bailey

External links

• List of winners at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rules and Guidelines. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 2021-03-02. 2021-01-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124001355/http://awards.bafta.org/sites/default/files/images/virgin_media_bafta_television_awards_rules_guidelines_2021.pdf. dead.
2. Web site: TV and Craft Winners 1990 - 1999. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 2007-04-06.
3. Web site: BAFTA TV 2021: Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards. 2021-04-28. www.bafta.org. en. 2021-04-28.
4. Web site: Bafta TV awards 2022: full list of nominations. The Guardian. 30 March 2022. 30 March 2022.
5. News: Ritman. Alex. BAFTA TV Awards: 'This is Going to Hurt,' 'The Responder' Lead Pack of Nominees. The Hollywood Reporter. 22 March 2023. 22 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230322230324/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bafta-tv-awards-nominations-2023-1235357562/. 22 March 2023. live.
6. Web site: Bafta TV awards 2023: the full list of winners. 14 May 2023. Guardian. 15 May 2023.
7. Web site: BAFTA TV Awards: ‘The Crown,’ ‘Black Mirror’ Lead Nominations. The Hollywood Reporter. Georg. Szalai. March 20, 2024. March 24, 2024.
8. Web site: Bafta TV awards 2024: the full list of winners. The Guardian. May 12, 2024. May 13, 2024.