BAFTA Television Nominees 2012

Emily Watson & Dominic West in ITV1's 'APPROPRIATE ADULT'

The British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) unveiled their nominees for the small-screen aspect of their enterprise yesterday. The three most notable things for me are (a) the love shown for Appropriate Adult across multiple categories; (b) the absence of Sherlock from the Drama Series category, considering it contains markedly poorer shows like Scott & Bailey; and (c) the unexpected snubbing of Doctor Who this year, which doesn't feature anywhere!

The full list of 2012's BAFTA nominees can be read below, with my predictions for the winners, and brief thoughts on each category:

Leading Actor

• Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
• Dominic West (Appropriate Adult) PREDICTION
• John Simm (Exile)
• Joseph Gilgun (This Is England '88)

Thoughts: There are some excellent performances here, although I missed John Simm in Exile (was he good?) I'd like to see the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch win for Sherlock, of course, but suspect Dominic West will win for his performance as Fred West in ITV1's two-part Appropriate Adult.

Leading Actress

• Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult)
• Nadine Marshall (Random)
• Romola Garai (The Crimson Petal & The White) PREDICTION
• Vicky McClure (This Is England '88)

Thoughts: Vicky McClure won the BAFTA last time, so I don't think a second win for the same series is very likely. Emily Watson was good in Appropriate Adult, but my money's on Romola Garai for The Crimson Petal & The White (if only because her success with The Hour might also be in voters' minds). She's also a brighter younger star, who could do with a win to catapult her career further. Not that winners are chosen for ulterior motives. *whistles*

Supporting Actor

• Andrew Scott (Sherlock)
• Joseph Mawle (Birdsong)
• Martin Freeman (Sherlock)
• Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line) PREDICTION

Thoughts: I don't think Martin Freeman had good material to work with on Sherlock this year, and Andrew Scott probably split the vote as Moriarty on the same show. His performance is love/hate personified. Stephen Rea was really good in The Shadow Line, though, although I didn't care much for the show itself. Birdsong passed me by.

Supporting Actress

• Anna Chancellor (The Hour)
• Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) PREDICTION
• Miranda Hart (Call The Midwife)
• Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult)

Thoughts: There's already buzz around Monica Dolan as Rosemary West, but she was only on-screen for about five minutes! I'll be irritated if she wins, for that reason alone, although she was very good in the moment she had. Miranda Hart doesn't deserve to be on this list for Call The Midwife, pure and simple. I think her nomination's down to residual love for Hart's award-winning sitcom. So, Maggie Smith may be the most boring and obvious choice, but I reckon she'll win because her character had more screen time on Downton Abbey last year.

Entertainment Performance

• Alan Carr (Alan Carr: Chatty Man)
• Dara O'Briain (Mock The Week)
• Graham Norton (The Graham Norton Show) PREDICTION
• Harry Hill (Harry Hill's TV Burp)

Thoughts: Harry Hill could win because TV Burp' just finished and it would be a nice way to celebrate its success and passing, but I still think Graham Norton's doing the best work in this category. 50/50 choice.

Female Performance in a Comedy Programme

• Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous)
• Olivia Colman (Twenty Twelve)
• Ruth Jones (Stella)
• Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner) PREDICTION

Thoughts: I didn't see Sky1's Stella, have to admit. Was Ruth Jones really good in that? My money's on Tamsin Greig, who was great on Friday Night Dinner as the Jewish mum. Olivia Colman may win, though.

Male Performance in a Comedy Programme

• Brendan O'Carroll (Mrs Brown's Boys)
• Darren Boyd (Spy)
• Hugh Bonneville (Twenty Twelve)
• Tom Hollander (Rev.) PREDICTION

Thoughts: I think there's more to marvel at with Tom Hollander's subtle performance on Rev than anyone else here. Darren Boyd's one of the best things about Sky's otherwise tragic Spy, but that performance still wasn't anything special. Hugh Bonneville's brilliantly understated with bone dry delivery on Twenty Twelve, but I don't think I've been amazed by him there. It would cause an upset in critical circles if Brendan O'Carroll won for Mrs Brown's Boys, as the man's performance is so sledgehammer in its execution and commitment, but it would undoubtedly go down well with the general public.

Single Drama

• Holy Flying Circus PREDICTION
• Page Eight
• Random
• Stolen

Thoughts: If Holy Flying Circus doesn't win this, something's very wrong with the world. Very, very wrong.

Miniseries

• Appropriate Adult PREDICTION
• The Crimson Petal & The White
• This is England '88
• Top Boy

Thoughts: A very strong category here, but Appropriate Adult edges it because it did a marvelous job with very tough material. The restrain and skill was impressive. But I did love This Is England '88 last Christmas, too. Having less episodes than the '86 series really helped matters.

Drama Series

• The Fades PREDICTION
• Misfits
• Scott and Bailey
• Spooks

Thoughts: Misfits didn't have a good year for various reasons, and it feels like the cancelled Spooks is only nominated as a last-chance-to-win courtesy. So it's a tossup between ITV's Scott & Bailey (which I hear is decent) and BBC3's The Fades. I like to think BAFTA will champion something a little different than a detective drama, and that's coming from someone who thought The Fades was overrated.

Soap & Continuing Drama

• Coronation Street
• EastEnders
• Holby City
• Shameless

Thoughts: Yawn. Who cares except for the cast and crew of these shows? It's a yo-yo.

International Programme

• Borgen
• Forbrydelsen (The Killing) PREDICTION
• Modern Family
• The Slap

Thoughts: This category's in rude health these days! Remember when it would annually contain a handful of US shows? Now we have programmes from Denmark (Borgen, Forbrydelsen) and Australia (The Slap) in the mix. The Killing will probably win because it was such a phenomenon for BBC4, ushering in a "Noirdic" wave of programming.

Factual Series

• The Choir: Military Wives
• Educating Essex
• Our War
• Protecting Our Children: Damned If We Do Damned If We Don't

Thoughts: No idea because I didn't see any of these. Anyone have anything to say?

Specialist Factual

• British Masters
• Frozen Planet PREDICTION
• Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret
• Wonders of the Universe

Thoughts: Oh, it's a ___ Planet year. Arise, Sir David...

Single Documentary

• 9/11: The Day That Changed the World
• The Fight of Their Lives
• Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die
• We Need To Talk About Dad (Cutting Edge)

Thoughts: I didn't see enough to judge this. Comments welcome.

Features

• DIY SOS: The Big Build
• Hairy Bikers' Meals on Wheels
• The Great British Bake-Off
• Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea

Thoughts: Ditto. Great British Bake-Off dominated my Twitter-feed at times, if that's any indicator.

Reality & Constructed Factual

• An Idiot Abroad PREDICTION
• Don't Tell The Bride
• Made in Chelsea
• The Young Apprentice

Thoughts: I have a feeling the weak-sauce An Idiot Abroad will win, more's the pity, but The Young Apprentice deserves it for taking a potentially horrible spin-off idea and making it work. (Arguably better than the adult show in some ways.)

Current Affairs

• Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark
• Sri Lanka's Killing Fields
• 'The Truth About Adoption' (Panorama)
• 'Undercover Care: The Abuse Exposed' (Panorama)

Thoughts: Didn't see enough to judge this category's nominees. Anyone?

News Coverage

• BBC News at Ten: Siege of Homs
• Channel 4 News: Japanese earthquake
• ITV News at Ten: Battle of Misrata
• Sky News: Libya rebel convoy – live

Thoughts: The news is where real life happens, so I'm not qualified enough to comment.

Sport & Live Event

• Frankenstein's Wedding: Live in Leeds
• The Royal Wedding (BBC) PREDICTION
• Rugby World Cup Final
• Tour De France 2011

Thoughts: The BBC's coverage of The Royal Wedding was weak compared to ITV, who must feel very disappointed the BAFTA nod's gone to the Beeb. They'll win this, too. I'm amused to see Frankenstein's Wedding on here, as it was so bloody awful, but nevertheless an impressive feat in terms of logistics and technique.

New Media

• Autumnwatch
• The Bank Job
• Misfits
• Psychoville

Thoughts: I don't know, as I tend to avoid "new media" online. It's for young 'uns.

Entertainment Programme

• Celebrity Juice
• Derren Brown: The Experiments PREDICTION
• Harry Hill's TV Burp
• Michael McIntyre's Christmas Comedy Roadshow

Thoughts: It has to be Derren Brown's Experiments, right? At least his show was new and different. If Celebrity Juice win this, I'll scream.

Comedy Programme

• Charlie Brooker's 2011 Wipe
• Comic Strip: The Hunt for Tony Blair
• The Cricklewood Greats
• Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle PREDICTION

Thoughts: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle has been winning awards everywhere this year, so I reckon that will continue at BAFTA. Well-deserved, too. I missed The Hunt For Tony Blair and heard mixed things.

Situation Comedy

• Fresh Meat PREDICTION
• Mrs Brown's Boys
• Friday Night Dinner
• Rev.

Thoughts: For me, Fresh Meat was the year's standout UK sitcom, although it never quite lived up to the potential the first two or three episodes showed.