It seems to come around earlier every year, but television’s biggest night is upon us: the Primetime Emmy Awards 2025 are scheduled for September 14. The LA ceremony will see the biggest shows compete for recognition and the biggest names in Hollywood duke it out. But don’t discount some of the UK contenders this year. They might be competing with superstars like Pedro Pascal and Cate Blanchett, but you’d be a fool to bet against them.
Think about Adolescence, one of the most heavily nominated shows of the year. If you haven’t seen this global phenomenon yet, you are missing out. Across four forensically detailed, cleverly shot episodes, it explores misogyny, justice and family heartbreak after a teenage boy is accused of murder, in some of the most riveting television you’ll ever see. It’s nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, of course, but also for twelve more categories including eight major ones. Star Stephen Graham (This Is England, A Thousand Blows) is up both for his lead role and as co-writer of the show alongside Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Toxic Town). Newcomer Owen Cooper and Ashley Walters (Top Boy, Cuffs) are competing for their supporting actor roles as the accused boy and a detective respectively, while Erin Doherty (Firebrand, The Crown) is up for her supporting actress turn as a child psychologist against Christine Tremarco (The Responder, Kidnapped) as the boy’s mum. Finally, Philip Barantini (Boiling Point) is nominated for his dazzling directing work, capturing each episode in a single shot – even the one involving hundreds of teenage extras and a drone.
In the Outstanding Drama Series category, one of the leading contenders is Slow Horses, now a hardy perennial on the awards circuit. Its writer Will Smith – not that one; the screenwriter of The Thick Of It – already has an Emmy but is nominated again, along with director Adam Randall (iBoy) and, once again, star Gary Oldman (Mank, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) for his world-weary turn as the leader of a team of disgraced and displaced spies. Also in the “regular nominees” category is the satirical science-fiction show Black Mirror, which is nominated in the Limited or Anthology Series and for writers Charlie Brooker (Cunk on Earth) and Bisha K. Ali (Loki, Ms Marvel, The Baby).
Adolescence
Slow Horses
That’s hardly all, however. The acting categories are full of UK and Irish talent. Bella Ramsay, who rose to prominence in Game of Thrones and Catherine, Called Birdy, is nominated for their leading role in The Last of Us, against Ireland’s Sharon Horgan for Bad Sisters. Horgan is not Ireland’s only contender: Colin Farrell (The Lobster, The North Water) is nominated for his unrecognisable turn in The Penguin while Ruth Negga (Passing) gets recognition for the legal drama Presumed Innocent. Meanwhile, Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin, Green Zone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) adds an Emmy nomination to his already impressive career for his role in the murder mystery and social satire show The White Lotus, as does his young co-star Aimee Lou Wood (Living, Sex Education). And all they had to do to earn it was stay in a luxury hotel in a tropical paradise – oh yes, and turn in hugely impressive dramatic performances.
In the Guest acting categories at the Creative Arts Emmys, awarded the week before the Primetime show, there are lots of familiar stars to look out for. The nominees for guest actress in a comedy series include Olivia Colman (The Favourite) for her warm, sympathetic appearance in The Bear, and Cynthia Erivo (Widows) for Poker Face. Both ladies are already well on their way to an EGOT but another Emmy never hurts! Gwendoline Christie (In Fabric) is nominated for her scene-stealing, guest-starring role in a drama series for her appearance in Severance, while on a slightly lighter note Nathalie Emmanuel (Last Train To Christmas) is nominated for her lightly comic role in Die Hart: Hart To Kill.
In the Creative Arts Emmys film categories, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is up for Outstanding Television Movie after its small-screen release in the US (it was a box-office hit in other countries around the world). It will compete against Mountainhead, the new film from Jesse Armstrong (Four Lions, Peep Show) for that prize. Funnily enough, one of the most contentious categories for UK nominees is in Outstanding Narrator: the evergreen Sir David Attenborough, the man who practically invented the nature documentary, is nominated for Planet Earth: Asia, the latest incarnation of his Planet Earth series. But he’s competing with Idris Elba (Hijack, Luther) for Erased and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) for Octopus! Which honey-voiced nominee will take home the prize?
A wealth of other UK talent appear in the many Creative Arts categories, including costuming nods for shows including Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light; recognition for composer Daniel Pemberton (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) for his scoring work on Black Mirror; and Alan Cumming (Battle of the Sexes, Genie) for his hosting on the US version of The Traitors. We may not yet have the results for this latest crop of UK hopefuls, but the sheer wealth of nominees means that this already feels like a winning year.
