This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
With every awards season comes the familiar complaint that sections of our creative community are being overlooked. Ever since 2015, when #OscarsSoWhite became an attention-grabbing banner that forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to update its selection processes, we’ve seen variations on a theme: Baftas so male, Oliviers so niche, Brit Awards so mainstream etc.
To their credit, many awards organisers have taken remedial action (generally once it’s pointed out to them, but let’s not be begrudging), but I maintain a niggling doubt about such knee-jerk changes. As I’ve experienced myself, selection committees can only choose from what’s put in front of them. They aren’t responsible for decisions about commissioning, writing and casting. Those happen much earlier in the creative pipeline, sometimes years before in the case of big dramas on TV and film.
But glory brings its own influence. For others watching on, “If I see it, I can be it.” So it’s no small thing that the shortlist for this year’s National Television Awards (NTAs) celebrates so much female talent – especially when, as the biggest TV awards voted for by viewers rather than industry peers or critics, the NTAs celebrate what is genuinely loved rather than what we’re told we should enjoy.
For starters, of the five nominees for the TV presenter award, the three newest names are Alison Hammond, Claudia Winkleman and Stacey Solomon. Last year, Gary Lineker finally broke Ant and Dec’s 23-year winning streak, and although the Geordie pair are in the running again (as is Sir David Attenborough), this year will surely see this prized gong go to its first ever female winner.
It’s a similar story in the new drama category, with Heated Rivalry, a tale of forbidden love between rival hockey stars, the sole nominee to feature male protagonists. For the rest – A Woman of Substance, Believe Me, I Fought the Law and The Other Bennet Sister – it’s a persuasive list of the power of female-led narrative.
Most telling is the list of names who are competing for best drama performance, an award that has been gender-neutral since 2014, when Matt Smith won for Doctor Who. Since then, male actors have narrowly outgunned their female peers with six winners to five (Cillian Murphy and Sarah Lancashire both bagging two), but the list of nominees has always been a mixed one.
Until this year, that is, when the entire shortlist in the category is made up of female names, from the veteran Judy Parfitt (for Call the Midwife) to breakthrough star Ella Bruccoleri (The Other Bennet Sister). Joining them are familiar faces Ruth Jones (Run Away), Vicky McClure (Trigger Point) and Sheridan Smith (I Fought the Law), who previously won in 2015.
The ceremony at the 02 London next month won’t be completely one-sided. Unsurprisingly, no woman is at the helm of any of the nominated quiz shows. Battling on that front are Michael McIntyre, Richard Osman, Lee Mack, Bradley Walsh and, of course, Ant and Dec.
Meanwhile, women working in British TV are quick to correct any suggestion that the problem of equality in the industry has been solved, and attempts to address such imbalances at other awards ceremonies inevitably lead to other groups feeling overlooked.
So let’s not call the NTAs’ honouring of female talent a defining victory. Instead, let’s celebrate it as a step in the right direction.
Vote for your favourites online at nationaltvawards.com.
Votes must be in by midday on Tuesday 8 September 2026. All new votes will be added to those already submitted in the first round of voting. The results will be revealed at the NTA ceremony, live on ITV1 from the O2 London, on Tuesday 8 September 2026 from 8pm. Voting restrictions apply. For full terms and conditions and privacy policy, see nationaltvawards.com.
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