The BAFTA TV Awards were broadcast this afternoon and there were more than a few surprises. Even if British television is not of particular interest to the North American crowd (it should be because the picks of the litter will inevitably be remade for American television a la The Office) there are some big names that everyone would recognize...
The first of two major upsets, and the category most appealing to us on this side of the pond, happened in the Best International Series category with The Killing (the Danish original, not the current AMC adaptation... although it surely will be in the awards running next year) beating out American heavyweights Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men and Glee.
The second upset came when Daniel Rigby of Eric and Ernie took home the prize for Best Leading Actor over Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch (especially since the show won Best Drama Series and Martin Freeman won Best Supporting Actor). And in a funny side-note, Steve Coogan took home an award and Rob Brydon did not, surely to add fuel to Coogan's sense of superiority and our laughs.
For a complete list of winners and nominees (losers, kidding) head over to BAFTA website. The major categories are listed below (winner listed first and in italics).
