And we're off... The nominations for the 2013 TV BAFTAs are in, and we have to say, we're slightly unsure as to why Benedict Cumberbatch didn't get a nod. It's a bit surprising, given the success of Parade's End and the popularity of his performance in it, but I suppose that's the way it goes with these things.
There was no mention of Merlin either, or indeed of our own Brendan O'Carroll, who took Mrs Brown's Boys to BAFTA glory last year. Guess it's someone else's time to shine, let's see who...
First up, we've got few of our own in the running. IFTA nominee Aisling Walsh gets a nod in the Best Miniseries category for the Great Meadows/BBC Four co-production of Room at the Top, while The Shame of the Catholic Church is in the running for Current Affairs. Declan Lowney, the man best known for directing Father Ted, get a nomination for Comedy Programme Mr Stink, while former Ted star Graham Norton racks up another nomination for his Friday night chat show. There may have been disappointment for Mrs Brown, but that's a fairly decent Irish showing if we do say so ourselves.
When it comes to acting there are a few familiar names and faces among the nominees. The rather impressive Ben Whishaw is up there for his captivating performance in The Beeb's adaptation of Richard II. Is there anything that lad can't do? He's got stiff competition in the form of Sean Bean though - the man played a transvestite and, for once, managed to survive until the end of a series. Plus, he's already had a nod from the Royal Television Society for playing the cross dressing teacher. Our money's on him to take it.
Cumberbatch's Parade's End co-star and soon to be Iron Man 3 starlet Rebecca Hall picks up a nod for best actress, but she'll be fighting it out with Sheridan Smith, Sienna Miller (who secured just 1 of an astonishing 8 nominations for BBC/HBO series The Girl) and Anne Reid for the gong. These ladies all put in rather strong performances this year so it'll be interesting to see who'll scoop the BAFTA in the end. Meanwhile Peter Capaldi continues to reign supreme, picking up a Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance in The Hour. He's going to have to fight it out with three rather strong competitors to claim the glory though. We'd kind of like to see him win, what with The Hour being canned by the Beeb after just two seasons. He also gets a comedy nod for The Thick of It, which I think we can all agree is rather well deserved.
We're delighted to see Raquel from Corrie, aka Sarah Lancashire, getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in Last Tango In Halifax (which has done quite well for itself in these here nominations), and Imelda Staunton proving she's still worth her weight in TV gold. Of course they're up against the wonderful Olivia Colman (who has been brilliant in Broadchurch over the past few weeks and also gets a comedy nod for her role in Twenty Twelve), and Anastasia Hillie of The Fear.
Shameless has a mighty task on its hands as it takes on the might of the big three (Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale) for Soap and Continuing Drama, while Last Tango in Halifax, Ripper Street, the brilliant Scott and Bailey (big fan right here), and Silk are all in the running for Best Drama series. We're going to say the toughest battle will be in the international category though: Game of Thrones, Girls, Homeland and The Bridge are all vying for the one gong.
Another big battle could be fought in the Features category, where Paul O'Grady's surprise hit For The Love of Dogs, takes on the might of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood's Great British Bake Off. I'd love to see Paul and the Battersea pooches scoop the gong: His little series was pure TV gold, and quite the tearjerker to boot. And when it comes to Best Entertainment Performance, our money, as ever, is on PJ and Duncan... I mean, Ant and Dec, of course *cough*letsgetreadytorhumble*cough*.
And Made In Chelsea has a nomination. The less we say about that, the better...
We could go on, but with so many high quality performances, and an endless list of categories, we'll let you decide the rest for yourselves. Here are the 2013 TV BAFTA nominations in full:
Leading Actor
Ben Whishaw - Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Derek Jacobi - Last Tango in Halifax
Sean Bean - Accused ('Tracie's Story')
Toby Jones - The Girl
Leading Actress
Anne Reid - Last Tango in Halifax
Rebecca Hall - Parade's End
Sheridan Smith - Mrs Biggs
Sienna Miller - The Girl
Supporting Actor
Peter Capaldi - The Hour
Stephen Graham - Accused ('Tracie's Story')
Harry Lloyd - The Fear
Simon Russell Beale - Henry IV, Part 2 (The Hollow Crown)
Supporting Actress
Anastasia Hille - The Fear
Imelda Staunton - The Girl
Olivia Colman - Accused ('Mo's Story')
Sarah Lancashire - Last Tango in Halifax
Entertainment Performance
Alan Carr - Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Ant and Dec - I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Graham Norton - The Graham Norton Show
Sarah Millican - The Sarah Millican Show
Female Performance In A Comedy Programme
Jessica Hynes - Twenty Twelve
Julia Davis - Hunderby
Miranda Hart - Miranda
Olivia Colman - Twenty Twelve
Male Performance In A Comedy Programme
Greg Davies - Cuckoo
Hugh Bonneville - Twenty Twelve
Peter Capaldi - The Thick of It
Steve Coogan - Welcome to the Places of My Life
Single Drama
Everyday
The Girl
Murder
Richard II (The Hollow Crown)
Mini-Series
Accused
Mrs Biggs
Parade's End
Room at the Top
Drama Series
Last Tango in Halifax
Ripper Street
Scott and Bailey
Silk
Soap & Continuing Drama
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Shameless
International
The Bridge
Game of Thrones
Girls
Homeland
Factual Series
24 Hours in A&E
Great Ormond Street
Make Bradford British
Our War
Specialist Factual (Huw Wheldon Award)
All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry
The Plane Crash
The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes
The Secret History of Our Streets
Single Documentary (Robert Flaherty Award)
7/7: One Day in London
Baka: A Cry from the Rainforest
Lucian Freud: Painted Life
Nina Conti - A Ventriloquist's Story: Her Master's Voice
Features
Bank of Dave
Grand Designs
The Great British Bake Off
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs
Reality and Constructed Factual
The Audience
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Made in Chelsea
The Young Apprentice
Current Affairs
Britain's Hidden Housing Crisis (Panorama Special)
The Other Side of Jimmy Savile (Exposure)
The Shame of the Catholic Church (This World)
What Killed Arafat? (Al Jazeera Investigates)
News Coverage
BBC News at Ten: Syria
Channel 4 News: Battle for Homs
ITV/Granada Reports: Hillsborough - The Truth at Last
Sport & Live Event
The London 2012 Olympics: 'Super Saturday'
The London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: 'Isle of Wonder'
The London 2012 Paralympic Games
Wimbledon 2012 - Men's Final
Entertainment Programme (Lew Grade Award)
Dynamo: Magician Impossible
The Graham Norton Show
Have I Got News For You
A League of Their Own
Comedy Programme
Cardinal Burns
Mr Stink
The Revolution Will Be Televised
Welcome to the Places of My Life
Situation Comedy
Episodes
Hunderby
The Thick of It
Twenty Twelve
Radio Times Audience Award
Voted for by members of the public
Call the Midwife
Game of Thrones
The Great British Bake Off
Homeland
The London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony
Strictly Come Dancing
