Suranne v Sheridan in the... Battle of the Baftas
THEIR roles as a cancer victim and a GP coping with an adulterous husband entranced audiences.
Now Sheridan Smith and Suranne Jones’s powerful performances will see them compete to be named best actress at the Bafta TV awards.
The nominations were announced yesterday and included two surprise omissions – hit drama Poldark and its pin-up star Aidan Turner.
The BBC1 series was overlooked by the judges despite drawing bumper audiences and becoming an unmissable part of Sunday night viewing. It found a home only in the ‘audience award’ category chosen by the public.
There was better news for actor Idris Elba, who receives his first Bafta TV nod, while BBC2’s acclaimed historical drama Wolf Hall and BBC1’s Doctor Foster led the field, with four and three nominations respectively.
For Doctor Foster star Miss Jones, 37, it is the first time she has been up for the
Wolf Hall leads the field
award, while Miss Smith, 34, was nominated last year and won in 2013. Her nomination this year is for her role in cancer drama The C-Word, and she and Miss Jones are joined in the category by Claire Foy of Wolf Hall and Ruth Madeley of BBC3’s Don’t Take My Baby.
Elba’s best actor nomination is for his starring role in BBC police drama Luther. He faces competition from Wolf Hall’s Mark Rylance, Ben Wishaw of BBC2 drama London Spy and Stephen Graham of Channel 4’s This Is England ’90.
The nominations list is considered one of the most diverse in the ceremony’s history. Aside from non-white talent in most performing categories, best actress nominee Miss Madeley is a wheelchair user.
At 89, Sir David Attenborough is nominated for his wildlife series The Hunt, while the best supporting actress category includes 14-year- old Eleanor Worthington- Cox who starred in Sky Living’s The Enfield Haunting.
In the entertainment category Strictly Come Dancing takes on Britain’s Got Tal- ent, along with Adele At The BBC – in which the 27-year- old singer discussed her career – and Channel 4’s TFI Friday anniversary special. The awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday May 8.