Share

cover art for The BAFTAs Are Coming....

Countdown To The BAFTAs

The BAFTAs Are Coming....

Season 2, Ep. 1

Alex Zane returns for a new series of Countdown To The BAFTAs - this time, looking at the nominees for the BAFTA Television Awards 2024 with P&O Cruises, and the BAFTA Television Craft Awards.


Follow the show now to get new episodes twice a week - and tune in on the 12th May on BBC One and iPlayer to discover the winners.



A BAFTA production

Host: Alex Zane

Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 8. War Zones, Jungles & Breaking News - The Top News & Current Affairs TV Of The Year

    46:42||Season 2, Ep. 8
    What are the ingredients for an outstanding news report? From the conflict in Israel & Gaza, to the jungles of Myanmar, our panel of TV insiders look at the finest TV journalism of the past year. Annabel Deegan produced Christiane Amanpour for CNN for many years - she tells Alex Zane why preparation is key to any field reporting.Presenter Sonali Shah worked on BBC's Newsround and explains why having two anchors on a live broadcast can sometimes be better than one.Plus, we're back at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards to hear how Benedict Sanderson won the Photography: Factual award for The Detectives: Taking Down An OCG, and Andy James and Andy Painter: two sound supervisors responsible for capturing The King's Coronation last year, winning in the Sound: Factual category.A BAFTA production, produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio. The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.In this episode we discuss the following nominees:CURRENT AFFAIRSINSIDE RUSSIA: TRAITORS AND HEROES (STORYVILLE) Paul Mitchell, Anastasia Popova, Mikhail Kozyrev, Daria Olevskaya, Monica Garnsey, Mustafa Khalili – BBC Storyville, BBC World Service, Ronachan Films / BBC FourPUTIN vs THE WEST Norma Percy, Tim Stirzaker, Lucy Hetherington, Lotte Murphy-Johnson, Max Stern – Brook Lapping / BBC TwoRUSSELL BRAND: IN PLAIN SIGHT (DISPATCHES) Production Team - Hardcash Productions / Channel 4THE SHAMIMA BEGUM STORY (THIS WORLD) Joshua Baker, Sara Obeidat, Sasha Joelle Achilli, Sarah Waldron, Simon McMahon, Mustafa Al-Ali – BBC Current Affairs / BBC TwoNEWS COVERAGECHANNEL 4 NEWS: INSIDE GAZA: ISRAEL AND HAMAS AT WAR Production Team - ITN / Channel 4SKY NEWS: INSIDE MYANMAR - THE HIDDEN WAR Production Team - Sky News / Sky NewsSKY NEWS: ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Production Team – Sky News / Sky NewsSHORT FORMSTEALING UKRAINE’S CHILDREN: INSIDE RUSSIA’S CAMPS Production Team – VICE UK / VICE News
  • 8. Scene Stealers – the Best TV Performances of the Year

    46:34||Season 2, Ep. 8
    What do we gain from depicting true stories in fiction? And what challenges do our finest actors and actresses face bringing them to our screens? Alex Zane welcomes actor and producer Jo Hartley and TV & film critic Rhianna Dhillon to look at the nominees across this year's acting categories at the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises.Plus, we're backstage at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards to meet Charlie Brooker and Bisha K. Ali after their win for writing the Black Mirror episode, Demon 79.A BAFTA production, produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio. The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.In this episode we discuss the following nominees:LEADING ACTORBRIAN COX Succession - Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions, Hot Seat Productions, HBO / Sky AtlanticDOMINIC WEST The Crown - Left Bank Pictures / NetflixKANE ROBINSON Top Boy - Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew, SpringHill Entertainment / NetflixPAAPA ESSIEDU The Lazarus Project - Urban Myth Films / Sky MaxSTEVE COOGAN The Reckoning - ITV Studios / BBC OneTIMOTHY SPALL The Sixth Commandment - Wild Mercury Productions, True Vision / BBC OneLEADING ACTRESSANJANA VASAN Demon 79 (Black Mirror) - Broke & Bones / NetflixANNE REID The Sixth Commandment - Wild Mercury Productions, True Vision / BBC OneBELLA RAMSEY The Last of Us - Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions,, Naughty Dog, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, HBO / Sky AtlanticHELENA BONHAM CARTER Nolly - Quay Street Productions / ITVXSARAH LANCASHIRE Happy Valley - Lookout Point, AMC / BBC OneSHARON HORGAN Best Interests - AC Chapter One / BBC OneSUPPORTING ACTORAMIT SHAH Happy Valley - Lookout Point, AMC / BBC OneÉANNA HARDWICKE The Sixth Commandment - Wild Mercury Productions, True Vision / BBC OneHARRIS DICKINSON A Murder at the End of the World FX Productions / Disney+JACK LOWDEN Slow Horses - See-Saw Films / Apple TV+MATTHEW MACFADYEN Succession - Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions, Hot Seat Productions, HBO / Sky AtlanticSALIM DAW The Crown - Left Bank Pictures / NetflixSUPPORTING ACTRESSELIZABETH DEBICKI The Crown - Left Bank Pictures / NetflixHARRIET WALTER Succession - Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions, HBO / Sky AtlanticJASMINE JOBSON Top Boy - Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew, SpringHill Entertainment / NetflixLESLEY MANVILLE The Crown - Left Bank Pictures / NetflixNICO PARKER The Last of Us - Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, HBO / Sky AtlanticSIOBHAN FINNERAN Happy Valley - Lookout Point, AMC / BBC One
  • 6. Family Showdowns to Armageddon - The TV Dramas Of The Year

    01:02:56||Season 2, Ep. 6
    Which essential sound effect is added to Gary Oldman’s Slow Horses performance? And why could an eighties sitcom have inspired Succession? Alex Zane runs through the best dramas of the year with screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst and film and TV critic Rhianna Dhillon.The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website. In this episode we discuss the following nominees:DRAMA SERIESTHE GOLD Production Team - Tannadice Pictures / BBC OneHAPPY VALLEY Sally Wainwright, Sarah Lancashire, Jessica Taylor, Faith Penhale, Will Johnston, Fergus O’Brien - Lookout Point, AMC / BBC OneSLOW HORSES Production Team - See-Saw Films / Apple TV+TOP BOY Charles Steel, Alasdair Flind, Ronan Bennett, Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, Tina Pawlik - Cowboy Films, Easter Partisan Films, Dream Crew, SpringHill Entertainment / NetflixINTERNATIONALTHE BEAR Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, Matty Matheson, Tyson Bidner - FX Productions / Disney+BEEF Lee Sung Jin, Steven Yeun , Ali Wong, Jake Schreier, Ravi Nandan, Alli Reich - A24 / NetflixCLASS ACT Bruno Nahon, Tristan Séguela, Olivier Demangel, Laurent Lafitte - Unité / NetflixTHE LAST OF US Production Team - Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, HBO / Sky AtlanticLOVE & DEATH Production Team - Lionsgate, David E. Kelley Productions, Blossom Films, Texas Monthly / ITVXSUCCESSION Production Team - Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions, Hot Seat Productions, HBO / Sky AtlanticLIMITED DRAMABEST INTERESTS Toby Bentley, Jenny Frayn, Sophie Gardiner, Michael Keillor, Jack Thorne - AC Chapter One / BBC OneDEMON 79 (BLACK MIRROR) Charlie Brooker, Richard Webb, Jessica Rhoades, Bisha K. Ali, Annabel Jones, Toby Haynes - Broke & Bones / NetflixTHE LONG SHADOW George Kay, Lewis Arnold, Matt Sandford, Sarah Lewis, Sacha Szwarc, Willow Grylls - New Pictures / ITV1THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT Derek Wax, Brian Woods, Sarah Phelps, Saul Dibb, Frances du Pille - Wild Mercury Productions, True Vision / BBC One
  • 5. Shiny Floors to Panel Shows - The Best Entertainment TV Of The Year

    43:56||Season 2, Ep. 5
    Escape the humdrum and discover the best entertainment shows and performances from the past year - from the presenters holding it all together and the new formats that bring out extraordinary stories from members of the public.Alex Zane is joined by entertainment exec Rina Dayalji and TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan to unpick the nominees across four categories from this year's BAFTA TV Awards with P&O Cruises. The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.Nominations discussed in this episode are:Factual Entertainment:CELEBRITY RACE ACROSS THE WORLD Production Team - Studio Lambert / BBC OneTHE DOG HOUSE Production Team - Five Mile Films / Channel 4ENDURANCE: RACE TO THE POLE Alexis Girardet, Mike Warner, Adam Bullmore, Martin Long - October Films / Channel 5PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR Production Team - Storyvault Films / Sky ArtsComedy Entertainment:THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW Graham Norton, Graham Stuart, Jon Magnusson, Toby Baker, Catherine Strauss, Pete Snell - So Television / BBC OneLATE NIGHT LYCETT Production Team - Rumpus Media, My Options Were Limited / Channel 4ROB & ROMESH VS Danielle Lux, Murray Boland, Jack Shillaker, Bill Righton, David Taylor, Graham Proud - CPL Productions / Sky MaxWOULD I LIE TO YOU? Peter Holmes, Rachel Ablett, Jake Graham, Zoe Waterman, Liz Clare, Barbara Wiltshire - Zeppotron / BBC OneEntertainment:HANNAH WADDINGHAM: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Hannah Waddingham, Hamish Hamilton, Katy Mullan, Moira Ross, Raj Kapoor, Nick Todisco - Done + Dusted / Apple TV+LATER… WITH JOOLS HOLLAND Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC TwoMICHAEL MCINTYRE’S BIG SHOW Production Team - Hungry McBear / BBC OneSTRICTLY COME DANCING Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC OneEntertainment Performance:ANTHONY McPARTLIN, DECLAN DONNELLY I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! - Lifted Entertainment / ITV1BIG ZUU Big Zuu’s Big Eats – Boom, Big Productions / DaveGRAHAM NORTON The Graham Norton Show – So Television / BBC OneHANNAH WADDINGHAM Eurovision Song Contest 2023 – BBC Studios / BBC OneJOE LYCETT Late Night Lycett - Rumpus Media, My Options Were Limited / Channel 4ROB BECKETT, ROMESH RANGANATHAN Rob & Romesh Vs – CPL Productions / Sky MaxA BAFTA productionHost: Alex ZaneProducer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio
  • 4. LOLs to LMAOs - The Best TV Comedies of the Year

    52:16||Season 2, Ep. 4
    Why are comic duos making a comeback? Can dying on stage lead to success on screen?Host Alex Zane is joined by guests TV critic Boyd Hilton and actress Susan Wokoma to talk all things scripted-comedy and tell us why dangling from a Ferris wheel isn't a commissioning dealbreaker.The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.Nominations discussed in this episode are:SCRIPTED COMEDYBIG BOYS Jack Rooke, Jim Archer, Bertie Peek, Ash Atalla, Alex Smith - Roughcut TV / Channel 4DREAMING WHILST BLACK Thomas Stogdon, Dhanny Joshi, Adjani Salmon, Ali Hughes, Nicola Gregory, Yemi Oyefuwa - Big Deal Films, A24 / BBC ThreeEXTRAORDINARY Emma Moran, Toby Macdonald, Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Charlie Palmer, Jennifer Sheridan - Sid Gentle Films / Disney+SUCH BRAVE GIRLS Kat Sadler, Simon Bird, Catherine Gosling Fuller, Jack Bayles, Phil Clarke - Various Artists Limited / BBC ThreeFEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDYBRIDGET CHRISTIE The Change – Expectation / Channel 4GBEMISOLA IKUMELO Black Ops - BBC Studios Comedy Productions, Mondo Deluxe Productions / BBC OneMÁIRÉAD TYERS Extraordinary - Sid Gentle Films / Disney+ROISIN GALLAGHER The Lovers - Drama Republic / Sky AtlanticSOFIA OXENHAM Extraordinary - Sid Gentle Films / Disney+TAJ ATWAL Hullraisers - Fable Pictures / Channel 4MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDYADJANI SALMON Dreaming Whilst Black - Big Deal Films, A24 / BBC ThreeDAVID TENNANT Good Omens - BBC Studios Comedy Productions, Narrativia, The Blank Corporation / Prime VideoHAMMED ANIMASHAUN Black Ops - BBC Studios Comedy Productions, Mondo Deluxe Productions / BBC OneJAMIE DEMETRIOU A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou - BBC Studios Comedy Productions, Guilty Party Pictures / NetflixJOSEPH GILGUN Brassic - Calamity Films / Sky MaxMAWAAN RIZWAN Juice - Various Artists Limited / BBC ThreeA BAFTA productionHost: Alex ZaneProducer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio
  • 3. Unseen Worlds to Fresh Perspectives - The Best TV Documentaries of the Year

    54:35||Season 2, Ep. 3
    What does the Spider-Man of Paris have in common with The Enfield Poltergeist? Alex Zane reveals the documentaries in contention for the BAFTA TV Awards 2024 with P&O Cruises.Find out as Alex is joined by TV exec Faraz Osman and foreign affairs journalist, documentary filmmaker and author Ramita Navai to discuss a challenging yet creatively ambitious year for factual production teams.The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.Nominations discussed in this episode are:FACTUAL SERIESDUBLIN NARCOS Benedict Sanderson, Claire McFall, Sacha Baveystock, Edmund Coulthard, Megan Taylor, Laura Dunne – Blast! Films / Sky DocumentariesEVACUATION Production Team - Wonderhood Studios / Channel 4LOCKERBIE Nancy Strang, John Dower, Claire McFall, Barnaby Fry, Dejan Cancar, Charlie Hawryliw - Mindhouse Productions / Sky DocumentariesONCE UPON A TIME IN NORTHERN IRELAND Production Team - KEO Films, Walk On Air Films, The Open University / BBC TwoSINGLE DOCUMENTARYDAVID HOLMES: THE BOY WHO LIVED Dan Hartley, Kevin Konak, Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Vanessa Davies, Amy Stares - Lightbox, HBO / Sky DocumentariesELLIE SIMMONDS: FINDING MY SECRET FAMILY Jasleen Sethi, David Thompson, Colleen Flynn, Kathryn Jein, Nick Underhill - Flicker Productions / ITV1HATTON Daniel Dewsbury, Paul Yoshida, Sam Bergson, Ian Davies, John McKenna - Noah Media Group / Sky DocumentariesVJERAN TOMIC: THE SPIDER-MAN OF PARIS Jamie Roberts, Dan Reed - Amos Pictures / NetflixSPECIALIST FACTUALCHIMP EMPIRE James Reed, Matt Houghton, Callum Webster, Matt Cole - KEO Films, Underdog Films / NetflixTHE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST Jerry Rothwell , Al Morrow, Stewart le Maréchal, Nicole Stott, Jonathan Silberberg, Davis Guggenheim - MetFilm, Concordia Studio / Apple TV+FORCED OUT Luke Korzun Martin, Sophie Perrins, Chibuikem Oforka, Josh Green, Tom Pullen, Richard Bond - Dragonfly / Sky DocumentariesWHITE NANNY, BLACK CHILD Andy Mundy-Castle, Natasha Dack Ojumu, Rochelle Newman, Zeb Achonu, Ross Leppard, Rachael McLean-Anderson - Doc Hearts, TigerLily Productions, BFI / Channel 5A BAFTA productionHost: Alex ZaneProducer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio
  • 2. Final Showdowns to Final Furlongs - The Best Live Events and Sports TV of the Year

    40:58||Season 2, Ep. 2
    From Eurovision in Liverpool to horse racing in Cheltenham... it’s all things live, as we look at the the biggest events and sporting-fixtures of the last year. Alex Zane is joined by Entertainment Editor at Heat Magazine Boyd Hilton and CEO and Exec Producer at television company Nine Lives, Cat Lewis.Find out how ending a live sports broadcast is even more important as the result, why actress Hannah Waddingham turned into a sought-after live host... and plenty of backstage gossip behind your favourite TV moments of the past year.The transcription of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website. Nominees discussed today include:LIVE EVENT COVERAGETHE CORONATION CONCERT Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC OneEUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2023 Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC OneROYAL BRITISH LEGION FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC OneSPORTS COVERAGECHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY ONE Richard Willoughby, Paul McNamara, Mark Demuth, Bridget Toomey, Rob Oldham, Dionne Robinson-Smith - ITV Sport / ITV1MOTD LIVE: FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023 Production Team – IMG / BBC OneWIMBLEDON 2023 MEN’S FINAL Production Team – BBC Sport, Wimbledon Broadcast Services / BBC OneA BAFTA productionHost: Alex ZaneProducer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio
  • 1. Bust Ups To Meet-Cutes - The Best Soaps, Realty & Daytime TV of the Year

    44:27||Season 2, Ep. 1
    What does it take to be nominated for a BAFTA? In this new series we're looking at the nominees of the 2024 BAFTA TV Awards with P&O Cruises and Television Craft Awards - bringing together stars, industry insiders and expert voices to celebrate another incredible year in British television.In this episode, Alex Zane is joined by writer and 'Queen Of Soaps' Sharon Marshall and TV Critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan to discuss the nominees for Soap, Reality and Daytime.Find out why locking celebrities up in prison is must see TV, why the age of binge watching is under threat - and why Shakespeare and the Bible are still influencing TV makers.The transcript of this episode will be available on the BAFTA website.RealityBANGED UP Production Team - Shine TV / Channel 4MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT UK Danielle Lux , Murray Boland, Rachel Viner, Susy Price, James Kayler, Dermot Caulfield - CPL Productions / E4MY MUM, YOUR DAD Production Team - Lifted Entertainment / ITV1SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE Production Team - Studio Lambert, The Garden / NetflixSoapCASUALTY Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC OneEASTENDERS Production Team - BBC Studios / BBC OneEMMERDALE Production Team – ITV Studios / ITV1DaytimeLOOSE WOMEN AND MEN Production Team - ITV Studios Daytime / ITV1LORRAINE Production Team - ITV Studios Daytime / ITV1MAKE IT AT MARKET Martin Connery, Aman Mistry, Iain Robson, Kim Merrick, Lauren Elliott, Andrew Snowball - Flabbergast TV, BritBox / BBC OneSCAM INTERCEPTORS Rowland Stone, Sherry Knight, Nick Stapleton, Odin Gillies, Sue Malone, Mark Lewis - BBC Studios Documentary Unit / BBC OneA BAFTA productionHost: Alex ZaneProducer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio