Adolescence Sweeps BAFTA TV Awards as Owen Cooper Becomes Youngest Winner

The Netflix drama Adolescence emerged as the standout winner at the BAFTA Television Awards on Sunday, leading a night of major wins alongside The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing.

While both The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing secured two awards each, Adolescence stole the spotlight with four wins—setting a new record for the most awards claimed by a single show in one year at the ceremony.

The gripping series, which sparked widespread conversation following its release in March 2025, was crowned Best Limited Series. It also earned acting accolades for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, and Christine Tremarco.

At just 16 years old, Cooper made history by becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award. His BAFTA triumph adds to an already impressive list of honours, including wins at the Emmys, Golden Globes, National Television Awards, Royal Television Society Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, all for his powerful portrayal of a teenager accused of murdering a classmate.

During his acceptance speech, Cooper paid tribute to The Beatles, quoting John Lennon to underline the importance of vision and belief.

“In the words of John Lennon, you won’t get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it,” he said, before adding that success comes down to “an obsession, a dream, and the Beatles.”

Meanwhile, Graham was honoured with Best Leading Actor for his role as Cooper’s on-screen father marking his first BAFTA win after seven previous nominations. Tremarco also claimed Best Supporting Actress for her role as the boy’s mother, completing a clean sweep of major acting categories for the series.

In his speech, Graham encouraged young audiences to pursue their ambitions, stressing that a career in acting is within reach for those willing to believe and work for it.