‘Adolescence’ and ‘Celebrity Traitors’ dominate BAFTA craft honours

The BAFTA Television Craft Awards recognised leading behind the scenes achievement in British and international television, with Adolescence and The Celebrity Traitors each taking two awards in key creative categories, signalling strong competition across drama and entertainment production.

Adolescence, the Netflix drama directed by Philip Barantini, received the award for fiction direction and also secured victory in fiction sound. The series has been noted for its intense storytelling approach and strong technical execution across its production departments, with its craft teams praised for contributing to its immersive and realistic tone.

The Celebrity Traitors achieved success in both the entertainment craft team category and factual sound. The programme continues to demonstrate strong production values in adapting the Traitors format for celebrity participants, with its sound and technical teams recognised for creating tension and atmosphere that support the show’s competitive structure.

Other winners included A Thousand Blows which earned recognition in costume design for Maja Meschede, while Amadeus was awarded for hair and make up artistry. The Last Musician of Auschwitz brought Jessica Dannheisser a win for factual original music, highlighting documentary scoring excellence. In fiction music, Mussolini Son of the Century saw Tom Rowlands recognised for original composition work that supported the series tone and period setting.

Writing categories also featured notable wins. Will Smith received drama writing recognition for Slow Horses, continuing the acclaim for the Apple TV series adaptation. Jack Rooke won comedy writing for Big Boys, reflecting its distinctive storytelling voice and cultural impact. Emerging talent awards highlighted new industry figures, including Olaide Sadiq for Grenfell Uncovered in factual and Janice Okoh for Just Act Normal in fiction, showing a growing pipeline of creative voices entering British television.

The ceremony took place at The Brewery in London on Sunday 26 April and was hosted by Maisie Adam. It forms part of the broader BAFTA Television Awards season, with the main ceremony scheduled for May 10 and hosted by Greg Davies. The craft awards specifically focus on technical and creative roles behind the camera, including editing, production design, sound, music, writing and direction, recognising the collaborative effort required in modern television production.