Owen Cooper completes historic awards sweep with BAFTA win for ‘Adolescence’

Owen Cooper has officially completed one of the most remarkable television awards runs in recent memory after winning the BAFTA TV Award for supporting actor for his breakout performance in Adolescence.

The 16 year old actor collected the honour on Sunday night, adding a BAFTA to an already extraordinary list of achievements for what was his first professional screen role. With the victory, Cooper completed a clean sweep of the industry’s major television acting prizes, having already won a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award and SAG Award for the same performance.

The British actor rose to international prominence after starring in Netflix’s four part drama Adolescence, co created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Cooper portrayed Jamie Miller, a 13 year old boy accused of murdering a female classmate, in a performance that quickly became one of the most talked about television roles of the year.

His BAFTA victory arrived almost 14 months after the series first premiered and further cemented the cultural impact of the show, which has collected awards across both Britain and the United States. The drama also earned recognition at the Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and Royal Television Society Awards during its acclaimed run.

During his acceptance speech, Cooper appeared visibly overwhelmed as he addressed the audience. “A year ago this time last year I was presenting an award and now I’m collecting one, so this is a bit mad,” he said while holding the BAFTA trophy.

He also thanked the cast and crew of Adolescence, describing them as family, before ending his speech with an unexpected tribute to The Beatles and John Lennon. Cooper told the audience that success in life required three things: “An obsession. A dream. And the Beatles.”

One of the defining moments of the series came in Cooper’s central episode opposite Erin Doherty, who played psychologist Briony Ariston. The emotionally intense chapter was filmed in a continuous hour long take and received widespread praise from critics and audiences. The episode was later nominated for the BAFTA TV Memorable Moment Award.

Cooper beat a strong supporting actor line up that included Ashley Walters for Adolescence, Paddy Considine for Mobland, Joshua McGuire for The Gold, Fehinti Balogun for Down Cemetery Road and Rafael Mathé for The Death of Bunny Munro.

The success of Adolescence continued throughout the ceremony, with Cooper’s co star Christine Tremarco also winning the BAFTA TV Award for supporting actress for her portrayal of Jamie’s mother.

Having entered the industry with no previous professional acting experience, Cooper’s rise has been viewed by many in the television world as historic. His performance in Adolescence transformed him from an unknown teenager into one of the most celebrated young actors currently working in television.