The biggest night in TV is almost here, with the National Television Awards 2026 rapidly approaching!

This year’s awards will be hosted, for the sixth year in a row, by Joel Dommett, and will take place at The O2 in London on Tuesday 8th September.
Now, the longlist of contenders has been revealed, with some of the biggest names from across the industry, and indeed the biggest shows, included.
In the Reality Competition category, The Traitors will be going up against its Celebrity spin-off, along with a whole host of other contenders like Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
Other big shows in the running across the various categories include Alien: Earth, Bookish, House of Guinness, Pluribus, The Other Bennet Sister, Beyond Paradise, Call the Midwife and Grace – and that really is just scratching the surface.
When it comes to individuals in contention, Ant & Dec are once again in competition for the TV Presenter award – will they be able to claim it back after Gary Lineker broke their 23-year streak in 2025?
The decision is in your hands: read on for the full details for how to vote in the 2026 National Television Awards below, and to find the full longlist.
National Television Awards 2026 longlist
The National Television Awards 2026 are coming! … and it’s time to VOTE NOW for the TV stars and shows you love.
The irrepressible Joel Dommett will be hosting Television’s biggest night of the year at The O2 London in September in a spectacular celebration of TV talent – and it’s down to YOU to choose the winners.
Voting is easy – you can vote free online at www.nationaltvawards.com
All votes must be in by 11pm on Friday 29th May 2026.
The NTA shortlist will be revealed in August when the final round of voting begins. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on ITV on 8th September 2026 (see full Terms & Conditions and Privacy Notice at www.nationaltvawards.com)
You can be there! Join hundreds of stars for a night to remember when the results are revealed LIVE on 8 September 2026 at The O2 London by going to nationaltvawards.com for tickets.
Reality competition
- Big Brother
- Celebrity Race Across the World
- Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins
- Dating Naked
- Destination X
- Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing
- Hunted
- I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
- I’m A Celebrity… South Africa
- Love Island
- Love Island All Stars
- Love Overboard
- Race Across the World
- Squid Game: The Challenge
- The Apprentice
- The Celebrity Traitors
- The Neighbourhood
- The Summit
- The Traitors
New drama
- A Woman of Substance
- Alien: Earth
- Betrayal
- Believe Me
- Bookish
- Coldwater
- Dept. Q
- Down Cemetery Road
- Frauds
- Girl Taken
- Gone
- Heated Rivalry
- House of Guinness
- I Fought The Law
- Imperfect Women
- King & Conqueror
- Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
- Lynley
- Mix Tape
- Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue
- Pluribus
- Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards
- Riot Women
- Run Away
- Secret Service
- Steal
- The Cage
- The Girlfriend
- The Guest
- The Hack
- The Lady
- The Madison
- The Other Bennet Sister
- The Testaments
- The War Between the Land and the Sea
- Young Sherlock
Quiz show
- Alan Carr’s Picture Slam
- Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win
- Beat the Chasers
- Celebrity Catchphrase
- Celebrity Mastermind
- Celebrity Puzzling
- Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
- Millionaire Hot Seat
- Only Connect
- Pointless
- PopMaster TV
- Richard Osman’s House of Games
- The 1% Club
- The Celebrity Inner Circle
- The Chase
- The Finish Line
- The Floor
- The Hit List
- The Weakest Link
- University Challenge
- Wheel of Fortune
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Authored documentary
- Bono: Stories of Surrender
- Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth
- Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember
- Chris McCausland: Seeing into the Future
- Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?
- Heston: My Life with Bipolar
- Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution
- Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix
- Molly-Mae: Behind It All
- Our Girls: The Southport Families
- Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home
- Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage and Me
- Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
- Torvill & Dean: The Last Dance
Returning drama
- A Thousand Blows
- After The Flood
- All Creatures Great and Small
- Bergerac
- Beyond Paradise
- Blue Lights
- Bridgerton
- Call the Midwife
- Criminal Record
- Death in Paradise
- Death Valley
- Fallout
- Grace
- Grantchester
- Hijack
- Karen Pirie
- Paradise
- Patience
- Red Eye
- Return to Paradise
- Ridley
- Rivals
- Shetland
- Silent Witness
- Slow Horses
- Stranger Things
- The Capture
- The Gold
- The Gone
- The Night Manager
- Trigger Point
TV presenter
- Adam Hills
- AJ Odudu
- Alan Carr
- Alex Jones
- Alexander Armstrong
- Alison Hammond
- Amanda Holden
- Amol Rajan
- Ant & Dec
- Barney Walsh
- Ben Fogle
- Ben Shephard
- Bradley Walsh
- Carol Kirkwood
- Cat Deeley
- Claudia Winkleman
- Clive Myrie
- David Attenborough
- Davina McCall
- Dermot O’Leary
- Emma Willis
- Fiona Bruce
- Freddie Flintoff
- Gethin Jones
- Graham Norton
- Greg Davies
- Hamza Yassin
- Helen Skelton
- Jack Whitehall
- Jeremy Clarkson
- Jeremy Vine
- Jimmy Carr
- Joel Dommett
- Jonathan Ross
- Lee Mack
- Lorraine Kelly
- Martin Lewis
- Marvin Humes
- Maya Jama
- Michael McIntyre
- Nicky Campbell
- Rob Brydon
- Rob Rinder
- Rochelle Humes
- Roman Kemp
- Romesh Ranganathan
- RuPaul
- Ruth Langsford
- Rylan Clark
- Sandi Toksvig
- Siobhán McSweeney
- Stacey Solomon
- Stephen Mulhern
- Susanna Reid
- Tess Daly
- Tom Allen
- Vernon Kay
- Victoria Coren Mitchell
- Will Best
Reality docuseries
- At Home with the Furys
- Being Gordon Ramsay
- Clarkson’s Farm
- Fletchers’ Family Farm
- Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
- Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure
- Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids
- Raising Chelsea
- Sam & Ade Go Birding
- Stacey & Joe
- The Dyers’ Caravan Park
- The Princess Diaries
- Vinnie Jones in the Country
- Welcome to Wrexham
Comedy
- Amandaland
- Black Ops
- Can You Keep a Secret?
- Changing Ends
- Daddy Issues
- Daisy May and Charlie Cooper’s NightWatch
- Here We Go
- How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)
- How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
- Last One Laughing
- Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair
- Man Vs Baby
- Mandy
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles
- Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping
- Mrs Brown’s Boys
- Not Going Out
- Only Child
- Saturday Night Live UK
- Scrubs
- Shrinking
- Small Prophets
- The Power of Parker
- The Young Offenders
- Twenty Twenty Six
- Wonder Man
Drama performance
- Adrian Dunbar (Alex Ridley, Ridley)
- Alex Hassell (Rupert Campbell-Black, Rivals)
- Alfie Allen (Rick Hansen, Girl Taken)
- Andrew Lincoln (John, Coldwater)
- Anna Samson (Det Sgt Mackenzie ‘Mack’ Clarke, Return to Paradise)
- Anthony Boyle (Arthur Guinness, House of Guinness)
- Ashley Jensen (DI Ruth Calder, Shetland)
- Babou Ceesay (Morrow, Alien: Earth)
- Bella Maclean (Taggie O’Hara, Rivals)
- Brenda Blethyn (Emma Harte, A Woman of Substance)
- Chase Infiniti (Agnes, The Testaments)
- Chloe Pirrie (Merritt Lingard, Dept. Q)
- Cush Jumbo (DS June Lenker, Criminal Record)
- Daniel Mays (John Worboys, Believe Me)
- David Morrissey (Michael Polly, Gone)
- David Tennant (Nick Davies, The Hack / Lord Tony Baddingham, Rivals)
- Don Gilet (DI Mervin Wilson, Death in Paradise)
- Ella Bruccoleri (Mary Bennet, The Other Bennet Sister)
- Ella Maisy Purvis (Patience Evans, Patience)
- Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean, Fallout)
- Emilia Fox (Dr Nikki Alexander, Silent Witness)
- Emma Thompson (Zoë Boehm, Down Cemetery Road)
- Eric McCormack (Kevin Anderson, Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue)
- Erin Doherty (Mary Carr, A Thousand Blows)
- Eve Myles (Fran Sharp, The Guest / Annie Cassidy, Gone)
- Gabrielle Creevy (Ria Powell, The Guest)
- Gary Oldman (Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses)
- Gemma Arterton (Kate Henderson, Secret Service)
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Salt, The War Between the Land and the Sea)
- Gwyneth Keyworth (DS Janie Mallowan, Death Valley)
- Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Sherlock Holmes, Young Sherlock)
- Holliday Grainger (Rachel Carey, The Capture)
- Hugh Bonneville (Brian Boyce, The Gold)
- Hugh Laurie (Richard Roper, The Night Manager)
- Idris Elba (Sam Nelson, Hijack)
- James Nesbitt (Simon Greene, Run Away)
- James Norton (Harold Godwinson, King & Conqueror / Sean Rafferty, House of Guinness)
- Jing Lusi (Detective Hana Li, Red Eye)
- Joanna Scanlan (Beth, Riot Women)
- Jodie Whittaker (Sam, Frauds)
- John Simm (Det Sup Roy Grace, Grace)
- Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan, Call the Midwife)
- Katherine Devlin (Annie Conlon, Blue Lights)
- Kris Marshall (DI Humphrey Goodman, Beyond Paradise)
- Lauren Lyle (DI Karen Pirie, Karen Pirie)
- Leo Suter (DI Tommy Lynley, Lynley)
- Louis Partridge (Edward Guinness, House of Guinness)
- Lucy Halliday (Daisy, The Testaments)
- Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton, Bridgerton)
- Malachi Kirby (Hezekiah Moscow, A Thousand Blows)
- Mark Gatiss (Gabriel Book, Bookish)
- Martin Clunes (Huw Edwards, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards)
- Martin Compston (Clay Brody, Red Eye)
- Matthew Goode (Det Chief Insp Carl Morck, Dept. Q)
- Mia McKenna-Bruce (Jane Andrews, The Lady)
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Stacy Clyburn, The Madison)
- Nicholas Ralph (James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small)
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (William of Normandy, King & Conqueror)
- Olivia Cooke (Cherry Laine, The Girlfriend)
- Paul Anthony Kelly (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette)
- Peter Capaldi (DCI Daniel Hegarty, Criminal Record)
- Rhea Seehorn (Carol Sturka, Pluribus)
- Rishi Nair (Reverend Alphy Kottaram, Grantchester)
- Robin Wright (Laura, The Girlfriend)
- Robson Green (DI Geordie Keating, Grantchester)
- Rosalie Craig (Kitty, Riot Women)
- Russell Tovey (Barclay Pierre-Dupont, The War Between the Land and the Sea)
- Ruth Jones (Elena Ravenscroft, Run Away / Mrs Bennet, The Other Bennet Sister)
- Sarah Pidgeon (Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette)
- Shaun Evans (John Hughes, Betrayal)
- Sheridan Smith (Ann Ming, I Fought The Law / Leanne, The Cage)
- Sian Brooke (Grace Ellis, Blue Lights)
- Sophie Rundle (Jo Marshall, After The Flood)
- Sophie Turner (Zara, Steal)
- Suranne Jones (Bert, Frauds)
- Timothy Spall (John Chapel, Death Valley)
- Tom Hiddleston (Jonathan Pine, The Night Manager)
- Vicky McClure (Lana Washington, Trigger Point)
- Yerin Ha (Sophie Baek, Bridgerton)
The Bruce Forsyth entertainment award
- Blankety Blank
- Bullseye
- Celebrity Sabotage
- Gladiators
- Have I Got News for You
- It’ll Be Alright on the Night
- Love Is Blind: UK
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
- QI XL
- Rob & Romesh Vs…
- Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening
- Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle
- Taskmaster
- The Assembly
- The Claudia Winkleman Show
- The Graham Norton Show
- The Jonathan Ross Show
- The Last Leg
- The Masked Singer
- Would I Lie to You?
Serial drama
- Casualty
- Coronation Street
- EastEnders
- Emmerdale
- Hollyoaks
- Home and Away
Serial drama performance
- Aaron Thiara (Ravi Gulati, EastEnders)
- Alex Fletcher (Diane Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
- Alice Haig (Vicki Fowler, EastEnders)
- Barney Walsh (Cam Mickelthwaite, Casualty)
- Bradley Riches (Lewis Barton, Emmerdale)
- Charles Venn (Jacob Masters, Casualty)
- Danny Mac (Dodger Savage, Hollyoaks)
- Diane Parish (Denise Fox, EastEnders)
- Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell, EastEnders)
- Gareth Pierce (Todd Grimshaw, Coronation Street)
- Jane Hazlegrove (Bernie Winter-Alahan, Coronation Street)
- Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Joshua Richards (Bear Wolf, Emmerdale)
- Kieron Richardson (Ste Hay, Hollyoaks)
- Louis Emerick (Donny Clarke, Hollyoaks)
- Melanie Hill (Siobhan McKenzie, Casualty)
- Mikey North (Gary Windass, Coronation Street)
- Milo Clarke (Teddy Gowan, Casualty)
- Nadine Mulkerrin (Cleo McQueen, Hollyoaks)
- Natalie J Robb (Moira Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Nick Pickard (Tony Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
- Olivia Bromley (Dawn Fletcher, Emmerdale)
- Olly Rix (Flynn Byron, Casualty)
- Paul Bradley (Nigel Bates, EastEnders)
- Sophie Khan Levy (Priya Nandra-Hart, EastEnders)
- Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster, Coronation Street)
- Tina O’Brien (Sarah Platt, Coronation Street)
- Tony Maudsley (George Shuttleworth, Coronation Street)
- William Beck (Dylan Keogh, Casualty)
Factual entertainment
- 24 Hours in Police Custody
- A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough
- Accidental Tourist
- Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job
- Antiques Roadshow
- Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild
- Blue Therapy
- Car SOS
- Celebrity Escape to the Country
- Celebrity Gogglebox
- Countryfile
- Dragons’ Den
- Gogglebox
- Guy Martin: Proper Jobs
- Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles
- Kingdom
- Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars
- Long Lost Family
- Louis Theroux Inside the Manosphere
- Match of the Day
- Michael Palin in Venezuela
- Parenthood
- Rob & Rylan’s Passage to India
- Secret Garden
- Secret Genius
- Sort Your Life Out
- The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
- The One Show
- The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy
- The Repair Shop
- The Yorkshire Vet
- Tucci in Italy
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- Who Do You Think You Are?
- Wild London
Daytime
- Animal Park
- Antiques Road Trip
- Bargain Hunt
- BBC Breakfast
- Doorbell Detectives
- Father Brown
- Garden Rescue
- Good Morning Britain
- Homes Under the Hammer
- I Escaped to the Country
- James Martin’s Saturday Morning
- Jeremy Vine
- Loose Women
- Lorraine
- Lost and Found in the Lakes
- Money for Nothing
- Morning Live
- Saturday Kitchen
- Scam Interceptors
- Sunday Brunch
- Sunday Morning Live
- Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
- The Bidding Room
- The Marvellous Miniature Workshop
- The Travelling Auctioneers
- This Morning
Talent show
- Britain’s Got Talent
- Celebrity MasterChef
- Cooking With the Stars
- Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter
- Great British Menu
- Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr
- M&S Dress the Nation
- MasterChef
- MasterChef: The Professionals
- RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
- Strictly Come Dancing
- The Great British Bake Off
- The Great British Sewing Bee
- The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer
- The Great Pottery Throw Down
- Your Song
The 2026 National Television Awards will take place on Tuesday 8 September at The O2 in London. Head over to the NTAs website for tickets.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

