Adolescence star scoops major awards at RTS Programme Awards

Adolescence teen-star Owen Cooper bagged two more awards at the 2026 Royal Television Society Programme Awards took home four prizes on the night.

The show’s 16-year-old star, Owen Cooper, bagged two awards, winning both breakthrough and supporting actor in the male categories for his role as teenage murder suspect Jamie Miller.

Judges praised his performance as a “natural talent” with “a performance of phenomenal skill in a demanding, uncompromising role”. The series also won best limited series, while co-star Stephen Graham shared the best writer award in the drama category with Jack Thorne.

Broadcaster BBC took the overall lead with 16 wins, seeing Celebrity Traitors’ victory in entertainment, Things You Should Have Done in scripted comedy, Blue Lights for best drama, and EastEnders in the soap category.

While BBC secured the most wins, Adolescence previously made headlines with the most nominations, a record-breaking total of six.

For those unversed, Adolescence is a four-part series by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne about a 13-year-old boy who kills a teenage girl. The story looks at how online influence and toxic masculinity can lead to dire consequences.

Elsewhere, Narges Rashidi won the leading actress award for her role in Prisoner 951, a drama based on the detention of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Bobby Schofield and Anna Friel were also recognised for their performances in Unforgivable.

The ceremony, hosted by Tom Allen in London, also honoured Michael Palin with the Outstanding Achievement Award.