Normal People has bagged seven BAFTA nominations this year, with nods for Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the leading actor categories.
Kildare native Mescal, who became an instant international star when he appeared on screens as Connell Waldron, was shortlisted for Best Leading Actor.
The 25-year-old Maynooth man is up against John Boyega (Small Axe), Josh O’Connor (The Crown), Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Shaun Parkes (Small Axe) and Waleed Zuaiter (Baghdad Central) for the gong.
Meanwhile, Edgar-Jones, 22, who played Marianne in the 12-part adaptation of Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel, is up against Billie Piper, Hayley Squires, Jodie Comer, Letitia Wright and Michaela Coel in the prestigious best actress category.
The show, directed by Oscar-nominated Irish film-maker Lenny Abrahamson and English director Hettie Macdonald, received a total of seven nominations in the TV awards.
Abrahamson has been nominated in the Best Director: Fiction category, whilst Normal People also received a nomination for best mini-series.
A spokesperson for RTÉ, which aired the show as well as the BBC, said: “We are delighted that Normal People has received seven BAFTA nominations, once again highlighting the quality of work and storytelling by the cast and crew.
“As one of the most-watched and talked about shows of the last year we are thrilled it is receiving the recognition it deserves.”
Meanwhile, Steve McQueen’s BBC series ‘Small Axe’ dominated the nominations, bagging a total of 15 nods at the coveted awards.
It has been nominated for nine craft awards and six in the television category.
‘The Crown’ will also be hopeful to add some more bling to their jewels as season four garnered 10 nominations in total.
Michaela Coel’s ‘I May Destroy You’ followed closely behind with eight nods.
Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan is also celebrating a nod, as the big reveal of her Bridgerton character Penelope Featherington as the mysterious Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s raunchy period drama Bridgerton was nominated for the Must-See Moment award.
Other nominees in the category include Britain’s Got Talent for Diversity’s BLM-inspired performance, EastEnders for the shocking scene where abusive husband Gray Atkins kills Chantelle, and Gogglebox for the reactions to Boris Johnson’s press conference.
Nigella Lawson’s viral “mee-cro-wah-vay” moment in her series Cook, Eat, Repeat. and Luke Skywalker’s appearance in The Mandalorian are also up for the award.
It is the only award voted for by the public and voting closes on May 24 at 5pm, ahead of the awards show on June 6.
Michaela Coel’s ‘I May Destroy You’ followed closely behind with eight nods.
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway is recognised for the entertainment programme prize and will compete against Strictly Come Dancing, Life & Rhymes and The Masked Singer, while Coronation Street, EastEnders, Casualty and Hollyoaks are nominated in the soap and continuing drama category.
The Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards ceremony takes place on June 6 on BBC One and the Craft Awards will be streamed on BAFTA’s social channels on May 24.
