Sheridan Smith joins female stars making history in National Television Awards 2026 nominations

Will Sheridan Smith take home the coveted prize? (Picture: Jo Hale/WireImage) Nominations for the National Television Awards (NTAs) have been unveiled today, and history has been made in one particular category. Each year, the awards allow us the opportunity to celebrate the best of British TV and, until last year, give Ant and Dec a big pat on the back for their presenting capabilities. In 2025, a big shake-up came when Gary Lineker won the award for best presenter instead of the Geordie duo – and it turns out the upcoming ceremony is going to be one for the history books too. For the first time, the category for best drama performance features an all- female line-up of nominees, including the incomparable Sheridan Smith for her stellar performance in the ITV series I Fought The Law. She’s joined in the category alongside Ella Bruccoleri for The Other Bennet Sister, Judy Parfitt for Call the Midwife, Ruth Jones for Run Away, and Vicky McClure for Trigger Point. Get personalised updates on I'm A Celeb Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Meanwhile, the reality competition category has us feeling sorry for the BBC’s brilliant show Race Across The World, considering it’s up against two double whammies – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and I’m A Celebrity South Africa, as well as The Traitors and The Celebrity Traitors. Joel Dommett is hosting the glitzy awards ceremony once again (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for the NTAs) National treasure Sir David Attenborough (even though he doesn’t like to be called that) has received a double nomination, for TV presenter and for his programme Secret Garden. Can Sir David defeat Ant and Dec in the same year that he turned 100? It would make a pretty sweet belated birthday present if you ask us. Elsewhere, the steamy breakout hit show Heated Rivalry, which is already recognised as a cult classic, has received a nod in the new drama category. There’s life before Heated Rivalry, and life after (Picture: Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max via AP) Meanwhile, Mrs Brown’s Boys has been nominated for best comedy, a day after Brendan O’Carroll announced that the Christmas and New Year’s specials will be cancelled this year as he needs to undergo ‘immediate surgery’. Here’s everything you need to know about the NTAs, including the full list of nominees, how to vote and how you can still buy tickets. Who’s been nominated for the 2026 NTAs? Full list of National Television Awards 2026 nominations Here's the full list of nominees at this year's National Television Awards, taking place on Tuesday September 8: Reality Competition I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! I’m A Celebrity… South Africa Race Across the World The Celebrity Traitors The Traitors New Drama A Woman of Substance Believe Me Heated Rivalry I Fought The Law The Other Bennet Sister Quiz Show Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel Richard Osman’s House of Games The 1% Club The Chase Authored Documentary Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix Our Girls: The Southport Families Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage and Me Returning Drama Blue Lights Bridgerton Call the Midwife Stranger Things Trigger Point TV Presenter Alison Hammond Ant & Dec Claudia Winkleman David Attenborough Stacey Solomon Reality Docuseries At Home With The Furys Clarkson’s Farm Fletchers’ Family Farm Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Stacey & Joe Comedy Amandaland Changing Ends Last One Laughing Mrs Brown’s Boys Not Going Out Drama Performance Ella Bruccoleri, Mary Bennet, The Other Bennet Sister Judy Parfitt, Sister Monica Joan, Call the Midwife Ruth Jones, Elena Ravenscroft, Run Away Sheridan Smith, Ann Ming, I Fought The Law Vicky McClure, Lana Washington, Trigger Point The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award Gladiators Michael McIntyre’s Big Show The Graham Norton Show The Masked Singer Would I Lie to You? Serial Drama Casualty Coronation Street EastEnders Emmerdale Hollyoaks Serial Drama Performance Aaron Thiara, Ravi Gulati, EastEnders Gareth Pierce, Todd Grimshaw, Coronation Street Jeff Hordley, Cain Dingle, Emmerdale Paul Bradley, Nigel Bates, EastEnders Sue Devaney, Debbie Webster, Coronation Street Factual Entertainment 24 Hours in Police Custody Gogglebox Secret Garden Sort Your Life Out The Martin Lewis Money Show Live Daytime Good Morning Britain James Martin’s Saturday Morning Loose Women Scam Interceptors This Morning Talent Show Britain’s Got Talent Strictly Come Dancing The Great British Bake Off The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer The Great Pottery Throw Down When is the awards ceremony taking place? The awards ceremony is taking place on Tuesday September 8 at London’s O2 Arena. Doors will open for early concourse access at 6pm, with the main doors opening at 7pm. The closest train station to the arena is North Greenwich, which you can access on the Jubilee line. If you’re tuning in from home, the awards ceremony is expected to air on ITV at 8pm on Tuesday September 8. Gavin and Stacey stars Oscar Hartland, Rob Brydon, Ruth Jones, Melanie Walters and Robert Wilfort celebrate their win at the 2025 NTAs (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock) How can you vote? You can vote from the final shortlist for the NTAs by following this link. How can you buy tickets to attend? Tickets are still on sale to attend the National Television Awards in person. You can find links to them on the official website for the show, where you’ll be redirected to ticketing partners AXS and Ticketmaster. At the time of writing, general tickets are available from £28.12 on AXS and from £33.35 on Ticketmaster. There is also the option to pay more for more exclusive access, such as buying a £139 ticket to be on the red carpet watching the stars arrive. There’s a premium red carpet ticket option for £257, a star treatment experience for £268, and a premium star treatment ticket for £381. The five-star experience, which costs £1,025, is now sold out. Deals of the Day Parents can save up to 30% on Kickers school shoes ahead of the new term The back-to-school hack that's helping parents avoid queues and sold-out sizes Could your hair be wavy rather than straight? This brand thinks so Could your star sign improve your skincare routine? This new beauty launch thinks so Best skincare for menopausal skin? This dermatologist-created treatment is tailored to you To find out more about National Television Awards tickets, click here. 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