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Red carpet revelations at the BAFTA TV Awards

From travel talk on the red carpet to memorable moments in the ceremony, the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises was one for the books

6 min 21 May 2026

Editorial Team

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Top-tier dramas, clever comedies, iconic actors and up-and-coming stars… British television and talent have deservedly been in the spotlight this year, and we were thrilled to help honour them at the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards.

 

Though the sun was too shy to make an appearance, the stars shone brightly in its place. As they made their way down the red carpet and into Royal Festival Hall, our red-carpet host Angellica Bell was on hand to chat, have a laugh and wish them luck.

 

Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
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Even on the red carpet, amazing places and unforgettable adventures are never far from our minds. And there’s a good chance the unseasonably cool and windy weather at the awards inspired thoughts of sun, sea and sand among the stars. 

 

Presenter Laura Whitmore, who was our red carpet host at last year’s BAFTA Television Awards, arrived with her husband, comedian Iain Stirling. The pair had recently been on a Caribbean cruise with P&O Cruises – and it’s safe to say they’re converts.

 

‘You get to see these beautiful places, then you get to come back on this stunning ship, with a stunning spa,’ says Laura. ‘We were just so well looked after.’

TV personality Lydia Bright is new to cruising too, and after a Caribbean cruise earlier this year is now heading on another one to the Med in summer.

 

‘I was a cruise virgin up until this year,’ she says. ‘And now, they can’t get enough of me!’

 

Actor Jodie Whittaker, meanwhile, fondly looked back on her first solo adventure.

 

‘Eighteen years old in the year 2000, I set off by myself with a backpack,’ she recalls. ‘I went travelling around the world for a year.’

 

Before the ceremony began, Skylon was the place to be as guests of P&O Cruises, fresh from walking the red carpet themselves, mingled over Champagne while watching the stars arrive. And inevitably, the travel talk continued.

Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison

Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, known better to some as YouTubers and musicians LadBaby and LadBaby Mum, shared fond memories of a P&O Cruises Caribbean holiday they took as a family last year.

 

‘My children getting to experience the beaches and the life and the food and the culture of the Caribbean was incredible,’ said Roxanne.

 

Though even when immersed in culture and natural beauty, children are still children: ‘Despite all that amazing culture off the ship, as soon as they got back on board it was all about the ice cream bar,’ added Mark. ‘They still talk about the ice cream now.’

 

From their perch above the red carpet in Skylon, P&O Cruises guests Mark and Julie Gittens from Doncaster reflected on their most recent holiday with us.

 

‘Our last P&O Cruises holiday was to Scandinavia and it was really good,’ said Julie. ‘We were lucky with the weather, and every port was nice.’

 

Dressed to the nines, the couple also reflected on Celebration Nights on board.

 

‘Nowadays, there’s not a lot of places that you can go out and have a meal where you actually put a tie on,’ said Mark. ‘It’s nice to get dressed up.’

 

Before we knew it, it was time to head into the ceremony. The best of British television was in the room – Dame Mary Berry was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship, Steve Coogan took home a trophy for his most recent Alan Partridge outing, and Adolescence made BAFTA history with four wins, the most ever won at the BAFTA Television Awards ceremony in a single year.

Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison

The moment we’d all been waiting for came towards the end of the ceremony when comedian Chris McCausland and dancer Dianne Buswell, winners of last year’s P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award, announced this year’s winner: The Celebrity Traitors! Applause rang out as Alan Carr took to the stage to collect the blue mask trophy.

 

‘Was I good?’ Alan asked the audience. ‘Was I really? Or were the other celebrities just thick?’ He told anecdotes from his experience on the show and thanked the millions of people who watched the finale.

 

‘I had the best time ever and I’m so jealous of all the other celebrities up there that are doing it,’ he said, referring to the current season of the show, which recently filmed in Scotland. ‘I wish I could do it all again.’

 

The ceremony was over, but the party was only beginning. Back at Skylon, a throng of happy guests danced, chatted and celebrated into the night as the sun set outside Skylon’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

 

And with that, the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards came to an end. A huge congratulations to the nominees and winners. We’re incredibly proud to sponsor the event for the fourth year running – it’s truly an honour to celebrate the best of British talent and television. If you didn’t see the ceremony live, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer, and check out our social channels for the highlights from the night. 

Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison
Shot by: Christopher Ison

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