Doctor Who’s sole recognition in the recently released nominations for the 2019 BAFTA Television Awards comes in the Must-See Moment category, with Rosa getting the nod for the scene which saw the episode’s title character refuse to move from the white section of the bus as the Doctor and her friends look on, determined to see history take its course.
It’s the second year in a row that the series has been nominated in this category; last year saw the Thirteenth Doctor’s debut scene at the conclusion of Twice Upon A Time losing out in the public vote to a sequence in Blue Planet II. Going further back, Doctor Who had a win in the Radio Times Audience Award category, also decided by the public, in 2014 for The Day of The Doctor.
The series is up against some stiff competition with two of 2018’s biggest drama hits, Bodyguard and Killing Eve, also in the running, along with scenes from Coronation Street, reality show Queer Eye, and Peter Kay’s sitcom Car Share completing the shortlist.
Elsewhere in other categories it’s a good year for Russell T Davies, whose dramatisation of the Jeremy Thorpe case, A Very British Scandal has been nominated for best mini-series, best leading actor (Hugh Grant), best supporting actor (Ben Whishaw), and best supporting actress (Monica Dolan). Billie Piper also gets a supporting actress nomination for Collateral.
In an analysis of the nominations for The Guardian, Mark Lawson detects a hint of “cultural snobbery” in the omission of Jodie Whittaker from the best actress list. Viewers who enjoyed Doctor Who’s latest run of episodes may well agree, though it has to be said it’s been a strong year for British drama. There will be many who also feel that a nomination for Bradley Walsh in the supporting actor category would have been worthy recognition.
You can place your vote for the Must-See Moment Award here. My feeling, for what it’s worth, is that although Doctor Who has a strong fan base more than willing to turn out in this kind of public vote, it’s likely to struggle in this category against the mega-hit Bodyguard and the eternally popular Peter Kay. All will be revealed when the awards are given out on May 12th 2019.
For a full list of the nominees for the 2019 BAFTA TV Awards at the BBC.
