BAFTA TV Awards Bankers – Where your money should be going

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The one night of the year when the cast of Hollyoaks can rub shoulders with acting royalty like Dame Judy Dench is nearly upon us – that’s right the BAFTA TV Awards are nearly here!

And to get you in the mood for all the dresses, suits and envelope opening that is sure to unfold on the night, we have had a quick look at the markets available to bring you five absolute bankers when it comes to picking winners.

Featuring one of the stars of “Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps” alongside a legendary “Byker Grove” duo and a man dressed in drag in the name of comedy, here are our five top tips for success.

Leading Actress – Sheridan Smith – Cilla – 1/3

The Epworth-born actress has come a long way since the days of starring in a series of bawdy BBC Three sitcoms, having won acclaim for her work on the stage in recent years.

Smith was superb in the titular role of this ITV one-off drama and there would be little in the way of a “surprise, surprise” if she were to take home the Leading Actress gong. With nearest challenger Sarah Lancashire out at 7/2 despite impressing in Happy Valley, we are backing Smith all the way.

Entertainment Performance – Ant and Dec – Saturday Night Takeaway – 1/2

Another runaway leader for success at the BAFTA’s, Saturday Night Takeaway’s popularity is as strong as ever, with the cast members of Channel 4’s Gogglebox among those to regularly tune in to the 21st century’s answer to Noel’s House Party.

With Celebrity Juice, Strictly Come Dancing and The Graham Norton Show all nominated but each out at 5/1, it would appear that the ITV duo have got this one in the bag as well.

Male Performance in a Comedy Programme – Brendan O’Carroll – Mrs Brown’s Boys – 2/5

O’Carroll’s cross-dressing antics may not be popular with the critics but Mrs Brown’s Boys continues to be a ratings behemoth for the BBC with the show even spawning a film in recent times.

Something of a hark-back to the popular studio-based comedies of the 1960s and 70s, O’Carroll appears some way ahead of nearest challenger Matt Berry who is at 5/1 for his fine turn in the far more subversive comedy fare Toast of London.

Female Performance in a Comedy Programme – Olivia Colman – Rev – 1/2

The British public have gone Colman crazy in recent times with the Peep Show actress proving to be equally adept at drama as she is comedy on the basis of her turn in murder mystery series Broadchurch alone.

Rev may not be a mainstream smash by any means but it’s steadily developing a cult following, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Colman at the titular character’s wife. We expect her to be reward with a BAFTA accolade here.

Soap & Continuing Drama – Eastenders – 4/9

When it comes to soaps over the last 12 months, only one has managed to generate national coverage despite dishing out an all-too-familiar storyline.

The question of who killed Lucy Beale kept a country guess for what seemed like an eternity with the many twists and turns, coupled with a commendable live episode experiment, giving the Walford massive the edge over Emmerdale and Coronation Street in the battle for soap supremacy.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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