Adolescence star Owen Cooper takes two RTS Awards
Netflix drama Adolescence has won four awards at the 2026 Royal Television Society (RTS) Programme Awards in London.
The British show’s 16-year-old star Owen Cooper took both breakthrough and supporting actor in the male categories for his performance as teenage murder suspect Jamie Miller.
Adolescence, which has dominated the 2026 awards season, also won for best limited series, while co-star Stephen Graham – who plays Jamie’s father – took best writer for the drama category alongside Jack Thorne.
Meanwhile, the BBC led the night with 16 RTS wins, including victories for Celebrity Traitors in the entertainment and reality category, and Things You Should Have Done for scripted comedy.
BBC’s Blue Lights won for best drama, and EastEnders took the award soap and continuing drama.
Leading actor in the female category was won by Narges Rashidi for her role in Prisoner 951. The BBC factual drama tells the story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained by the Iranian state for nearly six years.
The stars of the BBC’s Unforgivable, Bobby Schofield and Anna Friel, picked up awards for leading actor in the male category, and for supporting actor in the female category.
Sir Michael Palin was given the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The RTS Awards were hosted by comedian Tom Allen at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel.
Judges described Adolescence’s Cooper as a “natural talent”, with “a performance of phenomenal skill in a demanding, uncompromising role”.
He portrayed 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is arrested for killing a girl in his school, in the four-part drama set in South Yorkshire.
The Adolescence cast have enjoyed plenty of awards success, including at the Emmys, Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards. The show also has 11 nominations for the upcoming Bafta TV awards.