EASTENDERS has been snubbed for Best Soap at this year’s TV Baftas.
The BBC staple, which won the prize last year, missed out on a nomination as today’s shortlist was revealed.
Rival shows Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Casualty and Holby City will battle it out for the gong, while Hollyoaks has also missed out.
Since the the Best Soap and Continuing Drama category was introduced in 1999, EastEnders has won it nine times, more than any other show.
It will be a bitter blow to the show that recently marked its 35th anniversary with a run of blockbuster episodes that saw a party boat sink in the Thames.
Chernobyl leads the way across the TV and Craft lists with 14 nominations, while Netflix’s The Crown has seven, BBC comedy Fleabag has six, as does crime drama Giri/Haji.
Gavin & Stacey is up against Love Island for best TV moment of the year.
The beloved sitcom attracted a record number of viewers during last year’s reunion Christmas special when Nessa got on one knee to propose to Smithy.
But the public will have to decide if that moment was more iconic than Michael Griffiths’ brutal treatment of Amber Gill on Love Island or Arya killing the Night King in Game of Thrones.
This year’s TV Baftas will feature the Virgin Media’s Must-See Moment Award, which will be decided by public vote.
Other massive moments in the running for the coveted award include, John Corbett’s death in Line Of Duty, Fleabag’s hot priest choosing God over his relationship, and Sinead Osbourne’s heartbreaking death on Coronation Street.
Jury member Caitlin Moran helped created the shortlist of nominees, said TV had been vital during the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “Now, more than ever, we have needed the sense of escape, truth, community and joy that the best television delivers, and we are talking about it everywhere: on the sofa, on Twitter, and at a safe distance of two metres whenever we meet up.”
“So whether you were shouting ‘Get in there, Arya!’ as she went head-to-head with the Night King, tweeting ‘Gngngngngn’ at the hot priest in Fleabag, or finding yourself, unexpectedly, bursting into tears when Nessa proposed to Smithy, it’s now over to you to decide on which moment truly ‘won the telly’.”
The ceremony, hosted by Richard Ayoade, will be broadcast on BBC One on July 31.
In accordance with current government coronavirus restrictions, the awards will take place in a closed studio, with winners invited to accept their awards virtually.
