# British Academy Television Award for Best Actress

This is a list of the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress. The British Academy Television Awards began in 1955. The Best Actress award was initially given as an "individual honour", without credit to a particular performance, until 1969, when Wendy Craig won for her performance in Not in Front of the Children. Since 1970, nominees have been announced in addition to the winner, and are listed, with the winner highlighted in blue. The Actress category was split into Leading Actress and Supporting Actress, starting in 2010.
Julie Walters holds the record of most wins in this category with four, followed by Dame Judi Dench, Thora Hird, and Dame Helen Mirren, with three wins each. The nominations tally includes Helen Mirren and Francesca Annis having received 6 and Judi Dench and Julie Walters having received 7. The award is currently held by Sarah Lancashire having won most recently in 2024 for Happy Valley.

## Winners and nominees
### 1950s

| Year | Actress |
| 1955 (1st) |
| 1955 (1st) | Googie Withers |
| 1956 (2nd) |
| 1956 (2nd) | Virginia McKenna |
| 1957 (3rd) |
| 1957 (3rd) | Rosalie Crutchley |
| 1958 (4th) |
| 1958 (4th) | Not awarded |
| 1959 (5th) |
| 1959 (5th) | Gwen Watford |

### 1960s

| Year | Actress | Work(s) |
| 1960 (6th) |
| Catherine Lacey ||
| 1961 (7th) |
| Billie Whitelaw ||
| 1962 (8th) |
| Ruth Dunning ||
| 1963 (9th) |
| Brenda Bruce ||
| 1964 (10th) |
| Vivien Merchant ||
| 1965 (11th) |
| Katharine Blake ||
| 1966 (12th) |
| 1966 (12th) | Gwen Watford | The Cesar Birotteau/Madam/End Of Term/Take Care Of Madam/The Rules Of The Game |
| 1966 (12th) | Peggy Ashcroft | The Wars of the Roses/Rosmersholm |
| 1966 (12th) | June Barry | Four of Hearts - Tilt/Twice Upon a Time/Progress to the Park/No Trams to Lime Street |
| 1966 (12th) | Vivien Merchant | The Tea Party |
| 1966 (12th) | Moira Redmond | Anatol/The Late Edwina Black/Challenge/R-3 Series/A Tall Stalwart Lancer |
| 1967 (13th) |
| Vanessa Redgrave ||
| 1968 (14th) |
| 1968 (14th) | Judi Dench | Talking to a Stranger |
| 1969 (15th) |
| 1969 (15th) | Wendy Craig | Not in Front of the Children |

### 1970s

| Year | Actress | Work(s) | Character(s) |
| 1970 (16th) |
| 1970 (16th) | Margaret Tyzack | The First Churchills | Anne, Queen of Great Britain |
| 1970 (16th) | Sheila Allen | The Confessions of Marian Evans | Marian Evans |
| 1970 (16th) | Eileen Atkins | The Letter / The Heiress (Play of the Month) / Double Bill (The Wednesday Play) | Leslie Crosbie / Catherine Sloper / Woman |
| 1970 (16th) | Gwen Watford | A Walk Through the Forest | Dorrie Clarke |
| 1971 (17th) |
| 1971 (17th) | Annette Crosbie | The Six Wives of Henry VIII | Catherine of Aragon |
| 1971 (17th) | Glenda Jackson | Howards End | Margaret Schlegel |
| 1971 (17th) | Gemma Jones | The Lie / The Spoils of Poynton | Anna Firth / Fleda Vetch |
| 1971 (17th) | Rosemary Leach | Germinal / The Roads to Freedom | Maheude / Marcelle |
| 1971 (17th) | Dorothy Tutin | The Six Wives of Henry VIII / Flotsam and Jetsam | Anne Boleyn / Mrs. Grange |
| 1972 (18th) |
| 1972 (18th) | Patricia Hayes | Edna, the Inebriate Woman | Edna |
| 1972 (18th) | Glenda Jackson | Elizabeth R | Elizabeth I of England |
| 1972 (18th) | Gemma Jones | The Man in the Side Car / The Cherry Orchard | Edith / Varya |
| 1972 (18th) | Rosemary Leach | The Mosedale Horseshoe / Cider with Rosie | Helen / Mother |
| 1973 (19th) |
| 1973 (19th) | Billie Whitelaw | The Sextet (8 plays) | Various Characters |
| 1973 (19th) | Pauline Collins | Upstairs Downstairs / "Crippled Bloom" (Country Matters) | Sarah Moffat / Ruby |
| 1973 (19th) | Anne Stallybrass | The Onedin Line / The Strauss Family | Anne Onedin / Anna Strauss |
| 1974 (20th) |
| 1974 (20th) | Celia Johnson | Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont | Mrs. Palfrey |
| 1974 (20th) | Francesca Annis | A Pin to See the Peepshow | Julia Almond |
| 1974 (20th) | Rosemary Leach | The Adventures of Don Quioxte (Play of the Month) | Dulcinea / Aldonza |
| 1974 (20th) | Billie Whitelaw | "The Withered Arm" (Wessex Tales) | Rhoda |
| 1975 (21st) |
| 1975 (21st) | Lee Remick | Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill | Jennie |
| 1975 (21st) | Judy Cornwell | Cakes and Ale | Rosie Gann |
| 1975 (21st) | Janet Suzman | Florence Nightingale / Hedda Gabler (Play for Today) / Antony and Cleopatra / "Athol Fugard" (2nd House) | Miss Nightingale / Hedda Gabler / Cleopatra / Actress in Hello and Goodbye |
| 1975 (21st) | Dorothy Tutin | South Riding | Sarah Burton |
| 1976 (22nd) |
| 1976 (22nd) | Annette Crosbie | Edward the Seventh | Queen Victoria |
| 1976 (22nd) | Francesca Annis | Madame Bovary | Emma Bovary |
| 1976 (22nd) | Virginia McKenna | Cheap in August | Mary Watson |
| 1976 (22nd) | Helen Ryan | Edward the Seventh | Queen Alexandra |
| 1977 (23rd) |
| 1977 (23rd) | Siân Phillips | How Green Was My Valley / I, Claudius | Beth Morgan / Livia |
| 1977 (23rd) | Julie Covington | Rock Follies | Devonia "Dee" Rhoades |
| 1977 (23rd) | Penelope Keith | Private Lives | Amanda Prynne |
| 1977 (23rd) | Gemma Jones | The Duchess of Duke Street | Louisa Trotter |
| 1978 (24th) |
| 1978 (24th) | Penelope Keith | The Norman Conquests | Sarah |
| 1978 (24th) | Geraldine James | Dummy | Sandra X |
| 1978 (24th) | Jane Lapotaire | Marie Curie / The Return | Marie Curie / Bridget Ritsin |
| 1978 (24th) | Susan Littler | Spend, Spend, Spend | Vivian Nicholson |
| 1979 (25th) |
| 1979 (25th) | Francesca Annis | Lillie | Lillie Langtry |
| 1979 (25th) | Peggy Ashcroft | Edward and Mrs. Simpson / Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures | Queen Mary / Lady G |
| 1979 (25th) | Cheryl Campbell | Pennies from Heaven | Eileen |
| 1979 (25th) | Cynthia Harris | Edward and Mrs. Simpson | Wallis Simpson |

### 1980s

| Year | Actress | Work(s) | Character(s) |
| 1980 (26th) |
| 1980 (26th) | Cheryl Campbell | Testament of Youth / Malice Aforethought / The Duke of Wellington | Vera Brittain / Madeleine Cranmere / The Duchess of Wellington |
| 1980 (26th) | Judi Dench | On Giant's Shoulders | Hazel Wiles |
| 1980 (26th) | Kate Nelligan | Measure for Measure | Isabella |
| 1980 (26th) | Beryl Reid | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Connie Sachs |
| 1981 (27th) |
| 1981 (27th) | Peggy Ashcroft | Cream in My Coffee / Caught on a Train | Jean Wilsher / Frau Messner |
| 1981 (27th) | Celia Johnson | Staying On | Lucy Smalley |
| 1981 (27th) | Kate Nelligan | Dreams of Leaving / Thérèse Raquin / Forgive Our Foolish Ways | Caroline / Thérèse Raquin / Vivien Lanyon |
| 1981 (27th) | Pamela Stephenson | Not the Nine O'Clock News | Various Roles |
| 1982 (28th) |
| 1982 (28th) | Judi Dench | Going Gently / A Fine Romance / The Cherry Orchard | Sister Scarli / Laura Dalton / Madame Ranevskaya |
| 1982 (28th) | Claire Bloom | Brideshead Revisited | Lady Marchmain |
| 1982 (28th) | Celia Johnson | The Potting Shed | Mrs. Callifer |
| 1982 (28th) | Diana Quick | Brideshead Revisited | Julia Flyte |
| 1983 (29th) |
| 1983 (29th) | Beryl Reid | Smiley's People | Connie Sachs |
| 1983 (29th) | Jane Asher | A Voyage Round My Father / Love Is Old, Love Is New | Elizabeth / Katha |
| 1983 (29th) | Maureen Lipman | Outside Edge / Rolling Home | Maggie / Val |
| 1983 (29th) | Julie Walters | Boys from the Blackstuff / Say Something Happened | Angie Todd / June Potter |
| 1984 (30th) |
| 1984 (30th) | Coral Browne | An Englishman Abroad | Herself |
| 1984 (30th) | Blair Brown | Kennedy | Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis |
| 1984 (30th) | Judi Dench | Saigon: Year of the Cat | Barbara Dean |
| 1984 (30th) | Maggie Smith | Mrs. Silly | Mrs. Silly |
| 1985 (31st) |
| 1985 (31st) | Peggy Ashcroft | The Jewel in the Crown | Barbara Batchelor |
| 1985 (31st) | Geraldine James | The Jewel in the Crown | Sarah Layton |
| 1985 (31st) | Judy Parfitt | The Jewel in the Crown | Mildred Layton |
| 1985 (31st) | Susan Wooldridge | The Jewel in the Crown | Daphne Manners |
| 1986 (32nd) |
| 1986 (32nd) | Claire Bloom | Shadowlands | Joy Gersham |
| 1986 (32nd) | Frances de la Tour | Duet for One | Stephanie Anderson |
| 1986 (32nd) | Mary Steenburgen | Tender Is the Night | Nicole Warren Diver |
| 1986 (32nd) | Joanne Whalley | Edge of Darkness | Emma Craven |
| 1987 (33rd) |
| 1987 (33rd) | Anna Massey | Hotel du Lac | Edith Hope |
| 1987 (33rd) | Joan Hickson | Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage | Miss Marple |
| 1987 (33rd) | Wendy Hiller | All Passion Spent | Lady Slane |
| 1987 (33rd) | Patricia Hodge | Hotel du Lac | Monica |
| 1987 (33rd) | Alison Steadman | The Singing Detective | Mrs. Marlow |
| 1987 (33rd) | Julie T. Wallace | The Life and Loves of a She-Devil | Ruth |
| 1988 (34th) |
| 1988 (34th) | Emma Thompson | Fortunes of War / Tutti Frutti | Harriet Pringle / Suzi Kettles |
| 1988 (34th) | Jean Alexander | Coronation Street | Hilda Ogden |
| 1988 (34th) | Joan Hickson | Miss Marple: Nemesis | Miss Marple |
| 1988 (34th) | Miranda Richardson | After Pilkington | Penny "Patch" Newhouse |
| 1989 (35th) |
| 1989 (35th) | Thora Hird | Talking Heads: A Cream Cracker Under The Settee | Doris |
| 1989 (35th) | Jane Lapotaire | Blind Justice | Katherine Hughes |
| 1989 (35th) | Patricia Routledge | Talking Heads: A Lady of Letters | Irene Ruddock |
| 1989 (35th) | Maggie Smith | Talking Heads: Bed Among the Lentils | Susan |

### 1990s

| Year | Actors | Work | Character | Network |
| 1990 (36th) |
| 1990 (36th) | Diana Rigg | Mother Love | Helena Vesey | BBC One |
| 1990 (36th) | Peggy Ashcroft | She's Been Away | Lillian Huckle | BBC One |
| 1990 (36th) | Judi Dench | Behaving Badly | Bridget Mayor | Channel 4 |
| 1990 (36th) | Gwen Taylor | A Bit of a Do | Rita Simcock | ITV |
| 1991 (37th) |
| 1991 (37th) | Geraldine McEwan | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Mother | BBC Two |
| 1991 (37th) | Susannah Harker | House of Cards | Mattie Storin | BBC |
| 1991 (37th) | Emily Aston | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Small Jess | BBC Two |
| 1991 (37th) | Charlotte Coleman | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Jess | BBC Two |
| 1992 (38th) |
| 1992 (38th) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 1992 (38th) | Lindsay Duncan | G.B.H. | Barbara Douglas | Channel 4 |
| 1992 (38th) | Zoe Wanamaker | Prime Suspect | Moyra Henson | ITV |
| 1992 (38th) | Prunella Scales | A Question of Attribution | H.M.Q. | BBC One |
| 1993 (39th) |
| 1993 (39th) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect 2 | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 1993 (39th) | Maggie Smith | Memento Mori | Mrs. Mabel Pettigrew | BBC Two |
| 1993 (39th) | Juliet Stevenson | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | BBC Two |
| 1993 (39th) | Zoe Wanamaker | Love Hurts | Tessa Piggott | BBC One |
| 1994 (40th) |
| 1994 (40th) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect 3 | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 1994 (40th) | Olympia Dukakis | Armistead Maupins Tales of the City | Anna Madrigal | Channel 4 |
| 1994 (40th) | Siobhan Redmond | Between the Lines | Maureen "Mo" Connell | BBC One |
| 1994 (40th) | Julie Walters | Wide-Eyed and Legless | Diana Longden | BBC One |
| 1995 (41st) |
| 1995 (41st) | Juliet Aubrey | Middlemarch | Dorothea Brooke | BBC Two |
| 1995 (41st) | Siobhan Redmond | Between the Lines | Maureen "Mo" Connell | BBC One |
| 1995 (41st) | Victoria Wood | Pat and Margaret | Margaret Mottershead | BBC One |
| 1995 (41st) | Geraldine Somerville | Cracker | Jane Penhaligon | ITV |
| 1996 (42nd) |
| 1996 (42nd) | Jennifer Ehle | Pride and Prejudice | Elizabeth Bennet | BBC One |
| 1996 (42nd) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect 4 | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 1996 (42nd) | Geraldine James | Band of Gold | Rosemary "Rose" Garrity | ITV |
| 1996 (42nd) | Juliet Stevenson | The Politician's Wife | Flora Matlock | Channel 4 |
| 1997 (43rd) |
| 1997 (43rd) | Gina McKee | Our Friends in the North | Mary Soulsby | BBC Two |
| 1997 (43rd) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect 5 | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 1997 (43rd) | Alex Kingston | The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders | Moll Flanders | ITV |
| 1997 (43rd) | Pauline Quirke | The Sculptress | Olive Martin | BBC |
| 1998 (44th) |
| 1998 (44th) | Daniela Nardini | This Life | Anna Forbes | BBC Two |
| 1998 (44th) | Francesca Annis | Reckless | Anna Fairley | ITV |
| 1998 (44th) | Kathy Burke | Tom Jones | Honour | BBC One |
| 1998 (44th) | Miranda Richardson | A Dance to the Music of Time | Pamela Flitton | Channel 4 |
| 1999 (45th) |
| 1999 (45th) | Thora Hird | Talking Heads: Waiting For The Telegram | Violet | BBC Two |
| 1999 (45th) | Francesca Annis | Reckless | Anna Fairley | ITV |
| 1999 (45th) | Natasha Little | Vanity Fair | Becky Sharp | BBC |
| 1999 (45th) | Joanna Lumley | A Rather English Marriage | Liz Franks | BBC |

### 2000s

| Year | Actors | Work | Character | Network |
| 2000 (46th) |
| 2000 (46th) | Thora Hird | Lost for Words | Annie Longden | ITV |
| 2000 (46th) | Francesca Annis | Wives and Daughters | Hyacinth Gibson | BBC One |
| 2000 (46th) | Maggie Smith | David Copperfield | Betsey Trotwood | BBC One |
| 2000 (46th) | Lindsay Duncan | Shooting the Past | Marilyn Truman | BBC Two |
| 2001 (47th) |
| 2001 (47th) | Judi Dench | The Last of the Blonde Bombshells | Elizabeth Gold | BBC |
| 2001 (47th) | Amanda Redman | At Home with the Braithwaites | Alison Braithwaite | ITV |
| 2001 (47th) | Fay Ripley | Cold Feet | Jenny Gifford | ITV |
| 2001 (47th) | Alison Steadman | Fat Friends | Betty Simpson | ITV |
| 2001 (47th) | Geraldine James | The Sins | Gloria Green | BBC One |
| 2002 (48th) |
| 2002 (48th) | Julie Walters | My Beautiful Son | Sheila Fitzpatrick | ITV |
| 2002 (48th) | Lindsay Duncan | Perfect Strangers | Alice Hagerty | BBC Two |
| 2002 (48th) | Sheila Hancock | The Russian Bride | Dora Blossom | ITV |
| 2002 (48th) | Lesley Sharp | Bob & Rose | Rose Cooper | ITV |
| 2003 (49th) |
| 2003 (49th) | Julie Walters | Murder | Angela Maurer | BBC Two |
| 2003 (49th) | Sheila Hancock | Bedtime | Alice Oldfield | BBC One |
| 2003 (49th) | Jessica Hynes | Tomorrow La Scala! | Victoria Stevenson | BBC Two |
| 2003 (49th) | Vanessa Redgrave | The Gathering Storm | Clementine Churchill | BBC |
| 2004 (50th) |
| 2004 (50th) | Julie Walters | The Canterbury Tales | Beth Craddock | BBC One |
| 2004 (50th) | Helen Mirren | Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness | Jane Tennison | ITV |
| 2004 (50th) | Gina McKee | The Lost Prince | Charlotte Bill | BBC One |
| 2004 (50th) | Miranda Richardson | The Lost Prince | Queen Mary | BBC One |
| 2005 (51st) |
| 2005 (51st) | Anamaria Marinca | Sex Traffic | Elena Visinescu | Channel 4 |
| 2005 (51st) | Brenda Blethyn | Belonging | Jess Cople | ITV |
| 2005 (51st) | Anne-Marie Duff | Shameless | Fiona Gallagher | Channel 4 |
| 2005 (51st) | Lia Williams | May 33rd | Ella Wilson | BBC One |
| 2006 (52nd) |
| 2006 (52nd) | Anna Maxwell Martin | Bleak House | Esther Summerson | BBC One |
| 2006 (52nd) | Anne-Marie Duff | Shameless | Fiona Gallagher | Channel 4 |
| 2006 (52nd) | Lucy Cohu | The Queen's Sister | Princess Margaret | Channel 4 |
| 2006 (52nd) | Gillian Anderson | Bleak House | Lady Dedlock | BBC One |
| 2007 (53rd) |
| 2007 (53rd) | Victoria Wood | Housewife, 49 | Nella Last | ITV |
| 2007 (53rd) | Anne-Marie Duff | The Virgin Queen | Elizabeth I | BBC One |
| 2007 (53rd) | Ruth Wilson | Jane Eyre | Jane Eyre | BBC One |
| 2007 (53rd) | Samantha Morton | Longford | Myra Hindley | Channel 4 |
| 2008 (54th) |
| 2008 (54th) | Eileen Atkins | Cranford | Deborah Jenkyns | BBC One |
| 2008 (54th) | Kierston Wareing | It's a Free World... | Angela | Channel 4 |
| 2008 (54th) | Gina McKee | The Street | Jan Parr | BBC One |
| 2008 (54th) | Judi Dench | Cranford | Matilda "Matty" Jenkyns | BBC One |
| 2009 (55th) |
| 2009 (55th) | Anna Maxwell Martin | Poppy Shakespeare | N | Channel 4 |
| 2009 (55th) | June Brown | EastEnders | Dot Cotton | BBC One |
| 2009 (55th) | Maxine Peake | Hancock and Joan | Joan Le Mesurier | BBC Four |
| 2009 (55th) | Andrea Riseborough | Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley | Margaret Thatcher | BBC Four |

### 2010s

| Year | Actors | Work | Character | Network |
| 2010 (56th) |
| 2010 (56th) | Julie Walters | Mo | Mo Mowlam | Channel 4 |
| 2010 (56th) | Helena Bonham Carter | Enid | Enid Blyton | BBC Four |
| 2010 (56th) | Sophie Okonedo | Mrs. Mandela | Winnie Mandela | BBC Four |
| 2010 (56th) | Julie Walters | A Short Stay in Switzerland | Dr. Anne Turner | BBC One |
| 2011 (57th) |
| 2011 (57th) | Vicky McClure | This Is England '86 | Lorraine "Lol" Jenkins | Channel 4 |
| 2011 (57th) | Anna Maxwell Martin | South Riding | Sarah Burton | BBC One |
| 2011 (57th) | Natalie Press | Five Daughters | Paula Clennell | BBC One |
| 2011 (57th) | Juliet Stevenson | Accused | Helen Ryland | BBC One |
| 2012 (58th) |
| 2012 (58th) | Emily Watson | Appropriate Adult | Janet Leach | ITV |
| 2012 (58th) | Romola Garai | The Crimson Petal and the White | Sugar | BBC Two |
| 2012 (58th) | Vicky McClure | This Is England '88 | Lorranie "Lol" Jenkins | Channel 4 |
| 2012 (58th) | Nadine Marshall | Random | Sister | Channel 4 |
| 2013 (59th) |
| 2013 (59th) | Sheridan Smith | Mrs Biggs | Charmian Biggs | ITV |
| 2013 (59th) | Rebecca Hall | Parade's End | Sylvia Tietjens | BBC Two |
| 2013 (59th) | Sienna Miller | The Girl | Tippi Hedren | BBC Two |
| 2013 (59th) | Anne Reid | Last Tango in Halifax | Celia Dawson | BBC One |
| 2014 (60th) |
| 2014 (60th) | Olivia Colman | Broadchurch | Ellie Miller | ITV |
| 2014 (60th) | Helena Bonham Carter | Burton & Taylor | Elizabeth Taylor | BBC Four |
| 2014 (60th) | Kerrie Hayes | The Mill | Esther Price | Channel 4 |
| 2014 (60th) | Maxine Peake | The Village | Grace Middleton | BBC One |
| 2015 (61st) |
| 2015 (61st) | Georgina Campbell | Murdered by My Boyfriend | Ashley Jones | BBC Three |
| 2015 (61st) | Keeley Hawes | Line of Duty | Lindsay Denton | BBC Two |
| 2015 (61st) | Sarah Lancashire | Happy Valley | Catherine Cawood | BBC One |
| 2015 (61st) | Sheridan Smith | Cilla | Cilla Black | ITV |
| 2016 (62nd) |
| 2016 (62nd) | Suranne Jones | Doctor Foster | Gemma Foster | BBC One |
| 2016 (62nd) | Claire Foy | Wolf Hall | Anne Boleyn | BBC Two |
| 2016 (62nd) | Sheridan Smith | The C-Word | Lisa Lynch | BBC One |
| 2016 (62nd) | Ruth Madeley | Don't Take My Baby | Anna Howard | BBC Three |
| 2017 (63rd) |
| 2017 (63rd) | Sarah Lancashire | Happy Valley | Catherine Cawood | BBC One |
| 2017 (63rd) | Nikki Amuka-Bird | NW | Natalie Blake | BBC Two |
| 2017 (63rd) | Claire Foy | The Crown | Queen Elizabeth II | Netflix |
| 2017 (63rd) | Jodie Comer | Thirteen | Ivy Moxam | BBC Three/BBC Two |
| 2018 (64th) |
| 2018 (64th) | Molly Windsor | Three Girls | Holly Winshaw | BBC One |
| 2018 (64th) | Claire Foy | The Crown | Queen Elizabeth II | Netflix |
| 2018 (64th) | Sinead Keenan | Little Boy Blue | Melanie Jones | ITV |
| 2018 (64th) | Thandie Newton | Line of Duty | Roseanne "Roz" Huntley | BBC Two |
| 2019 (65th) |
| 2019 (65th) | Jodie Comer | Killing Eve | Villanelle / Oksana Astankova | BBC One |
| 2019 (65th) | Keeley Hawes | Bodyguard | Julia Montague | BBC One |
| 2019 (65th) | Sandra Oh | Killing Eve | Eve Polastri | BBC One |
| 2019 (65th) | Ruth Wilson | Mrs Wilson | Alison Wilson | BBC One |

### 2020s

| Year | Actors | Work | Character | Network |
| 2020 (66th) |
| 2020 (66th) | Glenda Jackson | Elizabeth is Missing | Maud Horsham | BBC One |
| 2020 (66th) | Samantha Morton | I Am Kirsty | Kirsty | Channel 4 |
| 2020 (66th) | Jodie Comer | Killing Eve | Villanelle / Oksana Astankova | BBC One |
| 2020 (66th) | Suranne Jones | Gentleman Jack | Anne Lister | HBO/BBC One |
| 2021 (67th) |
| 2021 (67th) | Michaela Coel | I May Destroy You | Arabella Essiedu | BBC One |
| 2021 (67th) | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Normal People | Marianne Sheridan | BBC Three |
| 2021 (67th) | Billie Piper | I Hate Suzie | Suzie Pickles | Sky Atlantic |
| 2021 (67th) | Hayley Squires | Adult Material | Hayley Burrows / Jolene Dollar | Channel 4 |
| 2021 (67th) | Jodie Comer | Killing Eve | Villanelle / Oksana Astankova | BBC One |
| 2021 (67th) | Letitia Wright | Small Axe: Mangrove | Altheia Jones-LeCointe | BBC One |
| 2022 (68th) |
| 2022 (68th) | Jodie Comer | Help | Sarah | Channel 4 |
| 2022 (68th) | Kate Winslet | Mare of Easttown | Marianne "Mare" Sheehan | Sky Atlantic |
| 2022 (68th) | Lydia West | It's a Sin | Jill Baxter | Channel 4 |
| 2022 (68th) | Niamh Algar | Deceit | Sadie Byrne / Lizzie James | Channel 4 |
| 2022 (68th) | Emily Watson | Too Close | Dr. Emma Robertson | ITV |
| 2022 (68th) | Denise Gough | Too Close | Connie Mortensen | ITV |
| 2023 (69th) |
| 2023 (69th) | Kate Winslet | I Am... Ruth | Ruth | Channel 4 |
| 2023 (69th) | Sarah Lancashire | Julia | Julia Child | HBO / Sky Atlantic |
| 2023 (69th) | Vicky McClure | Without Sin | Stella Tomlinson | ITVX |
| 2023 (69th) | Maxine Peake | Anne | Anne Williams | ITV |
| 2023 (69th) | Billie Piper | I Hate Suzie Too | Suzie Pickles | Sky Atlantic |
| 2023 (69th) | Imelda Staunton | The Crown | Queen Elizabeth II | Netflix |
| 2024 (70th) |
| 2024 (70th) | Sarah Lancashire | Happy Valley | Sgt Catherine Cawood | BBC One |
| 2024 (70th) | Anjana Vasan | Black Mirror: "Demon 79" | Nida Huq | Netflix |
| 2024 (70th) | Anne Reid | The Sixth Commandment | Ann Moore-Martin | BBC One |
| 2024 (70th) | Sharon Horgan | Best Interests | Nicci | BBC One |
| 2024 (70th) | Bella Ramsey | The Last of Us | Ellie | Sky Atlantic |
| 2024 (70th) | Helena Bonham Carter | Nolly | Noele Gordon | ITVX |

## Superlatives

| Record | Actress | Programme | Age (in years) |
| Oldest winner | Thora Hird | Lost for Words | 89 |
| Oldest nominee | Thora Hird | Lost for Words | 89 |
| Youngest winner | Molly Windsor | Three Girls | 20 |
| Youngest nominee | Molly Windsor | Three Girls | 20 |

## Actresses with multiple wins and nominations
### Multiple wins

The following people have been awarded the British Academy Television Award for Actress multiple times:

### Multiple nominations

The following people have been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Actress multiple times:
Note: Julie Walters' two mentions in 2010, count as two separate nominations.