Maggie Smith Gets BAFTA TV Nomination for ‘Downton Abbey’

LONDON -- Maggie Smith’s portrayal of a snippy dowager duchess in Downton Abbey earned her a supporting actress nomination for this year’s British Academy Television Awards. But it's the only nom for the much-trumpeted ITV drama.

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The big winner is ITV1’s serial killer drama Appropriate Adult, which leads the field for the Arqiva-sponsored awards, dished out by BAFTA.

Adult scored nominations for Dominic West and Emily Watson in the lead acting categories, and the ITV Studios-produced show also is nominated for best miniseries. Monica Dolan rounds out the quartet of noms for the show in the supporting actress category.

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In the international TV category, the U.S. is repped by Modern Family, from creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and made by 20th Century Fox, airing on satcaster BSkyB’s Sky One channel here.

It will have to win hearts ahead of Danish thrillers The Killing and Borgen and the adaptation of best-selling Australian novel The Slap, all of which air on BBC Four, the pubcaster’s digital channel.

To win the best actor plaudit, West will have to overcome challenges from Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, John Simm in Exile and Joseph Gilgun in This is England ’88.

Watson will have to rise above Nadine Marshall in Random, Romola Garai in The Crimson Petal and the White and Vicky McClure in This Is England ’88 to grab the lead actress nod.

Smith and Dolan are up against Anna Chancellor (The Hour) and Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife) in the supporting actress race, while best supporting actor will be contested by Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Joseph Mawie (Birdsong), Martin Freeman (Sherlock) and Stephen Rea (The Shadowline).

The ceremony is set for May 27 in London.