Britain’s Got Talent earns nomination for BAFTA

Simon Cowell's hugely successful series Britain's Got Talent was today nominated for a Bafta television award, while his The X Factor missed out.

The ITV series is up against The Graham Norton Show (BBC1), Charlie Brooker's Newswipe (Channel 4) and Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1) in the entertainment programme category. But there was no mention for The X Factor, which was last year's winner.

Norton is presenting this year's ceremony at the London Palladium on June 6. John Hurt is up for leading actor for the reprisal of his role as Quentin Crisp in the drama An Englishman In New York (ITV1), 34 years after he won a Bafta for playing Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant.

Julie Walters has two nominations in the leading actress category: for her role as the late politician Mo Mowlam in the Channel 4 drama Mo, and for her performance in A Short Stay in Switzerland, the BBC1 drama inspired by the story of Dr Anne Turner, who took her own life in Zurich in 2006. Walters is up against Helena Bonham Carter, who receives her first Bafta TV nomination for her role as Enid Blyton in BBC1 drama Enid.

Sophie Okonedo is also in the running for her powerful performance as Winnie Mandela in BBC4 drama Mrs Mandela. She also has a nomination in the supporting actress category for Criminal Justice (BBC1), where she is up against Imelda Staunton (Cranford), Rebecca Hall (Red Riding 1974) and Lauren Socha (The Unloved).