owen cooper, 16, won the best supporting actor prize at the Bafta Television Awards for Adolescence in London. He used his acceptance speech to nod to John Lennon and The Beatles, a sharp turn for an actor who said that a year ago he was presenting an award instead of collecting one.
Cooper's Bafta speech
Cooper opened with, “Wow, it’s heavy that, to be fair.” He then said, “A year ago I was presenting an award and now I’m collecting one. This is a bit mad.”
He added the Lennon line, “In the words of John Lennon, you won’t get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it.” Then came the punch line that landed his tribute in one sentence: “So in my eyes, I think you only need three things to succeed: one, you need an obsession; two, you need a dream; and three, you need The Beatles.”
Adolescence and Ashley Walters
Cooper beat his Adolescence co-star Ashley Walters for the prize, giving the hit Netflix drama another awards result to add to the two prizes it won at the Bafta Craft Awards the previous weekend for directing and sound. For a series already building momentum across craft and performance categories, the win keeps it in the center of the Bafta conversation.
Christine Tremarco also won best supporting actress for playing Cooper’s mother, extending the show's reach across the acting field. The ceremony in London spread the recognition beyond Adolescence, with Celebrity Traitors taking best reality and Amandaland winning best scripted comedy.
London's Bafta winners
Greg Davies opened the awards with a joke about being “not personally nominated,” setting a lighter tone before the acting and program prizes were handed out. Claudia Winkleman later thanked Bafta and said, “This is absolutely for our extraordinary cast who played with dignity, gusto and their entire hearts and we love them.”
For Cooper, the result is straightforward: at 16, he is no longer a newcomer simply attached to a breakout drama. He is now part of the awards case for Adolescence, with a trophy in hand and the kind of speech that turns a television win into a career marker.
