Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 15, makes history at Emmys as British drama dominates awards

Cooper, who had already made history as the youngest person ever nominated for supporting actor in a limited series, told the audience at the 77th Emmy Awards that he was "nothing" just three years ago.

"Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn't expect to be even in the United States, never mind here," the English actor said in his acceptance speech.

"But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life."

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Hollywood stars arrived at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday night for the ceremony, hosted by US comedian Nate Bargatze.

"It says my name on the statue, but it really belongs to all of the people who worked on the show," Cooper said.

Co-stars Erin Doherty won best supporting actress in a limited series, dedicating the award to her older sister and Stephen Graham picked up the award for lead actor in a limited series.

"I'm just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby," Graham told the audience.

"So, for me to be here today in front of my peers and to be acknowledged by you is the utmost humbling thing I could ever imagine in my life, and it shows you that any dream is possible."

Severance was nominated 27 times, while crime drama mini-series The Penguin had 24 nominations and Adolescence received 13.

The British drama, which dominated Netflix's most-watched list earlier this year, centres on the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate.

Adolescence director Philip Barantini took home the Emmy for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, while writers Jack Thorne and lead actor Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category.

"To Netflix, thank you for trusting us with this mad idea," Barantini said while accepting his award.

Adolescence also took home the gong for best limited or anthology series.

The night's other major winners included Seth Rogen's The Studio, which took home awards for best directing, best comedy series, best writing and outstanding actor in a comedy series.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver picked up two awards for variety series and outstanding scripted variety series.

Severance star Tramell Tillman made history as the first black man to win the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series, while his co-star Britt Lower won the award for outstanding lead actress in the same category.

The Pitt won best drama series, with its stars Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa taking home awards for outstanding lead actor and supporting actress, respectively.

In his opening address, host Bargatze announced that he would donate 100,000 dollars (£73,752) to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

But if speeches ran for more than 45 seconds, he deducted 1000 dollars (£737) from the total amount being donated, while speeches under the time limit would add more money to the total.

"I know, it's brutal," he said. "This is a game I've made up and these are rules."

But with the speeches running over, the donation limit went "way down", Bargatze told the crowd in his closing monologue.

"The number, I'll be honest, it was embarrassing. It went way down. And I don't know, I can't imagine ever doing this again," host Nate Bargatze said.

"So CBS is going to add 100,000 dollars (£73,752). I will give 250,000 dollars (£185,000). It takes us to 350,000 dollars (£259,000) to the Boys & Girls Club."

Dame Maggie Smith, musicians Ozzy Osbourne and Quincy Jones, Gossip Girl actress Michelle Trachtenberg and director David Lynch were among the famous faces honoured in an In Memoriam slideshow.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which was controversially cancelled earlier this year, won the award for outstanding talk series.

"And that's related to love, because sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it," Colbert told the crowd, who kicked off his speech to cheers of "Stephen" from his team onstage.

"Ten years later, in September of 2025, my friends, I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong. Be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor."

FULL LIST OF WINNERS AND NOMINEES

Outstanding drama series
Andor (Disney+)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
The Last of Us (HBO Max)
Paradise (Hulu)
WINNER: The Pitt (HBO Max)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus (HBO Max)

Outstanding comedy series
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (Hulu)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Shrinking (Apple TV+)
WINNER: The Studio (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (Hulu)

Outstanding limited or anthology series
WINNER: Adolescence (Netflix)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Dying for Sex (Hulu)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
The Penguin (HBO Max)

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series
Sterling K Brown - Paradise (Hulu)
Gary Oldman - Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Pedro Pascal - The Last of Us (HBO Max)
Adam Scott - Severance (Apple TV+)
WINNER: Noah Wyle - The Pitt (HBO Max)

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series
Kathy Bates - Matlock (CBS)
Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)
WINNER: Britt Lower - Severance (Apple TV+)
Bella Ramsey - The Last of Us (HBO Max)
Keri Russell - The Diplomat (Netflix)

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series
Adam Brody - Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
WINNER: Seth Rogen - The Studio (Apple TV+)
Jason Segel - Shrinking (Apple TV+)
Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Jeremy Allen White - The Bear (Hulu)

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series
Uzo Aduba - The Residence (Netflix)
Kristen Bell - Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri - The Bear (Hulu)
WINNER: Jean Smart - Hacks (HBO Max)

Outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie
Colin Farrell - The Penguin (HBO Max)
WINNER: Stephen Graham - Adolescence (Netflix)
Jake Gyllenhaal - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)
Bryan Tyree Henry - Dope Thief (Apple TV+)
Cooper Koch - Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)

Outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie
Cate Blanchett - Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Meghan Fehy - Sirens (Netflix)
Rashidah Jones - Black Mirror (Netflix)
WINNER: Cristin Milioti - The Penguin (HBO Max)
Michelle Williams - Dying for Sex (Hulu)

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
Zach Cherry - Severance (Apple TV+)
Walton Goggins - The White Lotus (HBO Max)
Jason Isaacs - The White Lotus (HBO Max)
James Marsden - Paradise (Hulu)
Sam Rockwell -The White Lotus (HBO Max)
WINNER: Tramell Tillman - Severance (Apple TV+)
John Turturro - Severance (Apple TV+)

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series
Patricia Arquette - Severance (Apple TV+)
Carrie Coon - The White Lotus (HBO Max)
WINNER: Katherine LaNasa - The Pitt (HBO Max)
Julianne Nicholson - Paradise (Hulu)
Parker Posey - The White Lotus (HBO Max)
Natasha Rothwell - The White Lotus (HBO Max)
Aimee Lou Wood - The White Lotus (HBO Max)

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series
Ike Barinholtz - The Studio (Apple TV+)
Colman Domingo - The Four Seasons (Netflix)
Harrison Ford - Shrinking (Apple TV+)
WINNER: Jeff Hiller - Somebody Somewhere (HBO Max)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach - The Bear (Hulu)
Michael Urie - Shrinking (Apple TV+)
Bowen Yang - Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series
Liza Colón-Zayas - The Bear (Hulu)
WINNER: Hannah Einbinder - Hacks (HBO Max)
Kathryn Hahn - The Studio (Apple TV+)
Janelle James - Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Catherine O'Hara - The Studio (Apple TV+)
Sheryl Lee Ralph - Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Jessica Williams - Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie
Javier Bardem - Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Bill Camp - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)
WINNER: Owen Cooper - Adolescence (Netflix)
Rob Delaney - Dying For Sex (Hulu)
Peter Sarsgaard - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)
Ashley Walters - Adolescence (Netflix)

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Erin Doherty - Adolescence (Netflix)
Ruth Negga - Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+)
Deirdre O'Connell - The Penguin (HBO Max)
Chloë Sevigny - Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Jenny Slate - Dying For Sex (Hulu)
Christine Tremarco - Adolescence (Netflix)

Outstanding reality competition programme
The Amazing Race (CBS)
RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef (Bravo)
WINNER: The Traitors (NBC)

Outstanding scripted variety series
WINNER: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding talk series
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
WINNER: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Outstanding writing for a drama series
WINNER: Dan Gilroy - Andor
Joe Sachs - The Pitt
R. Scott Gemmill - The Pitt
Dan Erickson - Severance
Will Smith - Slow Horses
Mike White - The White Lotus

Outstanding writing for a comedy series
Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky - Hacks
Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola - The Rehearsal
Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Bridget Everett - Somebody Somewhere
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez - The Studio
Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Paul Simms - What We Do in the Shadows

Outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham - Adolescence
Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali - Black Mirror
Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether - Dying for Sex
Lauren LeFranc - The Penguin
Joshua Zetumer - Say Nothing

Outstanding directing for a drama series
Janus Metz, Andor
Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt
John Wells, The Pitt
Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance
Ben Stiller, Severance
WINNER: Adam Randall, Slow Horses
Mike White, The White Lotus

Outstanding directing for a comedy series
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Lucia Aniello, Hacks
James Burrows, Mid-Century Modern
Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal
WINNER: Seth Rogen, The Studio

Outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie
WINNER: Philip Barantini, Adolescence
Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex
Helen Shaver, The Penguin
Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin
Nicole Kassell, Sirens
Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day