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More than 130 programmes have received nominations for this year’s BAFTA TV Awards.

Baby Reindeer leads the nominations with eight, while Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Rivals and Slow Horses each have six.

Scroll down for the full list of nominees for the main BAFTA TV Awards, which take place on Sunday 11 May. The BAFTA TV Craft Awards, which recognise technical work, take place separately on Sunday April 27.

CHILDREN’S: NON-SCRIPTED
BooSnoo! Production Team – Visionality, Mackinnon & Saunders / Sky Kids
Disability And Me (FYI Investigates) – Matt Peacock, Marshall Corwin – Fresh Start Media / Sky Kids
Operation Ouch! Production Team – Maverick TV / CBBC
Reu & Harper’s Wonder World – Andy Mundy-Castle, Emine Yalchin – Doc Hearts / Channel 5

CHILDREN’S: SCRIPTED
CBeebies As You Like It At Shakespeare’s Globe – Production Team – BBC Studios Kids & Family / CBeebies
Horrible Histories – Production Team – Lion Television / CBBC
Ready Eddie Go! – James Murphy, Joseph Morpurgo, Justin Lowings – Hocus Pocus Studio / Sky Kids
Tweedy & Fluff – Corrinne Averiss, Chris Randall, Martin Tapley – Second Home Studios, Stitchy Feet / Channel 5

CURRENT AFFAIRS
Life And Death In Gaza (Storyville) – Natasha Cox, Lara El Gibaly, Haya Al Badarneh, Sarah Keeling, Simon Cox, Mustafa Khalili – BBC World Service, BBC Eye / BBC Two
Maternity: Broken Trust (Exposure) – Laura Warner, Becky Southworth, Tom Keeling, Emma Lysaght, Lewis Albrow, Martin Kayser-Landwehr – Pulse Films / ITV1
State Of Rage – Marcel Mettelsiefen, Ahisha Ghafoor, Stephen Ellis, Ismail Hussam Banighorra, Aviya Shar-Yashuv, Mayte Carrasco – Duskwater Films / Channel 4
Ukraine’s War: The Other Side (Exposure) – Sean Langan, Leslie Knott, Matt Scholes – Sean Langan, Tiger Nest Films / ITV1

DAYTIME
Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure – Des Henderson, Emma Parkins, Ed Stobart, Jane Magowan, Denis Minihan – Alleycats TV / BBC Two
Loose Women – Production Team – ITV Studios Daytime / ITV1
Morning Live – Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC One
Richard Osman’s House Of Games – Tamara Gilder, Breid McLoone, John Smith, Anna Blakemore, Abby Brakewell, Tom Banks – Remarkable TV / BBC Two

DRAMA SERIES
Blue Lights – Stephen Wright, Louise Gallagher, Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson, Jack Casey, Amanda Black – Two Cities Television, Gallagher Films / BBC One
Sherwood – James Graham, Clio Barnard, Juliette Howell, Tessa Ross, Harriet Spencer, Kate Ogborn – House Productions / BBC One
Supacell – Rapman, Mouktar Mohammed, Steve Searle, Joanna Crow – Netflix, New Wave Agency, It’s A Rap / Netflix
Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – Peter Kosminsky, Noëlette Buckley, Susanne Simpson, Peter Straughan, Lisa Osborne, Colin Callender – Playground Entertainment, Company Pictures / BBC One

ENTERTAINMENT
The 1% Club – Dean Nabarro, Andy Auerbach, Richard van’t Riet, Clare Barton, Hennie Clough – Magnum Media / ITV1
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – Production Team – Hungry McBear / BBC One
Taskmaster – Andy Devonshire, Andy Cartwright, James Taylor, Alex Horne, Jon Thoday – Avalon UK / Channel 4
Would I Lie To You? – Peter Holmes, Rachel Ablett, Barbara Wiltshire, Jake Graham, Zoe Waterman, Charlotte Bracey-Curant – Zeppotron / BBC One

Claudia Winkleman hosts The Traitors. Pic: BBC/David Emery
Image:
Claudia Winkleman hosts The Traitors. Pic: BBC/David Emery

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCE
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – Lifted Entertainment, Mitre Studios / ITV1
Claudia Winkleman – The Traitors – Studio Lambert / BBC One
Graham Norton – The Graham Norton Show – So Television / BBC One
Joe Lycett – Late Night Lycett – Rumpus Media, My Options Were Limited / Channel 4
Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett – Rob & Romesh Vs – CPL Productions / Sky Max
Stacey Solomon – Sort Your Life Out – Optomen / BBC One

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT
In Vogue: The 90s – Liesel Evans, Jonathan Smith, Hugo MacGregor, Vikki Miller, Charlotte Permutt, Matthew Hill – RAW, Vogue Studios / Disney+
Race Across The World – Production Team – Studio Lambert / BBC One
Rob And Rylan’s Grand Tour – Rob Rinder, Rylan Clark, Lana Salah, Simon Draper, Gwyn Jones, Joseph Fell – Rex, Zinc Media / BBC Two
Sort Your Life Out – Production Team – Optomen / BBC One

FACTUAL SERIES
American Nightmare – Bernadette Higgins, Fiona Stourton, Rebecca North, Alasdair Bayne, Anton Short, Felicity Morris – RAW / Netflix
Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams On Tour – Andrew MacKenzie-Betty, Naomi Templeton, Annie Hughes, Anna Strickland, Peter Benn, Drew Hill – South Shore Productions / BBC One
The Push: Murder On The Cliff – Anna Hall, Josephine Besbrode, Luke Rothery, Tom Whitaker, Kate Reid, Josh Carpenter – Candour Productions / Channel 4
To Catch A Copper – Hugo Pettitt, Ashley Francis-Roy, Bruce Fletcher, Peter Beard, Colette Hodges, Martin Thompson – Story Films / Channel 4

Alison Steadman as Pam, Ruth Jones as Nessa, and Joanna Page as Stacey.
Pic:Toffee International Ltd/Tom Jackson/PA
Image:
Alison Steadman as Pam, Ruth Jones as Nessa, and Joanna Page as Stacey in Gavin & Stacey: The Finale. Pic: Toffee International Ltd/Tom Jackson/PA

FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY
Anjana Vasan – We Are Lady PartsWorking Title Television / Channel 4
Kate O’Flynn – Everyone Else BurnsJax Media, Imagine Entertainment, Universal International Studios / Channel Lolly Adefope – The FranchiseNeal Street Productions, Dundee Productions, HBO / Sky Comedy
Nicola Coughlan – Big Mood – Dancing Ledge Productions / Channel 4
Ruth Jones – Gavin & Stacey: The Finale – Fulwell Entertainment, Tidy Productions, Baby Cow Productions / BBC One
Sophie Willan – Alma’s Not Normal – Expectation / BBC Two

INTERNATIONAL
After The Party – Helen Bowden, Dianne Taylor, Robyn Malcolm, Peter Salmon, Liz DiFiore, Jason Stephens – Lingo Pictures, Luminous Beast / Channel 4
Colin From Accounts – Production Team – CBS Studios, Easy Tiger Productions / BBC Two
Say Nothing – Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Joshua Zetumer, Patrick Keefe, Monica Levinson, Michael Lennox – FX Productions, Color Force / Disney+
Shogun – Justin Marks, Rachel Kondo, Michaela Clavell, Jonathan van Tulleken, Eriko Miyagawa, Hiroyuki Sanada – FX Productions / Disney+
True Detective: Night Country – Production Team – Peligrosa, Neon Black, Anonymous Content, Parliament of Owls, Passenger, HBO / Sky Atlantic
You Are Not Alone: Fighting The Wolfpack – Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Katie Bryer, Samuel R. Santana – Lucernam Films / Netflix

LEADING ACTOR
David Tennant – Rivals Happy Prince, ITV Studios / Disney+
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses – See-Saw Films / Apple TV+
Lennie James – Mr Loverman – Fable Pictures / BBC One
Martin Freeman – The Responder Dancing Ledge Productions / BBC One
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer Clerkenwell Films / Netflix
Toby Jones – Mr Bates vs The Post Office – ITV Studios, Little Gem / ITV1

Billie Piper as Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, in the new Nextflix drama Scoop.
Pic: Netflix/PA
Image:
Billie Piper as Newsnight producer Sam McAlister in Scoop. Pic: Netflix/PA

LEADING ACTRESS
Anna Maxwell Martin – Until I Kill You – World Productions/ ITV1
Billie Piper – Scoop – The Lighthouse Film and Television, Voltage TV / Netflix
Lola Petticrew – Say Nothing – FX Productions, Color Force / Disney+
Marisa Abela – Industry – Bad Wolf, HBO / BBC One
Monica Dolan – Mr Bates vs The Post Office – ITV Studios, Little Gem / ITV1
Sharon D Clarke – Mr Loverman – Fable Pictures / BBC One

LIMITED DRAMA
Baby Reindeer – Richard Gadd, Weronika Tofilska, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald, Matthew Mulot – Clerkenwell Films / Netflix
Lost Boys And Fairies – Rebekah Wray-Rogers, Jessica Brown Meek, Libby Durdy, Daf James, James Kent, Adam Knopf – Duck Soup Films / BBC One
Mr Bates vs The Post Office – Patrick Spence, James Strong, Gwyneth Hughes, Chris Clough, Natasha Bondy, Joe Williams – ITV Studios, Little Gem / ITV1
One Day – Nicole Taylor, Molly Manners, Roanna Benn, Jude Liknaitzky, David Nicholls, Nige Watson – Drama Republic, Universal International Studios, Focus Features / Netflix

LIVE EVENT COVERAGE
D-Day 80: Tribute To The Fallen – Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC One
Glastonbury 2024 – Production Team – BBC Studios Music Productions / BBC Two
Last Night Of The Proms – Production Team – Livewire Pictures / BBC Two

MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY
Bilal Hasna – Extraordinary – Sid Gentle Films / Disney+
Danny Dyer – Mr Bigstuff – Sky Studios, Water & Power Productions / Sky Comedy
Dylan Thomas-Smith – G’Wed – Golden Path Productions / ITV2
Nabhaan Rizwan – Kaos – SISTER / Netflix
Oliver Savell – Changing Ends – Baby Cow Productions / ITV1
Phil Dunning – Smoggie Queens – Hat Trick Productions / BBC Three

NEWS COVERAGE
BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special – Production Team – BBC News / BBC One
Channel 4 News: Inside Sednaya – The Fall Of Assad – Production Team – Channel 4 News / Channel 4
Channel 4 News: Undercover Inside Reform’s Campaign – Production Team – Channel 4 News / Channel 4

REALITY
Dragon’s Den – Production Team – BBC Studios Factual Entertainment Productions / BBC One
The Jury: Murder Trial – Production Team – ScreenDog Productions / Channel 4
Love Is Blind UK – Production Team – CPL Productions / Netflix
The Traitors – Production Team – Studio Lambert / BBC One

Michelle Keegan and Joe Gilgun in Brassic. Pic: Sky UK
Image:
Michelle Keegan and Joe Gilgun in Brassic. Pic: Sky UK

SCRIPTED COMEDY
Alma’s Not Normal – Sophie Willan, Andrew Chaplin, Gill Isles, Nerys Evans – Expectation / BBC Two
Brassic – David Livingstone, Danny Brocklehurst, Ben Gregor, Joseph Gilgun, Jim Poyser – Calamity Films / Sky Max
G’Wed Danny Kenny, Mario Stylianides, Akaash Meeda, Penny Davies – Golden Path Productions / ITV2
Ludwig – Mark Brotherhood, Robert McKillop, David Mitchell, Kenton Allen, Kathryn O’Connor, Georgie Fallon – Big Talk Studios, That Mitchell & Webb Company / BBC One

SHORT FORM
Brown Brit – Jay Stephen, Ralph Briscoe – The Romantix / Channel 4
Peaked – John Addis, Ada Player, Bron Waugh – Boffola Pictures / Channel 4
Quiet Life – Production Team – Open Mike Productions / BBC Three
Spud – Siobhán McSweeney, Pippa Brown, Leah Draws – Lookout Point TV / BBC Three

SINGLE DOCUMENTARY
Hell Jumper – Paddy Wivell, Adriana Timco, Colin Barr, Rupert Houseman, Jane Nicholson, Clancie John-Pierre – Expectation/ BBC Two
Tell Them You Love Me – Production Team – Mindhouse Productions / Sky Documentaries
Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods – Jamie Roberts, Kate Spankie, Jonathan Smith, Claire Walker, Stanislav Strilets – Hoyo Films / BBC Two
Undercover: Exposing The Far Right – Production Team – Marking Inc, Tigerlily Productions / Channel 4

SOAP
Casualty – Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC One
Coronation Street – Production Team – ITV Studios / ITV1
EastEnders – Production Team – BBC Studios / BBC On

SPECIALIST FACTUAL
Atomic People – Benedict Sanderson, Megumi Inman, Morgan Matthews, Otto Burnham – Minnow Films / BBC Two
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story – Production Team – Silverback Films / National Geographic
Children Of The Cult – Maroesja Perizonius, Alice McShane, Victoria Hollingsworth, David Modell, Ella Newton, Ben Ferguson – DM Productions / ITV1
Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle For Britain –Tom Barrow, Christian Collerton, Zora Kuettner, Neil Crombie, Joe Evans, Miriam Walsh – Swan Films / Channel 4

SPORTS COVERAGE
Euro 2024 – Production Team – BBC Sport / BBC One
Paris 2024 Olympics – Production Team – BBC Sport / BBC One
Wimbledon 2024 – Production Team – BBC Sport, Wimbledon Broadcast Services / BBC One

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ariyon Bakare – Mr Loverman – Fable Pictures / BBC One
Christopher Chung – Slow Horses – See-Saw Films / Apple TV+
Damian Lewis – Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light – Playground Entertainment, Company Pictures / BBC One
Jonathan Pryce – Slow Horses – See-Saw Films / Apple TV+
McKinley Belcher III – Eric – SISTER, Little Chick / Netflix
Sonny Walker – The Gathering – World Productions / Channel 4

Pic Netflix
Image:
Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer. Pic Netflix

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer – Clerkenwell Films / Netflix
Katherine Parkinson – Rivals – Happy Prince, ITV Studios / Disney+
Maxine Peake – Say Nothing – FX Productions, Color Force / Disney+
Monica Dolan – Sherwood – House Productions / BBC One
Nava Mau – Baby Reindeer – Clerkenwell Films / Netflix
Sue Johnston – Truelove – Clerkenwell Films / Channel 4

MEMORABLE MOMENT AWARD (voted for by the public)
Bridgerton – “THE” carriage scene where Colin admits his true feelings for Penelope – Shondaland / Netflix
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale – Smithy’s Wedding: Mick Stands Up – Fulwell Entertainment, Tidy Productions, Baby Cow Productions / BBC One
Mr Bates vs The Post Office – Jo Hamilton phones the Horizon helpline – ITV Studios, Little Gem / ITV1
Rivals – Rupert Campbell-Black and Sarah Stratton are caught in a game of naked tennis – Happy Prince, ITV Studios / Disney+
Strictly Come Dancing – Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell Waltz to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – BBC Studios / BBC One
Traitors – “Paul isn’t my son… but Ross is!” – Studio Lambert / BBC One

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Kneecap row: Paul Weller and Primal Scream lead musicians in signing open letter in support of rap trio

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Kneecap row: Paul Weller and Primal Scream lead musicians in signing open letter in support of rap trio

Paul Weller, Primal Scream and DJ Annie Mac are among the music stars who have signed a letter in support of rap group Kneecap.

The politically-charged Belfast trio, who are no strangers to controversy, have faced criticism in recent weeks following a performance at US festival Coachella in which they displayed the message “F*** Israel. Free Palestine”.

Then came the emergence of footage, taken from a gig at London’s Kentish Town Forum last November, which appeared to show one member of the group shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

Video also emerged from a November 2023 gig, appearing to show one member of the group saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for Kneecap to face prosecution over the two videos, while Glastonbury Festival is now facing pressure to drop them from this year’s line-up.

A handful of the group’s gigs have been cancelled, including one that was set to take place at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

In an open letter, the group’s record label, Heavenly Recordings, said there had been a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” the group.

More than 40 music acts have now signed the letter.

Paul Weller poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere for the film 'Blitz' and the opening gala of the London Film Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
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Former The Jam frontman Paul Weller is one of the artists to have given Kneecap their backing. Pic: AP

It reads: “As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.

“In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”

It also accuses politicians of “strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band” while ignoring a “genocide” in Gaza.

“Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story,” it says. “And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.

“Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people.”

The full list of signatories

Annie Mac, Beoga, Bicep, Biig Piig, Blindboy Boatclub, Bob Vylan, Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Delivery, Dexys, English Teacher, Enter Shikari, Fontaines D.C., Gemma Dunleavy, Gurriers, Idles, Iona Zajac, Jelani Blackman and John Francis Flynn.

Joshua Idehen, Katy J Pearson, Kojaque, Lankum, Lisa O’Neill, Lowkey, Massive Attack, Martyn Ware, Paul Weller, Peter Perrett, Poor Creature, Primal Scream and Pulp.

Roisin El Cherif, Shirley Manson, Sleaford Mods, Soft Play, The Mary Wallopers, The Pogues, Thin Lizzy and Toddla T.

Instagram accounts belonging to other acts, including Mercury Prize nominees Yard Act, have commented on post featuring the statement, asking to be added.

Elsewhere, trip hop collective Massive Attack put out their own statement supporting Kneecap.

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Kneecap comments ‘dangerous and heartbreaking’

It comes as the Metropolitan Police is assessing the “kill MPs” video clip, along with the 2024 video in which a band member appeared to say “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

In a statement posted on Instagram, the group – made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh – addressed the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, saying: “We never intended to cause you hurt.”

Read more:
Why are Kneecap controversial?
Kneecap remarks ‘dangerous’ says Sir David Amess’s daughter

Kneecap said they “reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual”.

“Kneecap’s message has always been – and remains – one of love, inclusion, and hope,” the post added.

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Harvey Weinstein accuser felt ‘the unthinkable was happening’ during alleged assault

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Harvey Weinstein accuser felt 'the unthinkable was happening' during alleged assault

A former TV production assistant has told a court she felt “the unthinkable was happening” during an alleged assault by Harvey Weinstein.

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault

Miriam Haley is the first of the former movie mogul’s accusers to testify at his retrial, which is taking place as New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction.

The former studio boss, 73, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and two of forcing oral sex. He denies sexually assaulting anyone.

Ms Haley, who also goes by the name Mimi Haleyi, today told the court Weinstein held her down and forced oral sex on her after she told him: “No, no – it’s not going to happen.”

She dabbed her eyes as she recalled in court what went through her mind during the alleged July 2006 assault.

“The unthinkable was happening, I just thought any unthinkable thing could happen,” she said. “I just didn’t know where it ended.”

Weinstein, sitting between his lawyers, shook his head as she spoke.

Ms Haley also testified at Weinstein’s initial trial.

Miriam Haley, an accuser testifying at Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, arrives to the courtroom after a break in New York, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Miriam Haley arriving to the courtroom yesterday. Pic: AP

She began her testimony yesterday by describing how she got to know Weinstein, saying she had some inappropriate and suggestive interactions with him, while others were polite and professional.

Ms Haley maintains she was always looking to forge a professional connection – not sex or romance – with the Miramax founder.

Read more: What has happened to the #MeToo movement?

Weinstein’s lawyers are yet to question Ms Haley, but the defence has sought, often unsuccessfully, to object to prosecutors’ questions, such as whether Ms Haley had any sexual interest in the then-powerful producer. She said she did not.

The defence has argued that all of Weinstein’s accusers consented to sexual activities with him in the hopes of getting work in show business.

The 73-year-old’s retrial includes charges based on allegations from Haley and Jessica Mann, an actress who alleges Weinstein raped her in 2013.

For the first time, he is also being tried on an allegation of forcing oral sex on a former model, Kaja Sokola, in 2006.

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Why are Kneecap controversial?

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Why are Kneecap controversial?

Irish band Kneecap have had a meteoric rise in the music industry, with tens of millions of streams on Spotify alone and widespread critical acclaim.

The trio’s genre-bending rap/hip hop tracks, performed in a mixture of English and Irish-language, have clearly resonated with a mainstream audience, but their many controversial moments – some of them seemingly intentional – have helped them hit such heights.

Here’s what you need to know about the band and their most notorious moments.

Who’s in the band?

The group is made up of three friends from Belfast: Mo Chara (Liam Og O Hannaidh), Moglai Bap (Naoise O Caireallain) and DJ Provai (JJ O Dochartaigh).

The latter is a former teacher who still wears a balaclava, initially to disguise himself from his students when the band started out in 2017.

Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA
Image:
Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA

They were controversial from the get-go – and seemingly by design.

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Their debut track – CEARTA – is based on how band member Bap was stopped by police for spray-painting cearta, the Irish word for rights, on a bus stop.

Before fame, Bap and Chara, who have known each other for around 15 years, transformed a former youth club into party hub, where they would play their favourite tracks.

And it was through this venture into the club space that they later met DJ Provai.

The group called themselves Kneecap in reference to kneecapping, a common form of paramilitary punishment in Northern Ireland during The Troubles which sees someone shot or hit repeatedly on both knees.

From cult heroes to mainstream success

Kneecap released their first mixtape, 3cag, in 2018 to critical acclaim, and their 2019 single HOOD is their most streamed single to date.

But their success reached new levels in 2024 with the release of their 18-track album, Fine Art, which culminated in a headline-worthy crowd attending their early-morning timeslot at Glastonbury.

Kneecap played a headline-worthy set at Glastonbury
Image:
Kneecap played a headline-worthy set at Glastonbury

The band then ventured into the film industry with a self-titled biopic about their rise to prominence, set in post-Troubles Belfast, starring themselves alongside Irish actor Michael Fassbender.

Before its full release last summer, it had been the talk of various film festivals, including Tribeca in New York.

Speaking to Sky News at Glastonbury last year, the band said the reaction had been “crazy”.

Since then it’s got crazier, with the film getting six BAFTA nominations and earning its writer and director Rich Peppiatt a win for Outstanding Debut.

Kneecap on the BAFTA Film Awards 2025 red carpet. Pic: PA
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Kneecap on the BAFTA Film Awards 2025 red carpet with film director Rich Peppiatt. Pic: PA

The band cracked the UK and are now following suit in the US, having sold out several shows there.

Court battle with the UK government

It would take a long time to cover all of Kneecap’s controversial moments; much of it is a part of their music itself.

They have been banned from Irish public service broadcaster RTE for their references to drug-taking.

But there have been some particularly high-profile incidents since 2024.

Kneecap fans during the Electric Picnic Festival in 2022. File pic: PA
Image:
Kneecap fans during the Electric Picnic Festival in 2022. File pic: PA


The first was their legal battle with the then-Conservative UK government, who blocked a grant for the band which was initially approved by the British Phonographic Industry.

The group’s application to the Music Export Growth Scheme, which supports UK-registered artists in global markets, was for £14,250, but Kemi Badenoch, then business secretary, stopped it.

At the time, a government spokesperson said it fully supported freedom of speech, but that it was “hardly surprising” it did not want to hand out UK taxpayers’ money to those opposed to the United Kingdom.

One of their most famous tracks had been 2019’s Get Your Brits Out, which had been criticised for being anti-British.

The trio have always denied this being the case.

Chara told Sky News after their Glastonbury set: “This is a thing that people love to spin, like we’re some anti-British band.

“We have English family. We have loads of good friends who call themselves British. It’s the British government we don’t like.”

Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in November, earning them the same amount that the grant was worth.

File photo dated 14/02/25 of (left to right) members of Kneecap, Liam Og O Hannaigh (Mo Chara), JJ O'Dochartaigh (aDJ Provai) and Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) attending the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards Ceremony at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has demanded the prosecution of rap trio Kneecap for allegedly calling for the death of Tory MPs. Video emerged of the group at a November 2023 gig appearing to show one member saying: "The on
Image:
Left to right: Band members Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap. Pic: PA

DJ Provai said the band’s motivation was “equality”.

“For us, this action was never about £14,250; it could have been 50p,” he said, after the band said it would donate the funds to two Belfast charities.

“This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself and an attack on Kneecap and our way of expressing ourselves.”

Calling for deaths of Conservative MPs

Police say they are assessing a video of a Kneecap performance from November 2023, in which a member of the trio allegedly called for the death of Conservative MPs.

The member is alleged to have said: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Two British MPs have been murdered in the past 10 years – Labour’s Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative Sir David Amess in 2021.

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MPs daughter calls for Kneecap apology on The Sarah-Jane Mee Show

In a statement, Kneecap said they rejected “any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever.”

They added: “An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.

“To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.”

Pro-Palestinian messages at gigs

The investigation into the MP comments was announced several days after the Met said it had referred a different video from a Kneecap gig to be reviewed by counter-terror police.

Footage from that gig, at London’s Kentish Town Forum last November, appeared to show one member of the group shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both proscribed as terrorist groups in the UK. Under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is an offence to express “an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation”.

The police say they are “assessing” both clips to “determine whether further police investigation is required”.

Kneecap have said they are facing a “co-ordinated smear campaign” after speaking out about “the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”.

Kneecap fans at one of their concerts in 2022. File pic: PA
Image:
Kneecap fans at one of their concerts in 2022. File pic: PA

In their statement, they said: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.

“Kneecap’s message has always been – and remains – one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs.”

Investigation comes after Coachella fallout

Just days before the police investigations were announced, TV personality Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap’s US work visas to be revoked after accusing them of making “aggressive political statements” including “projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech” at Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

As the band performed on the second night, they displayed words on the big screen reading: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

“It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F*** Israel. Free Palestine”.

Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, which came after Hamas gunmen launched an attack killing 1,200 people in Israel on 7 October 2023, has seen at least 52,000 people killed, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Read more:
BBC presenter called out for ‘exceptionally inappropriate language’, review hears
The Alarm frontman dies after blood cancer diagnosis

Speaking to Rolling Stone after Osbourne’s comments, Kneecap member Mo Chara said: “Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, but she should listen to War Pigs that was written by Black Sabbath [led by Ozzy Osbourne, her husband].”

He also told the outlet: “We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza.”

Kneecap has been continually outspoken in favour of Palestinians at gigs.

In November, DJ Provai arrived for the court verdict against the UK government in a vehicle bearing the Irish and Palestinian flags and blaring loud music.

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