Ncuti Gatwa and Peter Mullan are among six Scottish stars shortlisted for the only BAFTA Scotland award decided entirely by the public.
BAFTA Scotland has revealed the nominees for its 2026 Audience Award for Favourite Scot on Screen, with stars of Doctor Who, Bridgerton, Dept. Q and The Traitors all in contention.
Doctor Who star Gatwa and veteran Glasgow actor Mullan, recognised for his performance in the acclaimed Scottish film I Swear, are joined by Julie Wilson Nimmo for Balamory, Katie Leung for Bridgerton, Leah Byrne for Netflix crime drama Dept. Q and Stephen Libby for The Traitors.
The six nominees were selected by an independent jury of Scottish media and culture figures before the decision is handed over to the public.
Voting opened today (Thursday 24 September) and will run until 4pm on Friday 30 October. The winner will be announced at the BAFTA Scotland Awards at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Sunday 15 November.
The full shortlist is:
Julie Wilson Nimmo – Balamory
Katie Leung – Bridgerton
Leah Byrne – Dept. Q
Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who
Peter Mullan – I Swear
Stephen Libby – The Traitors
Nimmo returned to one of Scotland’s best-known children’s television roles this year as Miss Hoolie in the revived Balamory.
Leung, who first became internationally known as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, appeared as Lady Araminta Gun in the latest series of Netflix hit Bridgerton.
Glasgow-born Byrne was part of the Scottish-heavy cast of Dept. Q, playing DC Rose Dickson in the Edinburgh-set Netflix crime drama. The series has already been renewed for a second season, with Byrne returning to the cast.
Mullan appeared alongside Robert Aramayo, Shirley Henderson and Maxine Peake in I Swear, the film based on the life of Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson. The production filmed in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire.
Libby, who is from the Isle of Lewis, became one of the breakout personalities from this year’s series of The Traitors, which he won alongside Rachel Duffy.
Ncuti Gatwa
Jude MacLaverty, director of BAFTA Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to announce the six nominees for this year’s Audience Award for favourite Scot on Screen in 2026.
“Supported by Screen Scotland, this is the only award decided entirely by you, the public.”
She said the category celebrates Scottish on-screen talent who have “sparked conversations and captured our nation’s attention over the past year”.
Last year’s award was won by Gladiators star Sheli McCoy, better known as Sabre.
Previous winners include Outlander star Sam Heughan, Karen Pirie actress Lauren Lyle, Dinosaur creator and star Ashley Storrie and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney.
The nominations for the remaining 14 competitive categories at this year’s BAFTA Scotland Awards will be announced on Thursday 1 October.