West End actors and creatives win at 2021 Critics' Choice Awards

The winners were announced at a virtual ceremony on 7 March.

The 2021 Critics' Choice Awards took place on 7 March, and it's fair to say that the West End was represented in its winners. Five West End performers took home awards, including a screenplay win for Cinderella writer Emerald Fennell.

Josh O'Connor won the Best Actor in a Drama Series category for his performance as Prince Charles in The Crown. O'Connor was due to play Romeo in the National Theatre's production of Romeo and Juliet, but has now been filmed for an Easter Sunday release. Hannah Waddingham also won her first Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series as Rebecca Walton in Ted Lasso. In recent years, Waddingham's starred in television series including Sex Education and Game of Thrones, but her stage credits include Kiss Me, Kate, Into the Woods and an Olivier Award-nominated performance in Spamalot.

In the film awards, Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah, with John Boyega winning Best Actor in a Movie Made for Television or Limited Series for Small Axe.

Emerald Fennell won her first Critics' Choice Award for Promising Young Woman, winning Best Original Screenplay. Fennell will make her theatre writing debut this year too, penning the original book for Cinderella, opening at the Gillian Lynne Theatre this summer.

Since 1996, The Critics' Choice Awards has celebrated cinematic and televisual achievement. For 2021, the ceremony took place virtually due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

^{Photo credit: Emerald Fennell and Josh O'Connor (Photos courtesy of United Agents and National Theatre respectively)}