Disney+ Drama Rivals and BBC Comedy Ludwig Lead a Big Night for the UK at the 2025 International Emmy Awards

The 2025 International Emmy Awards took place on Monday night in New York City, marking the 53rd edition of the global ceremony. It turned out to be an especially strong year for British television, which collected seven awards across major categories.

The Best Drama Series prize went to Rivals, a Disney+ and ITV Studios production set in the 1980s and based on Jilly Cooper’s famously bold books. The series features a star-packed cast that includes David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Emily Atack, and Danny Dyer.

The UK also secured Best Comedy Series for the BBC’s Ludwig, starring David Mitchell as a puzzle expert who impersonates his missing detective twin to crack a case. Ludwig co-star Anna Maxwell Martin earned the Best Actress award for a separate project, the ITV limited series Until I Kill You, where she portrays a woman enduring horrific abuse in a true-crime story based on Delia Balmer’s book Living with a Serial Killer.

Two more UK titles added to the country’s strong showing, with Fallen winning Best Kids Live-Action and Lost Boys and Fairies taking Best TV Movie/Mini-Series. Fallen is a romantic fantasy drama adapted from Lauren Kate’s 2009 novel and produced by Globoplay, Silver Reel, and Night Train Media. Lost Boys and Fairies is a three-part BBC drama set in Cardiff, following a gay couple navigating the adoption process.

The UK’s final win of the night came from Channel 4’s Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza, awarded Best Current Affairs. The documentary examines how the Israeli military’s assault reshaped civilian life, presenting first-hand accounts from children, journalists, and doctors whose lives were overturned.

Gaza remained a central focus in the Best News category, where Al Jazeera’s Gaza, Search for Life earned the Emmy. The Qatari production documents the first two weeks of the war in Gaza, revealing the daily struggles of residents trying to survive relentless conflict.

Spain picked up two awards, including Best Actor for Oriol Pla for his performance in the Disney+ drama I, Addict, which follows a man fighting to get clean. Spain also won Best Sports Documentary for the Netflix feature It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football, which examines the fallout of the Luis Rubiales scandal after the 2023 Women’s World Cup Final. You can read more background on the scandal through this detailed report from The Guardian (link).

Other countries celebrating wins included Japan, Germany, Australia, Qatar, Canada, Denmark, and Türkiye, each taking home one award in their respective categories. Denmark won Best Non-Scripted Entertainment for Shaolin Heroes, while Türkiye earned Best Telenovela for Deha (The Good & The Bad).

Two honorary awards rounded out the evening. The Founders Emmy went to Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, recognizing a three-decade career behind major hits like 24, Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Homeland, and This Is Us. The Directorate Award was presented to João Roberto Marinho, chairman and president of Grupo Globo, celebrating his influence in strengthening independent journalism and cultural storytelling in Brazil.

A complete list of winners is available on the official International Emmys site (link).