Slow Horses stars Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Ruth Bradley led the glamorous British and Irish arrivals at the Primetime Emmy Awards, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night, as their Apple TV+ spy drama went into the ceremony with nine nominations.
Florence Pugh, Carey Mulligan and Jack Lowden were also among the British contingent on the purple carpet. Pugh, 30, was not nominated but appeared as a presenter, wearing a draped lilac gown with a glitzy finish, a diamond choker and an up do.
Carey Mulligan received the first Emmy nominations of her career, shortlisted for Best Actress and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for her role as Lindsay Crane-Martin in the second series of Netflix's Beef. She wore a strapless blue gown but ultimately lost the Lead Actress prize to Sally Field, while the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series award went to HBO's DTF St Louis.
Jack Lowden, tipped to be the next James Bond, arrived in a black tuxedo for his nomination as River Cartwright in Slow Horses, in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. He narrowly missed out, with the award going to Tom Pelphrey for Task.
Slow Horses cast turns out in force
Gary Oldman joined Lowden, Edwards and Bradley in supporting the show, which picked up individual nominations for Oldman, Lowden and Jonathan Pryce and won Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, going to Scottish director Saul Metzstein. It marked the third consecutive year the thriller has claimed a writing or directing Emmy.
Edwards, who joined the cast in series two as rough-around-the-edges MI5 agent Shirley Dander, wore a high-neck black gown with deep cut-outs and a sheer skirt, paired with platform heels.
Bradley, who plays Emma Flyte, head of MI5's internal affairs unit the Dogs, wore a figure-hugging red dress with spaghetti straps and diamond jewellery.
Oldman, nominated for his role as Jackson Lamb, wore a navy tuxedo but lost the Lead Actor in a Drama Series award to Noah Wyle of The Pitt. Co-star Saskia Reeves also attended, along with James Callis in a classic black tuxedo.
Other British and Irish faces on the carpet
Emilia Clarke, also presenting on the night, wore a pastel dress.
Peter Claffey, 30, and 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell were among the earliest arrivals, supporting A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spin-off which received nine nominations. Claffey plays a hedge knight who employs Ansell's character, the runaway squire Egg.
Brett Goldstein posed in sunglasses, while Paradise actors Thomas Doherty and Nicole Brydon Bloom put on a cosy display. Doherty wore a white tuxedo. Widow's Bay star Matthew Rhys posed with partner Keri Russell, and Alan Cumming flashed a peace sign in a black suit with white embroidery. Young Dracula's Gerran Howell wore a sharp suit and loafers, Tom Brooke appeared in a blue satin suit, and Richard Gadd attended following his Half Man nomination.
Winners of the night
Kate O'Flynn, 40, won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Patricia in Widow's Bay, wearing a silver gown. Presented the award by Amy Poehler, she thanked her team for trusting "this Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia," calling it "the role of a lifetime" and thanking her husband and daughter, "another sassy broad in the making." Widow's Bay went on to win a record-breaking 14 trophies overall.
Matthew Rhys, 51, made history as the first actor to win two leading acting Emmys in different categories on the same night. He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Widow's Bay, beating Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Martin Short and co-star Dale Dickey, joking in his speech that the win was "purely because of the depraved and twisted mind of Katie Dippold." He also won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix's The Beast in Me, presented by Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz, thanking "the incredible" Claire Danes. He had previously won an Emmy for The Americans in 2018, making him the first actor to win lead acting trophies across the drama, comedy and limited series categories.
The Pitt won Outstanding Drama Series after entering the night with 25 nominations, the most of any series, beating The Diplomat, The Gilded Age, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, Pluribus, Slow Horses and Your Friends and Neighbors. Creator R Scott Gemmill used his speech to reflect on artificial intelligence, saying storytelling remains "the last bastion of reality" and that "people need to know the truth."
Rhea Seehorn won Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus, beating Zendaya, Carrie Coon, Chase Infiniti and Keri Russell, while Jean Smart claimed her fifth consecutive Lead Actress in a Comedy Series win for Hacks. Alan Cumming won Outstanding Reality Competition Program for hosting The Traitors USA.
Apple TV led the streaming platforms with 28 wins, ahead of HBO Max on 19 and Netflix, which slipped to third despite entering the ceremony with the second-highest nomination tally of 111. Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay hosted the ceremony, the first time a woman has hosted the show in 15 years.
