From BBC

BBC One drama Sherlock has won a hat-trick of awards at the US Primetime Emmys in Los Angeles.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman won best actor and best supporting actor in a mini-series, although neither was at the ceremony.

Steven Moffat also won best writing in a mini-series for the final episode of Sherlock’s third season.

Drug drama Breaking Bad was the biggest winner on the night, scooping five awards including best drama series.

It was the second consecutive year that the show, which ended last September after five seasons, had picked up the ceremony’s highest honour.

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was named best actor in a drama series for a fourth time as the teacher-turned-drug kingpin Walter White.

He beat a host of Hollywood heavyweights including Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson for their roles in the acclaimed crime drama True Detective.

“I have gratitude for everything that has happened,” Cranston said.

His co-stars Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn were also honoured for best supporting actor and supporting actress in a drama series.

Collecting the award for best drama series, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said: “Holy cow! This is indeed a wonderful time to be working in television. Thank you for this wonderful farewell to our show.”

In other categories, The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies won the Emmy for best lead actress in a drama series for her part as lawyer Alicia Florrick.

“I feel like this is the golden age of television, but it’s also the time for women in television,” she said. “I feel very grateful to be here.”

There were also best actress and best supporting actress in a mini-series awards for Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates for their roles in American Horror Story: Coven.

Although there was a considerable amount of British talent up for awards, success only came from Sherlock’s triple win and a best director award for Colin Bucksey for Fargo.

ITV drama Downton Abbey walked away empty-handed despite nominations for its stars Michelle Dockery, Dame Maggie Smith, Joanne Froggart and Jim Carter.

BBC series Luther also lost out in the best mini-series category to FX’s small screen adaptation of Fargo.

Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Helena Bonham Carter, Minnie Driver and Ricky Gervais were among the other British stars who were nominated.

Sitcom Modern Family was named best comedy series for a fifth consecutive year, equalling the record set by 1990s show Frasier for most comedy wins.

Ty Burrell also walked away with best supporting actor in a comedy for his role on the show.

The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons won best actor in a comedy series. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her third consecutive Emmy for playing foul-mouthed US Vice President Selina Meyer in political satire Veep.

Allison Janney won the best supporting actress in a comedy series for Mom.

The ceremony also paid tribute to industry members who died in the past year.

They included James Garner, Ruby Dee, Sid Caesar, Carmen Zapata and Elaine Stritch.

It concluded with a special homage to Robin Williams by long-time friend Billy Crystal, who remembered the actor as “the brightest star in a comedy galaxy”.

“It is very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in our lives,” Crystal said.

“While some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cool, but miraculously, because they float in the heavens so far away from the sound, their beautiful life will continue to shine on us forever.

“And the glow will be so bright, it will warm your heart, it will make your eyes glisten, and you’ll think to yourself, Robin Williams – what a concept.”

The main ceremony at the Nokia Theatre followed the Creative Arts Emmy prize-giving on 16 August, honouring TV guest stars and behind-the-scenes crew.

There were four awards for Sherlock including best cinematography, music, single-camera picture editing and sound editing.

“It’s great to see Sherlock being recognised so spectacularly at the Emmys,” Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC drama said.

“I’m delighted that the BBC is home to so much world class acting and writing talent.”

IMAGES:

Breaking Bad actors Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and Bryan Cranston posed with their Emmy Awards

Steven Moffat was at the Los Angeles ceremony to accept the best writing in a miniseries award

Modern Family won best comedy series for a fifth consecutive year

Julia Louis-Dreyfus collected the best actress in a comedy series for her role in Veep

For more on this story and to see videos go to:

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28930797

 

Here is a selection of the key winners.

Outstanding comedy series

Winner: Modern Family

Also nominated:

The Big Bang Theory

Louie

Orange is the New Black

Silicon Valley

Veep

Outstanding drama series

Winner: Breaking Bad

Also nominated:

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

House of Cards

Mad Men

True Detective

Outstanding miniseries

Winner: Fargo

Also nominated:

American Horror Story: Coven

Bonnie and Clyde

Luther

Treme

The White Queen

Outstanding TV movie

Winner: The Normal Heart

Also nominated:

Burton and Taylor

Killing Kennedy

Return to Zero

Sherlock: His Last Vow

The Trip to Bountiful

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Winner: Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory

Also nominated:

Louis CK – Louie

Don Cheadle – House of Lies

Ricky Gervais – Derek

Matt LeBlanc – Episodes

William H Macy – Shameless

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

Winner: Ty Burrell – Modern Family

Also nominated:

Fred Armisen – Portlandia

Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Adam Driver – Girls

Tony Hale – Veep

Jessie Tyler-Ferguson – Modern Family

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep

Also nominated:

Lena Dunham – Girls

Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie

Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly

Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation

Taylor Schilling – Orange Is the New Black

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

Winner: Allison Janney – Mom

Also nominated:

Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory

Julie Bowen – Modern Family

Anna Chlumsky – Veep

Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live

Kate Mulgrew – Orange is the New Black

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Winner: Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad

Also nominated:

Jeff Daniels – The Newsroom

Jon Hamm – Mad Men

Woody Harrelson – True Detective

Matthew McConaughey – True Detective

Kevin Spacey – House of Cards

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

Winner: Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad

Also nominated:

Jim Carter – Downton Abbey

Josh Charles – The Good Wife

Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones

Mandy Patinkin – Homeland

Jon Voight – Ray Donovan

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

Winner: Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife

Also nominated:

Lizzy Caplan – Masters of Sex

Claire Danes – Homeland

Michelle Dockery – Downton Abbey

Kerry Washington – Scandal

Robin Wright – House of Cards

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

Winner: Anna Gunn – Breaking Bad

Also nominated:

Christine Baranski – The Good Wife

Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey

Lena Headey – Game of Thrones

Christina Hendricks – Mad Men

Dame Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey

Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie

Winner: Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock: His Last Vow

Also nominated:

Chiwetel Ejiofor – Dancing on the Edge

Idris Elba – Luther

Martin Freeman – Fargo

Mark Ruffalo – The Normal Heart

Billy Bob Thornton – Fargo

Outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or movie

Winner: Martin Freeman – Sherlock: His Last Vow

Also nominated:

Matt Bomer – The Normal Heart

Colin Hanks – Fargo

Joe Mantello – The Normal Heart

Alfred Molina – The Normal Heart

Jim Parsons – The Normal Heart

Outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or movie

Winner: Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Coven

Also nominated:

Helena Bonham Carter – Burton and Taylor

Minnie Driver – Return to Zero

Sarah Paulson – American Horror Story: Coven

Cicely Tyson – The Trip to Bountiful

Kristen Wiig – The Spoils of Babylon

Outstanding supporting actress in a miniseries or movie

Winner: Kathy Bates – American Horror Story: Coven

Also nominated:

Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Coven

Ellen Burstyn – Flowers in the Attic

Frances Conroy – American Horror Story: Coven

Julia Roberts – The Normal Heart

Alison Tolman – Fargo

Outstanding writing in a drama

Winner: Moira Walley-Beckett – Breaking Bad

Also nominated:

Vince Gilligan – Breaking Bad

David Benioff, DB Weiss – Game of Thrones

Beau Willimon – House of Cards

Nic Pizzolatto – True Detective

Outstanding writing in a comedy

Winner: Louis CK – Louie

Also nominated:

David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik – Episodes

Liz Friedman, Jenji Kohan – Orange is the New Black

Alec Berg – Silicon Valley

Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Armando Iannucci – Veep

Outstanding writing in a miniseries or movie

Winner: Steven Moffat – Sherlock: His Last Vow

Also nominated:

Neil Cross – Luther

Noah Hawley – Fargo

Larry Kramer – The Normal Heart

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk – American Horror Story: Coven

David Simon, Eric Overmyer – Treme