UK Casting Directors’ Guild Awards: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Adolescence’ Take Top Wins
The Casting Directors’ Guild has announced the winners for the 2026 CDG Casting Awards, in partnership with EON Productions. Now in its eighth year, the CDG Casting awards celebrate the work of casting teams across Film, Television, Theatre, Commercials and Games.
In feature film, casting director Nina Gold was the winner for Hamnet. Gold is also Oscar-nominated in the first-ever casting category at this year’s Academy Awards. Melissa Wilkins won casting in an independent film for I Swear. She is also BAFTA-nominated in its casting category for the film. Adolescence took home two wins for Shaheen Baig, a six-time nominee this year, for child casting and casting for a limited series.
The awards were hosted by Jennifer Saunders alongside presenters Adeel Akhtar, Aimee Lou Wood, Archie Madekwe, Bel Powley, Dame Meera Syal, Darci Shaw, David Bradley, Fisher Stevens, Gary Lamont, Harry Lawtey, Hasia Akwaboah (winner of the CDG bursary), Himesh Patel, Joe Alwyn, Louisa Harland, Patsy Ferran, Ruth Jones and Tom Blyth.
Here is the complete list of winners.
BEST CASTING IN A FILM (SPONSORED BY APPLE TV)
WINNER: Hamnet | Casting Director: Nina Gold, Associates: Lucy Amos & Amy Beadel, Assistant: Steph Tataryn
28 Years Later | Casting Director: Gail Stevens
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Casting Director: Lucy Bevan, Co-Casting Director: Olivia Grant, Associate: Lucy Downes
F1 | Casting Director: Lucy Bevan, Co-Casting Director: Emily Brockmann, Associate: Katie Brydon
Warfare | Casting Director: Kharmel Cochrane
BEST CASTING IN AN INDEPENDENT FILM (SPONSORED BY INDEPENDENT TALENT GROUP)
WINNER: I Swear | Casting Director: Lauren Evans, Associate: Melissa Wilkins
Mr Burton | Casting Director: Kelly Valentine Hendry, Associate: Maximillian Murphy
Pillion | Casting Director: Kahleen Crawford, Associate: Carla Morris
The Ballad of Wallis Island | Casting Director: Catherine Willis, Associate: Sarah Harkins
Urchin | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig
BEST CHILD CASTING (all media)
WINNER: Adolescence | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig
Goodbye June | Casting Director: Olivia Grant, Associate: Lucy Downes
Hamnet | Casting Director: Nina Gold, Associates: Lucy Amos & Amy Beadel, Assistant: Steph Tataryn
I Swear | Casting Director: Lauren Evans, Associate: Melissa Wilkins
Paddington The Musical | Childrens Casting: Nicholas Hockaday
The Death of Bunny Munro | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig
BEST CASTING IN A LIMITED OR SINGLE SERIES (SPONSORED BY APPLE TV)
WINNER: Adolescence | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig
Amadeus | Casting Director: Martin Ware, Associate: Olivia Brittain
Death By Lightning | UK Casting Director: Lauren Evans, Associate: Melissa Wilkins
Toxic Town | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig, Associate: Jonny Boutwood
Unforgivable | Casting Director: Amy Hubbard, Co-Casting Director: Shannon Dowling-McNulty, Associate: Heidi Lawry
BEST CASTING IN A TV COMEDY SERIES (SPONSORED BY CONWAY VAN GELDER GRANT)
WINNER: Amandaland | Casting Director: Rachel Sheridan, Associate: Martin Poile & Katie Mozumder
Big Boys Series 3 | Casting Director: Rachel Sheridan, Associate: Martin Poile
Dreaming Whilst Black (Season 2) | Casting Director: Heather Basten, Associate: Ri McDaid-Wren
Film Club | Casting Director: Kelly Valentine Hendry, Co-Casting Director: Jessica Mescall
Too Much | Co-Casting Directors: Nina Gold & Sacha Garrett
BEST CASTING IN A TV DRAMA SERIES (SPONSORED BY UNITED AGENTS)
WINNER: Riot Women | Casting Director: Rachel Sheridan, Associates: Katie Mozumder & Martin Poile
A Thousand Blows | Casting Director: Shaheen Baig
Dept. Q | Casting Director: Olivia Scott-Webb
House of Guinness | Casting Director: Kahleen Crawford, Associate: Carla Morris
Slow Horses (S5) | Casting Directors: Nina Gold & Melissa Gethin Clarke
BEST CASTING IN A COMMERCIAL (SPONSORED BY BANG STUDIOS)
WINNER: Medical Aid For Palestinians ‘I Know’ | Casting Director: Sue Odell
Boots: You’re Never Too Far From a Pharmacist | Casting Director: Anna Kennedy
Irn Bru; This is Not a Soft Drink | Casting Director: Sally McCleery, Assistant: Elisa Musson
The Booker Prize 2025 | Casting Director: Nanw Rowlands, Casting Associate: Harry Parker
The Christmas Double – EE Christmas 2025 | Co-Casting Director: Kharmel Cochrane
BEST CASTING IN THEATRE (inside M25) (SPONSORED BY THE PARTNERSHIP GROUP)
WINNER: Punch (Young Vic/Apollo Theatre) | Casting Director: Christopher Worrall
1536 | Casting Director: Amy Ball
Every Brilliant Thing | Casting Director: Jessica Ronane, Associate: Abby Galvin, Assistant: Poppy Apter
Inter Alia | Casting Director: Alastair Coomer, Associate: Naomi Downham
Oh, Mary! | Casting Director: Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
Wendy and Peter Pan | Casting Director: Annelie Powell, Associate: Gabriella Shimeld-Fenn
BEST CASTING IN REGIONAL THEATRE
WINNER: Lord of the Flies | Casting Director: Jacob Sparrow
Animal Farm | Casting Director: Lucy Casson
Cyrano de Bergerac | Casting Director: Matthew Dewsbury, Childrens Casting: Charlie Metcalf
Dancing at Lughnasa | Casting Director: Arthur Carrington
Titus Andronicus (RSC) | Casting Director: Matthew Dewsbury, Childrens Casting: Charlie Metcalf
BEST CASTING IN MUSICAL THEATRE (inside M25) (SPONSORED BY YOU MANAGEMENT)
WINNER: Paddington The Musical | Casting Director: Natalie Gallacher, Associates: Grace McInerny & Richard Johnston,Young Persons’ Casting Director: Nicholas Hockaday
Clueless | Casting Director: Olivia Laydon for Jill Green Casting, Associate: Tom Shiels
Into The Woods – The Bridge Theatre | Casting Director: Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
Oliver! | Casting Directors: Felicity French & Paul Wooller, Associate: Lily Caisley
Sing Street – Lyric Hammersmith | Casting Director: Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
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