Rivals and Ludwig take home prizes at International Emmy Awards

Period comedy-drama Rivals and mystery crime series Ludwig are among the UK productions that have won prizes at this year’s International Emmy Awards.

Anna Maxwell Martin triumphed in the best performance by an actress category for ITV true crime mini-series Until I Kill You, based on Delia Balmer’s autobiography about her relationship with a serial killer.

Disney+ series Rivals, adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s bonkbuster series, won best drama series, while BBC series Ludwig won best comedy.

Peep Show actor David Mitchell plays John “Ludwig” Taylor in the series, a puzzle designer who takes on the identity of his twin brother James in order to unravel the mystery of his disappearance.

Martin, 48, also stars as James’s wife, Lucy Betts-Taylor, who encourages John to help her find her missing husband.

Rivals, which centres on a group of wealthy media types in the 1980s, became a hit following its release in October 2024 and stars actors including David Tennant, Katherine Parkinson, Danny Dyer and Aidan Turner.

In August it was announced that the second series would star My Best Friend’s Wedding actor Rupert Everett and Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell.

BBC Two’s Hell Jumper, which featured first-person footage of a group of volunteers in Ukraine, was among the other British productions honoured, winning best documentary.

A UK production also won in the kids: live action category with Apple TV series Fallen, which follows 17-year-old Lucinda “Luce” Price as she is placed into a rehab facility along with a number of other young people.

The TV movie/mini series gong was won by the BBC’s Lost Boys And Fairies which tells the story of a gay couple and their adoption journey.

Channel 4’s Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza, which looked at the lives of Palestinians amid Israel’s sustained bombing following the October 7 attacks in 2023, won in the current affairs category.