Emmy Nominations 2014: Benedict Cumberbatch Leads A British Invasion 

Emmy Nominations 2014: Benedict Cumberbatch Leads A British Invasion

In recent years, British talent has scooped quite a few Emmy nominations – not least because of the enduring stateside popularity of returning UK shows such as

. This year, as the 2014 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, is no exception – indeed in one category, Brits have the majority of the nods.

Of six nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, no fewer than four have gone to Brits: Chiwetel Ejiofor for

Admittedly, this isn’t the marquee acting category. Damian Lewis and Hugh Bonneville have missed out this year for Best Actor in a Drama Series. I do hope that the Earl of Grantham will, nonetheless, maintain a stiff upper lip.

Before we get out the Union Jack bunting, we must also remember that it is Americans, not Brits, who vote for the winners. (If the many millions of British viewers who are obsessed with Sherlock got a vote, Cumberbatch would win hands down.)

But to see a majority of our countrymen as the nominees in even one category will gladden British hearts. And this year’s Emmy nominations also add to my sense that TV drama is becoming an increasingly transatlantic genre.

, for example, Martin Freeman has also picked up a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role as Dr Watson in the very British

. Three of the six nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series are Brits – Maggie Smith and Joanne Froggatt for

is an American series that’s filmed in the UK using British actors – it’s one of an increasing number of high-end TV drama series that have transatlantically mongrel DNA. Netflix\'s

, nominated as Outstanding Drama Series, is based on an original British potboiler. 

, which is nominated for Outstanding Miniseries, was a co-production between Starz and the BBC. And American Paul Giamatti gets a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series – for

Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch: nominated for the 2014 Emmy Awards

The UK’s new high-end TV drama tax credit is attracting production of more and more US series (such as ABC’s upcoming

for Starz) over to Blighty. And, anecdotally, UK producers say they’re finding it easier and easier to get US TV commissioners interested in what are, at their heart, British projects – to wit,

Of course, on Emmy Awards night itself, things don’t always go so well for the British. Last year, many of our hopeful nominees came home empty-handed.

notwithstanding – transatlantic collaborations have yet to bear a lot of creative fruit.

But in TV drama, the relationship between the US and the UK has never been more special.

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I’ve been covering media and TV for the last 10 years, largely for the Daily Telegraph newspaper in London. As well as writing about the media industry, I keep a close eye on what’s actually being broadcast – I write about each week’s TV for Britain’s free-to-air satellite distributor, Freesat. I spent seven years on staff at the Telegraph, during which I both edited the TV pages and, later, moved to the newsroom, where I reported on the industry as Assistant Editor (Media). Since going freelance in 2011, I still write frequently for the Telegraph, as well as being a regular media pundit on TV and radio. I’m on the advisory committee for the Edinburgh TV Festival, and I sit on awards juries for the Royal Television Society and Bafta. Journalism is my second career: in the 1990s, I was a litigation lawyer for firms including Linklaters and Debevoise & Plimpton.

The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.