Emmys 2018 catch up: Claire Foy, Thandie Newton and John Oliver among British winners

'Game of Thrones' won the biggest award but the night belonged to 'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel'

First nominations for Emmy Awards revealed

Game of Thrones wrestled back control of the Emmys in Los Angeles on Monday night, winning the ceremony’s biggest award, Outstanding Drama Series.

The HBO fantasy, based on the novels of George RR Martin, picked up the prize in 2015 and 2016, but was absent from proceedings last year when its broadcast date failed to meet eligibility criteria. This fallow year allowed The Handmaid’s Tale to shine, but the dystopian Hulu drama couldn’t hold onto its crown in 2018.

Game of Thrones failed to dominate in other categories, however, its only other award on the night being a Supporting Actor honour for Peter Dinklage – his third Emmy win for the show.

The drama and limited series categories were split at an unpredictable ceremony, but Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs Maisel trounced its comedy rivals. The dramedy, about a 1950s housewife who discovers she has a talent for stand-up, consistently beat its hotly tipped rival, FX’s Atlanta, scooping five awards.

Other winners at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles included British actors Claire Foy (for The Crown) and Matthew Rhys "for The Americans). The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was declared Outstanding Limited Series, while newcomer Barry, about a hitman who years to be an actor, picked up surprise acting awards for Bill Hader and Henry Winkler.

Awards aside, the main talking points at the 70th Primetime Emmys included Glenn Weiss – who won an Emmy for his work directing last year's Oscars ceremony and – proposing to his partner on stage, Betty White’s razor-sharp life achievement acceptance speech, delivered at the age of 96, which received a standing ovation, and Donald Glover attending the ceremony in the guise of his Atlanta character Teddy Perkins.

Comedians Colin Jost and Michael Che hosted the ceremony – aided by several members of the Saturday Night Live cast – but almost entirely steered clear of the usual topic of discussion at these events, Donald Trump. Instead, their monologues, skits and jokes centred on diversity, the #MeToo movement and declining viewing figures for the Emmys.

Follow live updates on the Emmy Awards 2018 below.

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.

Key Points

• 'Game of Thrones' beats 'The Handmaid's Tale' to night's biggest prize
• Hosts joke about diversity and Me Too, but not Trump
• Donald Glover delights the internet by taking his seat dressed as 'Atlanta' character Teddy Perkins

[17 September 2018 21:53 · Lucy Anna Gray]

In other Emmys news, actor Mark Burnett has accused The Apprentice creator of attacking him at the Evening Before the Emmys party in Los Angeles.

You can read more about the alleged 'brawl' below...

[17 September 2018 22:08 · Christopher Hooton]

Hello, fellow content consumers! Christopher Hooton here, Film & TV Critic-at-large for The Independent. I'll be taking you through until the end of the ceremony, when the words "Game of Thrones" will have lost all meaning.

[17 September 2018 22:11 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Now you know all the nominations, here's who's most likely to win - and who we think should take home the statuettes...

[17 September 2018 22:11 · Christopher Hooton]

Before the ceremony has even begun, Netflix has scored perhaps the biggest victory it could hope for.

The streaming service earned 112 nominations, making it the most nominated network/service in 2018 and – crucially – ending HBO's 17-year streak (HBO landed 108 noms).

[17 September 2018 22:13 · Christopher Hooton]

This shows just how dominant the service is becoming, but perhaps also exposes its tendency toward a "throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks" approach, as Netflix is still yet to win an award in a major category at the Emmys.

[17 September 2018 22:17 · Christopher Hooton]

Game of Thrones (HBO), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), The Americans (FX), Atlanta (FX) and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Amazon Prime) will likely fight over the night's biggest prizes this evening, so that might not change anytime soon.

[17 September 2018 22:39 · Christopher Hooton]

If tonight just doesn't offer you enough reading of people's names, you can catch up on the nominations announcement here:

[17 September 2018 22:44 · Christopher Hooton]

Atlanta deserves Outstanding Comedy Series for this scene alone:

[17 September 2018 23:07 · Christopher Hooton]

For US viewers, NBC's coverage of the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards begins at 7.30pm ET with red carpet arrivals. The ceremony then kicks off at 8pm.

[17 September 2018 23:11 · Christopher Hooton]

Host Stephen Colbert opened with a song last year, you can watch it – along with his monologue – here: