This year’s BAFTA Rising Star award nominees have been announced.

• Read more: ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ star Morfydd Clark: “This show is continually mind-blowing”

Morfydd Clark, Sope Dirisu, Conrad Khan, Bukky Bakray and Kingsley Ben-Adir lead the 2021 shortlist.

The nominees were announced by 2014 Rising Star nominee George MacKay (1917) and presenter Edith Bowman on Wednesday (March 3).

Ben-Adir was there in person with the presenters, and the others virtually, with Clark dialling in from New Zealand where she’s filming Amazon’s TV adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings.

Clark was nominated for her role as a pious nurse in Rose Glass’ horror Saint Maud, Dirisu plays an emigrant house hunter who finds evil where he least expects it in Remi Weekes’ His House, while Khan, who today (March 3) was announced for season six of Peaky Blinders, has been nominated for his role in Henry Blake’s County Lines.

Ben-Adir plays Black leader Malcolm X in One Night In Miami, based on the play by Kemp Powers, directed by Regina King. Bakray meanwhile plays the lead as a schoolgirl in Sarah Gavron’s coming-of-age drama Rocks.

Speaking to NME in a recent interview, Clark said of Saint Maud’s gruesome practical effects: “The crew would hair dry a special material just before we filmed. It would harden enough for me to be able to actually step on something that looked like pins. I could definitely feel something happening to my foot which made a big difference to my performance.”

The award, sponsored by mobile services provider EE, is now in its 16th year and is the only BAFTA to be voted for by members of the public. The BAFTA awards will be presented April 11.