Golden Globes 2022: Succession and The Power of the Dog win at muted online ceremony

Benedict Cumberbatch western The Power of The Dog and HBO’s Succession were among the big winners at the 79th Golden Globes which was a bizarre, online-only event that took place behind closed doors following a diversity row.

British winners on the night included Sir Kenneth Branagh, who won best screenplay for his drama Belfast, Kate Winslet, who took home the best actress in a television series award for Mare Of Easttown and Andrew Garfield, who won best actor in a musical or comedy for tick, tick…BOOM!

Meanwhile, the two biggest acting gongs of the night went to Nicole Kidman for Being The Ricardos and Will Smith for King Richard.

Elsewhere, Pose star Michaela Jae Rodriguez made history by becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV drama.

The awards have faced heavy criticism over the past 12 months and calls to boycott them, from stars such as Scarlett Johansson, for diversity issues within its organising body - the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

The HFPA was found to have no black members.

The broadcast of the 2022 award ceremony was dropped by US network NBC and last week announced it would be a “private event.”

The typically star-studded event was replaced by periodic updates from the Golden Globes website and official social media accounts and without a red carpet.

Jamie Lee Curtis was the only celebrity to appear in any form - making a virtual appearance during the ceremony in a pre-recorded video message.

Curtis said she was “proud” to be associated with the HFPA for its charitable ventures.

“They fund creators and educators…do so at a very low key, off the record, evening of giving,” she said in the video shared by the Golden Globes online.

The Power Of The Dog was named best picture overall, with director Jane Campion being awarded best director and Kodi Smit-McPhee as best supporting actor in a drama film.

The Australian actor stars alongside Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst as a timid young man who forms a complicated bond with a gritty cowboy following an initially hostile relationship.

British actor Cumberbatch was nominated for best actor - but lost out to Smith, who the reserved tennis coach and father of Venus and Serena Williams in the tennis biopic.

HBO’s darkly comic series Succession also received three awards.

The programme follows the gritty power struggle within the Roy family, headed by media mogul Logan Roy, who is played by British actor Brian Cox.

Cast members Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook were both individually recognised at this year’s Globes for their performances. Strong won the Globe best actor in a TV drama series and Snook earned her first nomination and win for best supporting actress in television.

History was also made with Rodriguez becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe.

Rodriguez won the award for best actress in a TV Drama for her portrayal of “house mother” Bianca Rodriguez in Pose.

The series centres around New York City’s African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag scene at the end of the 20th century.

She wrote on Instagram: “OMG OMGGG!!!! @goldenglobes Wow!

“You talking about sickening birthday present! Thank you!

“This is the door that is going to open the door for many more young talented individuals. They will see that it is more than possible.

“They will see that a young Black Latina girl from Newark New Jersey who had a dream, to change the minds others would WITH LOVE. LOVE WINS.

“To my young LGBTQAI babies WE ARE HERE the door is now open now reach the stars!”

Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of Broadway musical West Side Story, originally staged in 1957, also earned three awards including best musical or comedy film.

Rachel Zegler won best actress in a musical or comedy film for her performance as Maria, and Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress in a motion picture.

Following the event DeBose tweeted her thanks to the HFPA but said there was “still work to be done.”

Writing on Twitter, she said: "There is still work to be done, but when you’ve worked so hard on a project- infused with blood, sweat, tears and love- having the work seen and acknowledged is always going to be special. Thank you."

Zegler, who plays Maria in the film, reflected on how "very strange" life can be after winning the award for best actress exactly three years on from being cast.

"I got cast as Maria in west side story on 1/9/19," the 20 year-old tweeted.

"And I just won a golden globe for that same performance, on 1/9/22.

"Life is very strange."

It was not the most successful night for Brit talent–Jamie Dornan, who starred in Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film which focussed on The Troubles in Northern Ireland, lost out to Smit-McPhee for best supporting actor in film.

And Crown star Olivia Colman lost out to Kidman for best actress in a drama film, after being nominated for her role in The Lost Daughter.