Castaway Thriller Scoops Top Emmys

It was a night of surprises at the Emmys, US television's most prestigious awards show. Ian McShane didn't win for his foul-mouthed performance in Deadwood, Hugh Laurie didn't win for his portrayal of a grumpy doctor in House, and Teri Hatcher, the linchpin of Desperate Housewives, lost out to her less celebrated co-star Felicity Huffman.

But some things went to plan on Sunday night. Lost, the thriller series about a group of castaways stranded on an island, won best drama and best direction of a drama. The sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which this year reached the end of its nine-year run, won three Emmys, for best supporting actor and actress and for best comedy series. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a satirical news show, won two awards.

The most notable victory for the many British nominees went to The Lost Prince, written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and made by the BBC and Talkback, which won the Emmy for outstanding mini-series. The other British victor of note on the night was Charles McDougall, who collected an Emmy as director of Desperate Housewives.

Otherwise, the closest the evening came to victory for the British nominees came courtesy of an Australian: Geoffrey Rush. He won the Emmy for best actor in a miniseries or movie for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. The drama also won awards for writing and directing.

James Spader won the best actor in a drama Emmy for his performance in Boston Legal, beating Laurie and McShane. It was the actor's second consecutive victory. Patricia Arquette won best actress for her performance as a crime-solving psychic in Medium.