Emmys 2017: Reese Witherspoon hails ‘incredible year’ for women on TV

One of the reasons this year's Emmys stood out was for its celebration of strong female characters and actors.

Big Little Lies and The Handmaid's Tale - two dramas led by exceptional actresses - got five Emmys apiece.

Reese Witherspoon, who produced and starred in Big Little Lies with Nicole Kidman, said: "It's been an incredible year for women on television."

Kidman, who won an acting award for her work on the show, added: "So now, more roles for women, please!"

Big Little Lies featured an all-star cast that also included Laura Dern, who was named best supporting actress in a limited series.

Shailene Woodley and Zoe Kravitz also appeared in the HBO mini-series, which ran on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

(Ann Dowd, Elisabeth Moss and Alexis Bledel starred in The Handmaid's Tale)

Accepting the best limited series award, Witherspoon called on TV executives to "bring women to the front of their own stories and make them the hero of their own stories".

She added: "Thank you for that opportunity and for audiences to wrap their arms around us."Kidman referred to her friendship with Witherspoon, telling the audience: "This is a friendship that then created opportunities. It created opportunities out of our frustration because we weren't getting offered great roles."

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