Stars out for Television Awards
Some of the small screen’s biggest stars were on show tonight as celebrities began arriving at this year’s National Television Awards.
Among the familiar faces on the red carpet were X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy.
EastEnders stars Jacqueline Jossa and Shona McGarty and the cast of The Only Way Is Essex also posed for photographers as they arrived at the event at the 02 in Greenwich, south-east London.
Host Dermot O'Leary kicked off the show, which was shown on ITV, with a spoof of Daniel Craig's appearance as James Bond in the Olympic opening ceremony - complete with David Walliams as Javier Bardem's Bond villain from Skyfall.
The first award, for entertainment programme, was presented by The Great British Bake Off stars Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry to I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
Two of the contestants who survived last year’s stint in the jungle, Helen Flanagan and Ashley Roberts, picked up the award and explained the show’s winner Charlie Brooks could not make the awards because she was with a friend who was giving birth.
The second award went to Sir David Attenborough's BBC natural history show Frozen Planet which won best documentary series.
Professor Brian Cox presented the gong to Joanne Lumley who accepted the award on behalf of Sir David who is filming in China.
She said: “To me he is, as I guess he is to most of you, a complete hero”.
QI was named the best comedy panel show, beating competition including Have I Got News For You and Mock The Week.
The award was accepted by some of the show’s stars including Alan Davies who said: “This is really quite a big surprise to us because we’ve been making the show for 10 years and I think they must have added up all the votes for the last 10 years and then we’ve just cashed them in tonight”.
The first big surprise of the night saw Merlin star Colin Morgan win the award for the best male drama performance, beating much-fancied rivals in Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch and Dr Who's Matt Smith.
Morgan said he had a “fantastic time” making the programme, which was axed by the BBC last year.
This Morning was named best daytime programme, with hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby accepting the award.
Schofield thanked Willoughby, who he called “the lady I love getting up with and for in the morning”, and said this year’s win was “certainly the most emotional”.
Girls Aloud star - and one of this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants - Kimberley Walsh performed her debut solo single, One Day I'll Fly Away, before the award for best female drama performance went to Call The Midwife star Miranda Hart.
Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes accepted the award on behalf of Hart, who is in Australia, and read a message from her saying she was “properly thrilled and very grateful”.
She joked: “Please give my award for safekeeping to Gary Barlow who since snogging me on my show is totally smitten and will be taking me as a lover”.
