The National Television Awards gripped the world of the small screen last night and threw up some real surprises when it came to the winners. While we were smugly smiling when it came to some of the victors, we were made to look like a little bit of a mug by quite a large number of the gongs handed out on the night.
We might have predicted the wins for Strictly Come Dancing for Best Talent Show, Downton Abbey for Best Drama, I’m A Celebrity for Best Entertainment and the inevitable victory of Ant & Dec for Best Entertainment Presenter, but the ceremony decided to become far less predictable when it came to the other categories we’d tried to foresee.
One of the biggest shocks of the night though came when Colin Morgan walked off with the prize for Best Drama Actor. While we predicted that this category was going to be a tough fight, we thought that would be between Matt Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch, with Colin Morgan only having a small chance of victory. It seems that the army of Merlinites out there finally grouped together for their beloved show in its final year, and while the show may not have gotten the crown for Best Drama, they at least got one win on the night.
The other drama acting category also had a bit of a surprise, but this result was always a possibility following the massive success of Call The Midwife last year. Miranda Hart was already the sweetheart of British comedy and her extremely likeable turn in the medical drama just gives her fans another reason to love her. While we thought that Karen Gillan would defend her crown, Hart is a worthy winner.
We were also very pleased to have been wrong about the Best Comedy Panel Show award, with our personal favourite QI beating out the usually much more popular Mock The Week for the prize. Mrs Brown’s Boys also surprised us by taking home the Best Sitcom award, but in a really weak line-up, it seems a popular victor.
Another massive surprise thrown up by the awards was Paul O’Grady’s surprise win in the Best Factual Entertainment category, which many, including ourselves and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, had already given to The Great British Bake Off as soon as the nominations were announced. The tear-jerking canine show came from no-where to scoop up the prize, once again proving that Britain really is a nation of animal lovers. Even more so than our love of cake.
While most award ceremonies are utterly predictable, the NTA’s being exclusively voted for by the British public makes them somewhat more volatile and unpredictable. For once it’s nice to have a gala event when you don’t really know where the awards will be headed too every time. If the BAFTAs and Oscars can be as odd, then we’re in for a treat.
Tagged in Ant And Dec Strictly Come Dancing TV Ant & Dec National Television Awards Merlin Downton Abbey I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here