NTAs 2020: Ant & Dec, Gavin And Stacey and Great British Bake Off among the winners

28 January 2020, 22:12

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

The 25th National Television Awards have come to an end with Ant & Dec winning the Best TV Presenter award for the 19th time.

This year's NTAs ceremony was held at London's O2 Arena, with comedian, author and talent show judge David Walliams hosting the event.

He introduced the show with a joke about his Britain's Got Talent colleague Simon Cowell, saying: "Tonight we celebrate all the time and money that has gone into Simon Cowell's new face."

Walliams then made a gag at the expense of TV hosts Ant & Dec, suggesting the pair were only in the front row because they had "forgotten their booster seats."

The Geordie duo picked up a gong for the Best Television Presenter category, the 19th time they have won the award.

In their speech, Anthony McPartlin said they were "more grateful and humble" for winning the award with each passing year.

"On the way in we had our chat, as we would normally do, about this being the year we don't win it," he said.

"We were like: 'It's been a great run - we are very lucky to do what we do. And then you go and do this again ... Thank you.

"We are more grateful and more humble as the years go on, and we really do thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

The Great British Bake Off won the award for the Best Challenge Show, beating Love Island and The Apprentice.

Paul Hollywood, one of the show's judges, said it was a "testament to the team" and paid his tributes to last year's contestants. He added that it was "really sad" to see Sandi Toksvig leave the program.

Gavin And Stacey won the Special Impact category, with writer and star Ruth Jones accepting the award in character as Nessa.

Co-creator James Corden tweeted his thanks from Los Angeles: "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there tonight. I have a show today and tomorrow. But I am so proud to see the whole cast up there holding this award."

The Best Drama Award went to Peaky Blinders, with the show's creator Steven Knight saying the show "could not have happened" without the BBC.

Mrs Brown's Boys took home the gong for Best Comedy, beating Derry Girls, Fleabag, Sex Education and the bookies' favourite, Ricky Gervais' Afterlife.

Sir Michael Palin paid tribute to his late Monty Python co-star Terry Jones as he accepted the Special Recognition award.

"I want to dedicate this award tonight to someone who taught me more about television than anyone else, my dear friend and erstwhile Python, Terry Jones," he said.

"Anyone who knows or has worked with Terry will have been infected with his infectious and extraordinary enthusiasm.

"Terry always worked to get something right. He had a certain skill in being very ruthless but also charming at the same time."

Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan used his Twitter account to give a live critique of the show throughout the evening.

He was critical of Walliams' hosting calling him "very very annoying" before calling for the return of former host Dermot O'Leary.

Walliams also used the hosting opportunity to pay tribute to the late presenter Nicholas Parsons, who died earlier in the day.

"Someone we would have liked to have welcomed here tonight is Nicholas Parsons but sadly he passed away today and I know everyone here wants to send our love to his family at this time," he said.

The ceremony was broadcast live on ITV.

Below is the full list of NTA winners for 2020:

- Drama - Peaky Blinders
- Serial Drama - Emmerdale
- Best Presenter- Ant & Dec
- Entertainment -I’m A Celebrity
- Factual - Jesy Nelson, Odd One Out
- Comedy - Mrs Brown’s Boys
- Talent Show - Strictly Come Dancing
- Serial Drama Performance - Katie McGlynn (Coronation Street)
- Drama Performance - Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders)
- Challenge Show - Great British Bake Off
- Newcomer - Peter Ash (Coronation Street)
- Special Recognition - Sir Michael Palin
- Landmark - Gavin & Stacey