National Television Award Winners
Dominique Farrell
This Morning presenter Dermot O'Leary said winning best daytime show at the National Television Awards (NTAs) was great for members of the team "who have had to endure an awful lot" of drama in recent years.
The ITV programme had previously enjoyed a 12-year winning streak, winning the category every year from 2011 to 2022, but had not taken home the award since.
He agreed to step down in 2023 after his relationship with co-presenter Holly Willoughby was reported to have come under strain following the scandal.
Willoughby then left just a few months later, leaving the daytime programme without permanent hosts.
In 2024, it was announced that Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard would become the new faces of the programme, presenting it from Monday to Thursday, while Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond would do so on Fridays.
Speaking after the win was announced, O’Leary said: "There’s a team that have worked on the show since I’ve started who have had to endure an awful lot of shit.
"And they have turned up to work every day with the greatest grace and professionalism and uncertainty and they’ve never done anything but put their hearts and souls into this job.
"Two and a half hours of live telly every day is quite something, but to endure it under the spotlight of being on the front page of the news. This show holds a mirror up to Britain and it also tries to entertain."
O’Leary, who was born in Colchester after his parents emigrated to the UK from Wexford in Ireland, said the team was thrilled to win, adding: "There’s never an arrogance about this.
"We’re genuinely humbled by it. It means an awful lot, especially for those people who have been through the mill."
Former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker won the TV presenter prize at the UK's National Television Awards - ending the 23-year-long winning streak of Ant and Dec.
He said it was "amazing" to win the award. He added: "I think it demonstrates that perhaps it's OK sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice."
Reflecting on the fact that he'd ended the run of the perpetual winners, Lineker said: "Blimey, I've won the Ant and Dec trophy.
"Right, what to say? Firstly, of course, thank you, thank you to everybody who voted for me.
"It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award. Aside from presenting Match Of The Day - the most iconic football show on television - for 26 years."
Lineker also beat out Alison Hammond, Claudia Winkleman and Stacey Solomon to win the Presenter category, which is based entirely on votes cast by the British public.
Far less surprising was Gavin & Stacey picking up the award for best comedy. Christmas Day last year saw the show's last-ever episode.
Ruth Jones, who co-wrote and co-starred in the BBC sitcom alongside James Corden, told the audience: "Alright, calm down. I'm going to the bar now for a pint of wine."
Michael McIntyre's Big Show meanwhile won the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award, beating Graham Norton, amongst other challengers.
The comedian - who recently played two nights at Dublin's Bord Gáis Energy Theatre - was delighted with the achievement, his first in this category.
Collecting his award, McIntyre said: "I’ve sat in the front row many, many times with my feet on the bottom stair and never won this prize. This is an excellent turn of events."
Another winner on the night was Call The Midwife - the much-loved BBC period series has been named best returning drama, while long-running EastEnders actor Steve McFadden lifted the award for serial drama performance.
National Television Awards host Joel Dommett opened the show at the O2 in London and broadcast on ITV on Wednesday by introducing McFly and telling the audience they were in for a "real good time".
Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson was another to make a victory speech. He said he was "genuinely thrilled" as Clarkson's Farm won best factual entertainment show.
Speaking in the winner's room, he said: "I’d like to think that this is for farming because it demonstrates that people who watch the show go, 'bloody hell farming’s difficult’, and have voted for this show."
I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! won one of the most competetive awards, as it came first in the reality competition.
The award for best daytime show went to ITV's This Morning.
Presenter Alison Hammond said its success should be attributed to those behind the scenes, "the people you never see".
"We don’t take it lightly that we’ve won this award," she added as she accepted the trophy alongside the rest of the team.
She also paid tribute to the show’s "incredible brand new presenters" Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley who were stood next to her, as well as the "amazing legend that is Dermot O’Leary".
The award for best quiz show went to ITV game show The 1% Club.
Presenter Lee Mack joked as he accepted the award that he had planned to make a joke about how Ant and Dec had won best presenter again, but Gary Lineker had ruined it by winning instead.
He added: "I am so happy Gary Lineker won. Well done Gary."
Teenage actor Owen Cooper won the award for best drama performance for his role in Netflix thriller Adolescence.
He was up against his co-star Stephen Graham for the award.
Cooper was unable to accept the trophy in person as he is away in the US, but a video recording of him was shown while Amari Bacchus accepted the award on his behalf.
"Never could I have believed that this show, Adolescence, would change my life in the way that it has," he said.
"It's the fact that the viewers who voted for this, it just shows what a powerful, impactful show that we all got to make."
RTÉ Entertainment.