Yes, it’s that time of year again. The sky hasn't shown a glimpse of sunshine for what seems like months, and my winter teddy-bear pyjamas have most definitely come out to embarrass the post-man.
But, it's not all bad, because alongside the dreary weather, always comes brilliant TV, and this year is no different.
Many award shows have started appearing on my TV guide, including my favourite, The NTA's, formerly known as The National Television Awards, so undoubtedly, the pyjamas came out, and so did the chocolate.
The NTA’s showcase the past year’s most successful programmes on the small screen, as voted for by the British Public. The awards featured on ITV1 on January 25th 2012, and got off to a good start with an opening musical duet from the one and only Sir Bruce Forsythe, and comedy and presenting duo, Ant and Dec. The quirky duet related to not only NTA nominees, but also to each other’s careers, including lyrics such as "I've been in showbiz longer than you!" and "Bruce, you've been in showbix longer than the whole O2!"
The first award, presented by X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos, was The Entertainment Award, which was handed to a very grateful and deserving Michael Mcintyre for his programme entitled Michael Mcintyre's Comedy Roadshow.
Karen Gillan from the latest series of Doctor Who, won the award for Drama Performance Female, competing against nominees such as Waterloo Road's Jaye Jacobs, Torchwoods' Eve Myles and Scott and Bailey's Suranne Jones.
In the words of Dermot, "The incredible hairstyle that is Russell Kane" presented the award for Comedy Panel Show. The winner became quite clear before it was even announced, as the audience went wild for my personal favourite Panel Show, Celebrity Juice, which went up against programmes including QI, Have I got News for You, and Mock the Week. The cast of Celebrity Juice, including Keith Lemon, Fearne Cotton (nostrils) and Holly Willoughby, also known as Holly Willoughbooby appeared on stage to thank everyone who made their win possible, and their humorous speeches reiterated the reason why they achieved the award.
TOWIE's Mark Wright made the girls in the audience faint, as he presented the award for Newcomer, which included nominees from Soap's including Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The award went to a highly deserving Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren Branning in Eastenders, who described the Soap as "The best thing that's ever happened to me."
I felt slightly proud as The Landmark Award was presented to David Walliams, who swam the 140 Mile River Thames back in 2011. The hero, who raised over a million pounds for charity, was praised by the audience, and seemed overwhelmed to be receiving the award he so very much deserved.
The Graham Norton Show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, and The Jonathan Ross Show were the nominees for Talk Show. Between these three, I found it difficult to choose my favourite, and I imagine it was a close call, but Alan Carr: Chatty Man obtained the award.
It wasn't an award, but a Female Music Performance by X Factor's first girl group winner's Little Mix was very impressive, keeping up the energetic pace and entertaining nature of the NTA's.
The new Doctor Who, also known as Matt Smith won the award for Drama Performance: Male, competing against David Threlfall from Shameless, Martin Clunes, from Doc Martin, and finally Torchwood's John Barrowman, who I thought was far more eligible for the award.
Entertainment Presenter was of course won by the infamous Ant and Dec. Although they were up against great contenders, including Keith Lemon, Dermot O'Leary and Michael Mcintyre, the unstoppable duo succeeded in securing the award for another year.
The award for Serial Drama Performance was a toss-up between some brilliant actresses, including one of my all-time favourite soap actress, Jessie Wallace from Eastenders. She competed against two actresses from Coronation Street, Katherine Kelly and Alison King, and also Danny Miller from (the Soap I've never seen) Emmerdale. Katherine Kelly won the award, but sadly couldn't be there to accept the award, but wrote a moving speech which was read out by a Corrie star. Although I haven't kept up to date with Coronation Street lately, the clip shown of Katherine Kelly, A.K.A Becky, showed off her undoubtedly phenomenal acting.
The Military Wives, who reached Christmas Number 1 in 2011, performed exclusively for the NTA’s to sing their beautiful rendition of ‘Make you feel my love.’ Two members of the choir also presented the award for Drama, which was won by no other than Downton Abbey, which was no surprise to me. With the phenomenal storylines and acting within the programme, it is no wonder that the British viewing public have picked up their phone to vote for Downton Abbey.
The glamorous Elle Macpherson awarded most popular Talent Show to The X Factor, who secured their place for the award, beating Dancing on Ice, Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing, and the crowd went wild for outstandingly funny Outnumbered, which beat comedies such as Miranda and Benidorm in the battle to win the Situation Comedy award.
The Special Recognition Award was presented by Sir Bruce Forsyth to the legendary Jonathon Ross, who Forsyth described as “a very, very naughty boy, but I still love him.” A montage of Ross’ best moments truly reminded us all that he really is the king of chat shows.
All of the well-known Soaps competed for the award for Serial Drama, presented by the lovely Paul O’Grady, but the winner of the award was Coronation Street, which has been the concentration of much controversy lately, concerning the storyline between rivals Tracey and Becky. The cast of the programme thoughtfully dedicated the award to the late Betty Driver, a fantastic actress from Coronation Street, who sadly died in October 2011.
So, the National Television Awards have finished for yet another year, with the best programmes of 2011 congratulated and praised for their brilliant storylines and unforgettably, the ability to always keep us entertained.
