Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry celebrates as she’s crowned best TV Judge at National Television Awards, leading star-studded winners list

GREAT British Bake Off star Mary Berry has been crowned best TV Judge at the National Television Awards.

The 81-year-old won following her decision to quit the hit show – last year’s most watched programme with 15.9million viewers.

14

Mary, who decided to remain with the BBC when it was sold off to rivals Channel 4 in August, beat Simon Cowell, 57, David Walliams, 45, and Nicole Scherzinger, 38.

She also won the head-to-head clash with Strictly’s head judge Len Goodman, 72, after he retired last month following 14 series.

She admitted she was “thrilled” to have beaten rivals Len and Simon to the prize and also used her speech to boast about the fact there is “no swearing” on the Great British Bake Off.

She said: “I love judging it has always been a great honour. I think I know how to bake and I love telling people that next time do a little bit better.

14

14

“But the greatest reward is that all the young are baking, and everybody is sitting down at 8 o’clock, the whole family, gran, the baby in arms, there’s no swearing, it’s the best programme.

“And I’m so grateful. And thank you very much.”

Sir Tom Jones opened the show with host Dermot O’Leary providing backing vocals on a rendition of jazz classic Got My Mojo Working by Muddy Waters.

Piers Morgan appeared on stage with a black gag in his mouth following his high-profile feud with Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who refused to be interviewed by him on Good Morning Britain.

14

Instead his co-star Susanna Reid spoke for him as the pair presented the award for Best Daytime.

She joked: “I’m just enjoying this moment.”

BBC hospital series Casualty picked up Best Drama after celebrating its 30th anniversary last year.

It saw of competition from Cold Feet, which returned after a 13-year break, Game of Thrones, Happy Valley and The Night Manager.

Casualty star Amanda Mealing said on stage: "Thank you very, very, very much, all of you that voted for us. We’ve been going for 30 years, some of you have been watching from the start and some of you are new. You’re strong and true and faithful. I thank you very much."

14

14

Cathy Shipton added: "Thank you. This is absolutely wonderful. We’re completely overwhelmed, it was a very strong category. A wonderful way to celebrate our 30th anniversary thank you to everyone who’s been in Casualty for making it so great. And thank you all for keeping us up there."

Following her win on I’m a Celebrity last month, there was more success for Queen of the Jungle Scarlett Moffatt as Gogglebox won Best Factual for the third year in a row.

14

The 26-year-old former call centre worker helped to host the ceremony with Dermot O’Leary, 43, while taking over the awards’ social media output.

Gogglebox star Chris Steed said: "Who would have thought that four years ago when we were approached about a programme about watching TV, we would be, four years later, winner of this?"

Call The Midwife was the surprise winner in the Best Period Drama category – beating both Poldark and Victoria.
The show's executive producer Pippa Harris used her winning speech as an opportunity to make a statement about women’s rights.

The former BBC Head of Drama Commissioning, 49, said: “For us it’s a bit ironic to be winning period drama when many people watch the show because it sheds a light on issues and struggles they’re facing today.

“We focus particularly on women’s issues and stories and on the battles that our mothers and grandmothers fought many years ago and that I thought we had all won, but at a time when women’s issues have been marginalised and ignored, then it feels even more important to keep telling those stories so thank you thank you.”

Her words came just days after hundreds of thousands descended on the streets for the global Women’s March.

14

Elsewhere, This Morning picked up the Live Magazine Show, marking its 12th NTA win.

The show hosted by Phillip Schofield, 54, and Holly Willoughby, 35, won in a tight category that included The One Show, Sunday Brunch, BBC Breakfast and Loose Women.

Speaking backstage afterwards, Philip said: "There’ve been some brilliant winners tonight but not ones you would necessarily pick when you were looking through.

"It’s always brilliant to win. After last year we had a long chat this morning about who was going to tell who to stop at what stage. ‘Now is the time to stop. You have to stop now.’ But we didn’t actually reach a sensible conclusion so I don’t know."

Holly added: "You can’t start a night with a sensible conclusion!"

14

Philip joked: "You can if you’re currently employed!"

Corrie’s Faye Brookes, 29, picked up the Best Newcomer award for her role as Kate Connor while Lacey Turner, 28, picked up the Serial Drama Performance award for her heart-wrenching EastEnders scenes as Stacey Slater.

After giving birth to her second child, Arthur, her character suffered postpartum psychosis believing he was the Son of God leading to her eventually being sectioned.

An emotional Lacey said: "It’s so lovely to be supported for 12 years and to be able to go away and come back and to still have the same amount of luck, is just phenomenal. I just feel so lucky."

Brendan O’Carroll’s bawdy sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys won Best Comedy thanks to several highly-rated specials last year over The Big Bang Theory, Orange is the New Black, and long-running ITV series Benidorm.

Creator Brendan revealed there is plenty more of the sitcom to come on the BBC, teasing: "Yeah BBC are looking for two Christmas specials a year now up until 2020."

ITV quiz show The Chase hosted by Bradley Walsh, 56, won Best Daytime, beating its BBC rival Pointless.

The Jeremy Kyle Show and Come Dine with Me lost out in the category.

14

Ant and Dec secured an NTAs hat-trick — winning in the Entertainment Programme and Challenge Show categories, as well as the TV Presenter prize for an unprecedented 16th year in a row.

It means the Geordie duo, both 41, have now won a total of 34 awards at the event in the last 16 years.

They saw off competition from Mel and Sue who were hotly-tipped to steal their crowns for fronting the seventh series of The Great British Bake Off, and also beat Gary Lineker, 56, James Corden, 38, and Rylan Clark-Neal, 28.

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway won Entertainment Programme, wrestling back the title from themselves after four consecutive wins for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

But their show Down Under didn’t leave empty handed, as it beat Love Island, Masterchef, The Apprentice and Bake Off to be named best Challenge Show.

14

Last year’s series saw a peak viewership of 12.66million - a 12-year high for the programme.
Both Ant and Dec were shocked to discover they had won for the 16th year running and confessed they thought they would lose out to Bake Off stars Mel and Sue.

Ant said: “Thank you very much indeed, this is just mad, it’s gone mad, Dec.

“We were chatting in the car on the way here and, I mean, we’ve won it year after year after year and we’re very very grateful but we said this year if we lost out this year to Mel and Sue, who I think were remarkable on Bake Off, then I think that would be a good shout.

Dec added: “Thankfully we didn’t. We are thrilled.

“If anything we get more and more grateful every year because we’re never quite sure when this run is going to come to an end and the fact that it hasn’t tonight, we are thoroughly grateful to everyone who voted for us.

14

“Thank you to everybody who works on all of our shows and makes us look good. Thank you to ITV for your continued support, to James Grant management for looking after us, to our beautiful wives, thank you for putting up with us and to you for carrying on watching our shows, thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.”

Comedian and presenter Graham Norton was given the Special Recognition for his 20 years on screen with Channel 4 and later the BBC.

14

The Let it Shine host, 53, also took over the Eurovision Song Contest commentary duties from Sir Terry Wogan in 2009.

Fans were shown a film of his career highlights including comments from stars including Ed Sheeran, Dolly Parton and his mum, who he admitted he forgot to thank during his speech.

He said: "As I was walking off with Hugh Bonneville, I immediately went, oh my God, I forgot to thank my mother. So what I really need to be doing now is phoning her and building bridges. She went in the film! She never does anything. I’ve never seen my mom on telly before so I’m gutted I didn’t say a big, big thank you to her. She kept the surprise and everything.

Isn’t it awful. That’s the only one I know I’ve offended immediately. There’s bound to be dozens."

14

Strictly Come Dancing won the Best Talent Show in a category against ITV rivals X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

Host Tess Daly thanked voters and paid tribute to co-star Claudia Winkleman who couldn't make it.

She said: "First and foremost, I would like to thank the viewers. On behalf of everyone at Strictly to thank every single person who voted for us. Without you we don't have a show and you have helped us go from strength to strength and have stayed with us over the past years.

"I want to thank all the people behind the scenes who worked so tirelessly on the show to make it a success.
Thank you to the celebrities. And I would like to thank the wonderful Claduia Winkleman, who is very sad she couldn't be here this year."

Judge Bruno Tonioli honoured departing panel member Len Goodman, who had to miss the bash due to being on tour.
He said: "Len is on tour at the moment. He is doing his farewell tour around the country. I am sure he is delighted with this award."

See the full winners list here: