Gary Lineker ends Ant and Dec’s 23-year winning streak at TV awards

Gary Lineker has pulled off a major upset by breaking Ant and Dec’s 23-year winning streak at the National Television Awards.

The former Match of the Day presenter was named best TV presenter at the ceremony, where the winners are chosen by viewers, on Wednesday.

Lineker left the BBC football show after 26 years at the end of the Premier League season in May.

It was also his last appearance for the BBC after the latest in a string of controversies about his social media use led him to announce he would be leaving the corporation.

Accepting the award he thanked everyone he worked with and said the prize “demonstrates that it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice”.

He added: “It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award.”

Asked about whether he would work for the BBC again, the presenter said he was not sure and was “really looking forward to working with ITV”.

The last person to win the entertainment award before Ant and Dec’s run was Michael Barrymore in 2000.

The awards are unique in that all of the categories are voted for by members of the public.

Elsewhere, Gavin and Stacey’s finale, which attracted more than 20 million viewers at Christmas, was the frontrunner in the comedy category and went on to win that award.

It beat Mrs Brown’s Boys and Michael McIntyre’s 25th year stand up special, but the comedian did pick up the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award for his Big Show.

Accepting the award, Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa, told the audience: “Alright, calm down. I’m going to the bar now for a pint of wine.”

Backstage, she paid tribute to James Corden, who co-wrote and co-starred in the sitcom with her, but was unable to attend the event.

It was recently reported that Jones and Corden are working on a new comedy-drama show for Apple TV+.

However, Jones said that nothing was announced or signed yet and the information had come from a leak.

One of the most watched TV shows of the year, The Traitors, went home empty-handed after being beaten by I’m a Celebrity in the reality competition category.

The night’s other big winners included Netflix drama Adolescence, which scooped up the award for best new drama as well as best drama performance for its 15-year-old star, Owen Cooper.

He beat his on-screen father Stephen Graham, who was also shortlisted for the award.

The Netflix show, about a teenage boy arrested for the murder of a classmate, became a runaway hit and national talking point earlier this year.

Neither Cooper nor Graham were present at the awards.

Elsewhere, animated duo Wallace & Gromit were presented with a special recognition award.

In the authored documentary category, Molly-Mae’s Behind It All won the award and beat Boyzone, Freddie Flintoff, Amy Dowden and Rob Burrow.

She told the BBC the “award was really unexpected as there were so many inspirational stories in the category”.

She added that she had grown as a person through the documentary and is now filming the second series.

“Bambi is asleep but Tommy told me he was watching it at home and I will call him shortly,” she said.

Reality competition

• I‘m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
• Love Island
• Race Across the World
• The Traitors

New drama

• Adolescence
• Code of Silence
• Ludwig
• MobLand
• Rivals

Quiz show

• Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
• Richard Osman’s House of Games
• The 1% Club
• The Chase

Authored documentary

• Boyzone: No Matter What
• Flintoff
• |Molly-Mae: Behind It All
• Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me
• There’s Only One Rob Burrow

Returning drama

• Call the Midwife
• Gangs of London
• Heartstopper
• Slow Horses
• Vera

TV presenter

• Alison Hammond
• Ant & Dec
• Claudia Winkleman
• Gary Lineker
• Stacey Solomon

Factual entertainment

• Clarkson’s Farm
• Gogglebox
• Sort Your Life Out
• Stacey & Joe
• The Martin Lewis Money Show Live

Drama performance

• Brenda Blethyn – DCI Vera Stanhope, Vera
• Owen Cooper – Jamie Miller, Adolescence
• Rose Ayling-Ellis – Alison Brooks, Code of Silence
• Stephen Graham – Eddie Miller, Adolescence
• Tom Hardy – Harry Da Souza, MobLand

The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award

• Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
• The Graham Norton Show
• The Masked Singer
• Would I Lie to You?

Serial drama

• Casualty
• Coronation Street
• EastEnders
• Emmerdale
• Hollyoaks

Serial drama performance

• Eden Taylor-Draper – Belle Dingle, Emmerdale
• Jack P Shepherd – David Platt, Coronation Street
• Jacqueline Jossa – Lauren Branning, EastEnders
• Steve McFadden – Phil Mitchell, EastEnders
• Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster, Coronation Street

Comedy

• Brassic
• Gavin & Stacey
• Michael McIntyre’s 25th Year Stand-Up Special
• Mrs Brown’s Boys

Daytime

• James Martin’s Saturday Morning
• Loose Women
• Scam Interceptors
• This Morning

Talent show

• Britain’s Got Talent
• Strictly Come Dancing
• The Great British Bake Off
• The Great Pottery Throw Down
• The Voice UK