National Television Awards - The 2012 shortlist

BACK: Dermot O'Leary will host again in January 2012

THE lengthy nominations list for the 2012 National Television Awards was released this morning.  Many TV favourites have been included on the list in one of the most glamorous ceremonies on the TV calendar.  New reality hits The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea will make the ‘Reality’ award one to watch, as they have been nominated against the more familiar shows, The Apprentice and I’m A Celebrity.

     Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton will go head-to-head over the ‘Talkshow’ award, whilst Australian soaps Home and Away and Neighbours join the heavyweights from EastEnders and Coronation Street in the ‘Serial Drama’ category. 

     Fans can vote for their favourites at the official website; www.nationaltvawards.com.  The ceremony will once again be at London’s 02 Arena and hosted by X-Factor anchor, Dermot O’Leary.  The long list will be knockdown into a smaller shortlist in December, with the prestigious ceremony shown live on ITV1 in January 2012.

THE NOMINATIONS

TALENT SHOW

The X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent, Let’s Dance for Comic Relief, Dancing on Ice, Popstar to Operastar, Got to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance

COMEDY PANEL

Celebrity Juice, Pointless, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, QI, Have I Got News For You, Odd One In, Would I Lie To You?

DRAMA

Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Waterloo Road, Glee, Wild at Heart, Casualty, Lewis, Shameless, Holby City, Law & Order UK, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Midsummer Murders, Silent Witness, Monroe, New Tricks, Spooks, DCI Banks: Aftermath, Scott & Bailey, Inspector George Gently, Whitechapel, Doc Martin, Merlin, Waking the Dead, Luther, Hustle, Above Suspicion: Deadly Intent, Lark Rise to Candleford, Case Histories, Kidnap and Ransom, The Shadow Line, Silk, Vera, Torchwood: Miracle Day, Upstairs Downstairs, South Riding

TALK SHOW

Loose Women, The Jonathan Ross Show, The Graham Norton Show, Paul O’Grady Live, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, The Wright Stuff, The Rob Brydon Show, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, That Sunday Night Show

FACTUAL PROGRAMME

MasterChef, Top Gear, This Morning, The One Show, BBC Breakfast, Who Do You Think You Are?, Antiques Roadshow, Countryfile, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, Billy Connolly’s Route 66, Crimewatch, Daybreak, DIY SOS: The Big Build, Strangeways, The Biggest Loser, Watchdog, Britten’s Hidden Heritage, An Idiot Abroad, Ocean Giants, Lost Land of the Tiger, Inside the Human Body, Turn Back Time- The High Street, Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol, Human Planet, Long Lost Family

SITUATION COMEDY

Benidorm, Trollied, Not Going Out, Come Fly With Me, My Family, Miranda, Outnumbered, Candy Cabs, Friday Night Dinner, Whites, Reggie Perrin, In With the Flynns, Mrs. Brown’s Boys

SERIAL DRAMA

Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Neighbours, Doctors, Home & Away, Hollyoaks

REALITY PROGRAMME

Come Dine With Me, The Only Way is Essex, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, The Apprentice, Made in Chelsea, 71 Degrees North, Coach Trip, Peter Andre: The Next Chapter, Don’t Tell The Bride

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME

The Cube, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, Ant & Dec’s Push The Button, Live at the Apollo, All-Star Family Fortunes, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Total Wipeout, The Million Pound Drop, Take Me Out, John Bishop’s Britain, Celebrity Mastermind, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Tonight’s The Night, Red or Black, Lee Mack’s All-Star Cast, University Challenge, The Magicians, Sing If You Can, New You’ve Been Framed, The National Lottery: In It To Win It, Dynamo: Magician Impossible    

ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTER

Ant & Dec, Davina McCall, Dermot O’Leary, Harry Hill, Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross, Tess Daly, Vernon Kay, Paul O’Grady, Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr, John Bishop, Keith Lemon, Cat Deeley, Myleene Klaas, Bradley Walsh, Paddy McGuiness, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Steve Jones, Lee Mack, Holly Willoughby, Chris Tarrant, Piers Morgan, John Barrowman, Phillip Schofield, Dale Winton, Alex Jones, Adrian Chiles, Rob Brydon, Lenny Henry, Richard Hammond      

NEWCOMER

Chris Fountain (Coronation Street), Jacqueline Jossa (EastEnders), Jimmy Akingbola (Holby City), William Beck (Casualty), Chelsea Halfpenny (Emmerdale), Danny Mac (Hollyoaks)

SERIAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Jessie Wallace (EastEnders), Danny Miller (Emmerdale), Alison King (Coronation Street), Simon Gregson (Coronation Street), Pauline Quirke (Emmerdale), Nina Wadia (EastEnders), Jane Danson (Coronation Street), Lucy Pargeter (Emmerdale), Steve McFadden (EastEnders), Jake Wood (EastEnders), Jeff Hordley (Emmerdale), Chris Gascoyne (Coronation Street), Emmett J.Scanlan (Hollyoaks), Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street), Claire Cooper (Hollyoaks), Charley Webb (Emmerdale), Lindsey Coulson (EastEnders), Kieran Richardson (Hollyoaks), Andrew Lancel (Coronation Street), Jonny Clarke (Hollyoaks), Nitin Ganatra (EastEnders), Rachel Shenton (Hollyoaks), Steve Halliwell (Emmerdale), Stephanie Davis (Hollyoaks)

FEMALE DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Karen Gillian (Doctor Who), Amanda Redman (New Tricks), Laila Rouass (Holby City), Georgia Taylor (Casualty), Suranne Jones (Scott & Bailey), Freema Agyeman (Law & Order: UK), Dawn Steele (Wild at Heart), Sarah Parish (Monroe), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Maxine Peake (Silk), Sally Carman (Shameless), Eve Myles (Torchwood), Caroline Catz (Doc Martin), Kelly Adams (Hustle), Nicola Walker (Spooks), Emilia Fox (Silent Witness), Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey), Jaye Jacobs (Waterloo Road), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Kelly Reilly (Above Suspicion), Brenda Blethyn (Vera), Tara Fitzgerald (Waking The Dead), Katie McGrath (Merlin), Julia Sawalha (Lark Rise to Candleford), Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs), Anna Maxwell Martin (South Riding)  

MALE DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Martin Clunes (Doc Martin), Bradley Walsh (Law & Order: UK), Laurence Fox (Lewis), James Nesbitt (Monroe), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Idris Elba (Luther), Bradley James (Merlin), Martin Shaw (Inspector George Gently), Kevin Whately (Lewis), Alun Armstrong (New Tricks), John Barrowman (Torchwood), Guy Henry (Holby City), Phil Davis (Whitechapel), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Peter Firth (Spooks), Dennis Waterman (New Tricks), Ben Turner (Casualty), Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line), Jason Isaacs (Case Histories), Alec Newman (Waterloo Road), David Morrissey (South Riding), James Bolam (New Tricks), Ciaran Hinds (Above Suspicion), Rupert Penry-Jones (Whitechapel), Trevor Eve (Kidnap and Ransom), David Threlfall (Shameless), Ed Stoppard (Upstairs, Downstairs), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Neil Dudgeon (Midsummer Murders)              

Miranda is big winner at comedy ceremony

MIRANDA Hart was the big winner at Saturday night’s British Comedy Awards, walking away with three awards.  Her starring role in the BBC2 comedy drama Miranda was highly recognised in the ceremony at the 02 Arena. 

LAUGHING: Miranda Hart was the star winner, picking up three gongs

Presented by Jonathan Ross, who took the ‘Ricky Gervais’ approach in roasting many celebrities in his hosting duties, it was Hart who was laughing all the way to the bank.  She won Best Female Comedy Actress, Best New TV Comedy Show and the big award of the night, the People’s Choice Award.  She also hinted that Miranda might follow Gavin & Stacey in switching to the mainstream BBC1 service for the next series.

Best Female TV Comic went to Jo Brand, whilst Best Male TV Comic ended up in the hands of the very popular Michael McIntyre, who wasn’t present at the ceremony.  He was doing auditions for the next series of Britain’s Got Talent, and when Amanda Holden presented him with the award, he looked very flustered, which is a rarity for him.

OUTSTANDING: Russell Brand's contribution to comedy

Harry Hill was again a big winner, scooping the Best Comedy Entertainment Personality and Russell Brand, another comedian who couldn’t make the glitzy show won the Outstanding Contribution to Comedy Award.  Brand was meant to make his first public appearance alongside Ross for the first time since the ‘Sachsgate’ scandal of 2008, but pulled out for personal reasons at the last minute, as a close friend had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.  He still took time to poke fun out of the presenter; “I’ve managed to find a way of how to destroy BBC I-Player, as if I haven’t done enough already to that great institution.  Jonathan, you are a father figure, what were you thinking!”

Others winners included the panel show Would I Lie to You, which won Comedy Panel Show and talented Liverpool comedian John Bishop, who collected the prize of Best Male Comedy Breakthrough Artist.  All in all, it was a very successful night at the British Comedy Awards, which lacked the controversy which some may have anticipated in the lead up to the event.  British comedy still remains at its peak and this time around, it was Miranda Hart who was the prized winner overall.

Russell & Katy Get Hitched In India

US POP sensation Katy Perry tied the knot last Saturday with the controversial comedian Russell Brand.  In a private ceremony in India, Perry and Brand exchanged vows infront of a selection of celebrity guests, including Rihanna, David Walliams and Jonathan Ross.

Brand and Perry first met in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music awards and have been almost inseparable ever since.  The popular comedian, who has his own Channel 4 show, ‘Ponderland,’ proposed to Perry outside the Taj Mahal whilst enjoying a romantic holiday last Christmas.  They have desperately tried to keep details of the wedding under wraps, to stop a massive intrusion from the British and American media. 

Consequently, few pictures have appeared of the celebration, with the belief with many is that an exclusive magazine deal may have been put in place at a later date.  Perry also revealed on Twitter that she pleaded for privacy whilst the wedding was happening.

Russell Brand made the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2008, when along with his best pal Jonathan Ross, the pair left obtrusive and insulting messages on the answer phone of former Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.  The scandal that followed led to Brand having no option, but to resign from his very successful show on BBC Radio 2.  Since then, he seems to have grown up and taken responsibility for his action and Katy Perry has certainly played her part in a change of cultured personality.  Perry has been successful in the charts with hit songs such as ‘California Gurls,’ and ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ in the last two years.

We shall see how long the happy times can go on for, but I wish Katy and Russell the very best of luck with their newly-found happiness.

Crozier Laughs Off Desmond's Ambitious Plans

ITV boss Adam Crozier has laughed off the plans of Richard Desmond, as the Northern & Shell owner begins to stamp his authority on five.  Desmond has made cheeky bids to poach Coronation Street and the X-Factor.  When asked about this, Crozier said the following:

“Richard thanks for trying.”  “There’s a very short answer to that and it’s a very large no.”

Crozier was responding on the day when ITV announced its recent figures, as they try and bounce back from testing times, due to the recession.  ITV’s audience share stands at an average of 24.1%, compared to Five’s meagre audience share of 4.2%.  Crozier, the former chief executive of the FA during Sven-Goran Eriksson’s dismal reign as England coach and the figurehead of crisis-hit Royal Mail took over in March this year, after the departure of Michael Grade.  Grade labelled the recent recession as “the worst recession in living memory,” which saw slump in advertising revenues and cutback made in ITV’s regional news output.  Crozier insists that ITV are making a very strong recovery and hints that the recently poaching of former BBC stars Adrian Chiles, Jonathan Ross anc Christine Bleakley signal changing times ahead.  He also aims to oversee the launch of 3 new HD channels which will available exclusively to customers who subscribe to Virgin Media and BSkyB.  The first of these should be available to consumers this October.

Desmond paid £103.5million to buy Five last month from the German company, RTL.  Having made his money through adult television channels, plus his ownership in OK! Magazine and the Daily Express, Desmond has had to make significant and expected cuts at the channel, including the departure of seven senior members of staff, which was confirmed this afternoon.  Nevertheless, he plans to expand on the possible potential of Australian soaps Neighbours and Home & Away, both struggling to compete with the major UK soap opera players.  He has also signed exclusive deal with Warner Brothers to produce films for the channels, aims to improve on Five’s radical coverage of the UEFA Europa League and has plans to poach the highly controversial Panorama show and the doomed Big Brother, which is due to leave Channel 4 screens at the end of this month.

This move to poach some of ITV’s top shows was never ever going to be a reality, but it already shows Desmond’s commitment and desire to turn the fortunes of five around.  

Celebrity News...Illness For Cheryl, Joy For Dannii And Rossy Switches

It has been as usual, a dramatic week in the world of celebrity land, with some dramatic stories that have made the TV news bulletins and the newspapers. 

Cheryl Cole is recovering from a severe bout of malaria.  Cole, who is in a dilemma of whether she should change her surname, back to her maiden name of Tweedy, as she prepares for a divorce from Chelsea footballer, Ashley Cole picked up the disease, whilst on holiday in Tanzania with her new boyfriend, Derek Hough.  Cheryl had been feeling unwell for a few days, and collapsed during a photoshoot on Sunday afternoon.  She had been working on a second album, and going through the latest auditions for the X-Factor.  She has been told to rest, meaning the Manchester auditions will go ahead with just Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and guest judge, Nicole Schzerniger.  I wish Cheryl a full and speedy recovery.

Whilst Cheryl battles illness, fellow X-Factor judge Dannii Minogue is celebrating the birth of her first child.  Dannii gave birth to a baby boy, Ethan on Monday.  She has thanked everyone on Twitter, for the kind messages that have been posted for her, and partner Kris Smith.  Minogue is expected to return to the X-Factor, for the judges’ houses stage in September.  My congratulations go out to both Dannii and Kris on their new arrival in their life. 

The executive boss of Coronation Street has revealed there will be a major disaster, to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Manchester soap in December.  It will be the biggest stunt in the show’s history, which will centre on the street’s viaduct collapsing, sending a tram crashing onto the cobbles.  Major characters will be killed off and alternative scripts have been issues.  With talk of a live episode on the week of the show, the makers of Corrie will be under pressure, to match EastEnders live episode success in February.  Speaking of EastEnders, filming has got underway for the major fire that is going to leave the Queen Vic gutted, in a deadly blaze.  The dramatic stunt, likely for a September airdate, will tie in with the exit of EastEnders legend Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) and the BBC, switching EastEnders onto a HD platform.

Finally, Jonathan Ross has confirmed his move to ITV from the BBC for next autumn.  Ross, who bows out from the Beeb, with a special edition of his ‘Friday Night’ show next week, with guests including David Beckham, has signed a deal with the commercial broadcaster to host a new chatshow, possibly in line with Piers Morgan’s defection to American TV.  Ross has signed an 18-show deal and will also host the British Comedy Awards on Channel 4 in November this year.  This move is a major coup for ITV, and has caught many people by surprise.  Whether this gamble will be a success, remains to be seen.