Strictly takes TV award vote despite claims

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Strictly Come Dancing has been voted the winner of one of the top prizes at the National Television Awards, despite a difficult few months for the show following claims about the treatment of some its contestants.

The BBC dance contest was named best talent show at the ceremony on Wednesday.

There was a double celebration for co-host Claudia Winkleman, whose other show, The Traitors, was named best reality competition.

The night's other big winners included ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, plus Ant and Dec, who extended their NTA winning streak to 23 years.

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The BBC's flagship Saturday night show has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons in recent months, after two professional dancers were dropped following complaints about their behaviour and teaching methods in rehearsals.

But days before it returns to screens for its new series, Strictly proved it has not lost its shine with viewers, who voted it best talent show over competitors including The Great British Bake Off and Britain's Got Talent.

The recent scandal was not referenced on stage, but its hosts were clearly overjoyed to win.

"My heart is beating, Claude," Tess Daly said to her co-host.

"It means the world, genuinely, to all of us."

Winkleman added: "This means everything. We're so grateful. We're going to do the conga."

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Mr Bates vs the Post Office was voted best new drama and Toby Jones won best drama performance for playing the title role.

In his acceptance speech, the actor said: "This means an awful lot, not just to me but to the extraordinary people who inspired our show, some of whom are in the audience this evening."

A group of the subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of fraud and false accounting joined the show's stars on stage at the ceremony at the O2 arena in London.

The programme also received a special impact award, with one of the real Post Office scandal victims using the acceptance speech to criticise the support offered by the new government.

"What I'd like you to know is I went to Westminster a couple of weeks back and saw the new minister," Jo Hamilton said. "And trust me, nothing has changed."

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Ant and Dec jointly won the best TV presenter trophy again, extending their winning streak in the category to 23 years.

This year, the duo held off challenges from Winkleman, Alison Hammond, Bradley Walsh and Stacey Solomon.

"It's really, really hard to put into words just how this feels year after year," Declan Donnelly said.

"It's a joy," Ant McPartlin added. "We know we're going to not win it one year - but it's not tonight."

Donnelly put the latest win down to a lucky charm from his six-year-old daughter Isla.

"She left for school first thing this morning and she said, 'Daddy, good luck tonight, I hope you win the trophy'. In fact she said, 'Take my lip balm, I think it will be good luck'. Isla, it worked!"

One of Ant and Dec's shows, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, was also voted winner of the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award - beating another of their hit programmes, Saturday Night Takeaway.

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The night's other winners included presenter Kate Garraway, whose highly personal programme about her late husband Derek Draper was named best authored documentary.

"It's so strange to be here - this one's for you Derek, absolutely," she said, accepting the trophy alongside their children Billy and Darcey.

Draper died in January after living with extreme complications from Covid.

The Good Morning Britain co-host also praised carers across the country, and called for a system that better supports them.

"We need a system which catches us when we fall, not catches us out," she said. "I'm going to keep the fight on for all of you."

Authored documentary

Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award

Comedy

Daytime

Drama performance

Expert

Factual entertainment

New drama

Quiz game show

Reality competition

Returning drama

Serial drama

Serial drama performance

Talent show

TV presenter

Special recognition award