NTA viewers left ‘blubbering wrecks’ by ceremony’s heartfelt tribute to late Paul O’Grady: ‘I had to leave the room’
National Television Award viewers were left in tears after the show paid an emotional tribute to the late Paul O’Grady on Tuesday evening – ahead of his show For The Love of Dogs scooping the Factual Entertainment Award.
During the ceremony host Joel Dommett gave a heartfelt speech before a montage from the beloved comedian’s life was played.
Scouse Comedian Paul, who shot to fame as trailblazing drag act Lily Savage, died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ in March, aged 67.
Joel began: ‘Now, before we go on, here at the National Television Awards we wanted to remember someone very special. The one and only, Paul O’Grady.’
As the audience erupted into applause Joel continued: ‘Nominated an astonishing 28 times for an NTA, his first nearly 30 years ago’.
Tribute: National Television Award viewers were left in tears after the show paid an emotional tribute to the late Paul O’Grady on Tuesday evening
Honour:Scouse Comedian Paul, who shot to fame as trailblazing drag act Lily Savage, died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ in March, aged 67 (Paul pictured at the ceremony in 2019)
‘His career came in many guises, but no matter what he did there was always kindness, coupled with a unique sense of fun that won over audiences in an instant.
Before adding: ‘Here’s a reminder of why we all love him so, so much.’
Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: ‘Thanks @OfficialNTAs for the beautiful video to honour the wonderful, much loved and sorely missed Paul O’Grady. I’m a blubbering wreck after that’.
While another said: ‘Tears in my eyes at Paul O’Grady. Such a good man taken far too soon’.
A third commented: ‘Paul O’Grady was the best of us, we didn’t deserve him’.
While a fourth wrote: ‘Paul O’Grady’s tribute had me in tears!’.
With a fifth adding: ‘In tears watching the lovely Paul o’Grady tribute’.
With someone else saying: ‘Such a lovely and wonderful tribute to the latePaul O’Grady I bet he will be watching and looking down from heaven proudly’.
Congrats: Later in the evening Paul’s show For The Love of Dogs scooping the Factual Entertainment Award
RIP: During the ceremony host Joel Dommett gave a heartfelt speech before a montage from the beloved comedian’s life was played (pictured at the ceremony in 1997 as his alter ego Lily Savage)
In tears: Fans took to social media following the emotional tribute
And: ‘I only saw bits of the NTAwards, but one part I did see was that Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs won an award + that makes me happy, I actually couldn’t watch the award being given, as I left the room because I was already emotional’.
It was a night of what ifs for Alison Hammond and flagship show This Morning, but it was business as usual for Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as the National Television Awards got underway on Tuesday evening.
Beneath the lights of London’s O2 Arena, it was Ant and Dec who claimed their 22nd NTA at the annual ceremony following a successful return to the Australian jungle with ITV1 juggernaut I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The pair claimed the award ahead of the much fancied Hammond, notably selected ahead of her This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby in the category for Best Presenter.
Meanwhile This Morning lost its best daytime show title at the as The Repair Shop claimed the prize.
It comes as the ITV morning programme, which has been on a winning streak in the daytime category for the last number of years, continues to face backlash amid the furore of the Phillip Schofield affair.
Unexpected: The Repair Shop beat This Morning to Best Daytime at the National Television Awards on Tuesday evening
Mixed emotions: It was a night of what ifs for Alison Hammond , but it was business as usual for Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as the event got underway
Well done: Beneath the lights of London’s O2 Arena, it was Ant and Dec who claimed their 22nd NTA at the annual ceremony
Success: The pair claimed the award ahead of the much fancied Hammond, notably selected ahead of her This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby in the category for Best Presenter
The Repair Shop host Jay Blades encouraged the crowd to cheer as the show’s team took to the stage at The O2 and took a picture of the moment as he noted it was a “rarity” for them to be winning the prize.
Blades thanked those who voted and the team behind the show, adding: ‘I would like to salute my experts, they are my family.’
He also praised his fellow nominees at This Morning, The Chase and Loose Women, saying: “We’re the new kids on the block ad I’m glad we’ve won this time.
‘I know it won’t be a regular thing so thank you.’
Ant and Dec – who were also competing with Martin Lewis, Claudia Winkleman and Bradley Walsh for Best Presenter – admitted they were “more nervous than ever” before going into the event on Tuesday evening, but were just as “humbled and grateful” to receive the honour as they had ever been.
Ant said: ‘Thank you so much to the NTAs we’ve got quite a long list of thank yous, all of the shows and the people we work with, we are the luckiest two men on telly because we’ve got the best production teams and the best people to work with, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’
His presenting partner Declan Donnelly added: ‘Thank you to ITV, to Kevin and Katie and all the team at ITV for your continued support. Thank you to our fantastic management team for your support, thank you gang, you’re up in the box somewhere.
‘Thank you to our lovely wives, our beautiful children. I can’t believe that we are still getting away with this…’
National Television Awards 2023: ALL THE WINNERS
New Drama
Beyond Paradise
Blue Lights
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Wednesday- WINNER
Reality Competition
Love Island
Race Across the World
SAS: Who Dares Wins
The Traitors – WINNER
Authored Documentary
Deborah James: Bowelbabe in Her Own Words
Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now – WINNER
Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction
Rob Burrow: Living with MND
Returning Drama
Call the Midwife
Happy Valley -WINNER
Stranger Things
Vera
TV Presenter
Alison Hammond
Ant & Dec – WINNER
Bradley Walsh
Claudia Winkleman
Martin Lewis
Factual
Clarkson’s Farm
Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs – WINNER
Sort Your Life Out
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
Drama Performance
Brenda Blethyn, DCI Vera Stanhope, Vera
India Amarteifio, Young Queen Charlotte, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
James Norton, Tommy Lee Royce, Happy Valley
Judy Parfitt, Sister Monica Joan, Call The Midwife
Sarah Lancashire, Catherine Cawood, Happy Valley – WINNER
The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Gogglebox – WINNER
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Masked Singer
Serial Drama
Coronation Street
EastEnders – WINNER
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
TV Interview
Louis Theroux Interviews…
Piers Morgan Uncensored
The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show
The Graham Norton Show – WINNER
Serial Drama Performance
Charlotte Jordan, Daisy Midgeley, Coronation Street
Danielle Harold, Lola Pearce-Brown, EastEnders – WINNER
Dominic Brunt, Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale
Maureen Lipman, Evelyn Plummer, Coronation Street
Quiz Game Show
Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
Richard Osman’s House Of Games
The 1% Club – WINNER
The Chase Celebrity Special
Rising Star
Benjamin Chivers, Isaac, The Devil’s Hour
Bobby Brazier, Freddie Slater, EastEnders – WINNER
Channique Sterling-Brown, Dee-Dee Bailey, Coronation Street
Lewis Cope, Nicky Milligan, Emmerdale
Daytime
Loose Women
The Chase
The Repair Shop – WINNER
This Morning
Comedy
Brassic
Ghosts
Ted Lasso
Young Sheldon- WINNER
Talent Show
Britain’s Got Talent
Strictly Come Dancing – WINNER
The Great British Bake Off
Taking To Twitter one viewer said:
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