Sir Chris Hoy and wife top bill at TV awards

Published on 24/01/2013 01:56

SCOTTISH Olympic hero Sir Chris Hoy, accompanied by wife Sarra, was among those celebrating at the National Television Awards last night.

A landmark award for coverage of London 2012 was presented to Sir Chris, Lord Coe and David Weir.

Host Dermot O’Leary kicked off the show, which was shown on ITV, with a spoof of Daniel Craig’s appearance as James Bond in the Olympic opening ceremony – complete with David Walliams as Javier Bardem’s Bond villain from ­Skyfall.

The stars of Coronation Street remembered Bill Tarmey as they picked up two prizes at the event. The long-running ITV soap was named best serial drama and Alan Halsall, who played Tarmey’s on-screen foster son Tyrone Dobbs, won the award for serial drama performance. Accepting his award, Halsall paid tribute to Tarmey, who died last year after playing Jack Duckworth in the soap for decades, saying: “I love you pal.”

The first award of the evening, for entertainment programme, went to I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Two of the contestants who survived last year’s stint in the jungle, Helen Flanagan and Ashley Roberts, picked up the award and explained the show’s winner Charlie Brooks could not make the awards because she was with a friend who was giving birth.

Sir David Attenborough’s BBC natural history show Frozen Planet won best documentary series.

QI was named the best comedy panel show, beating competition including Have I Got News For You and Mock The Week.

Merlin star Colin Morgan win the award for the best male drama performance, beating much-fancied rivals in Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch and Doctor Who’s Matt Smith.