After one of the most spectacular years of British TV, the National TV Awards return to ITV tonight bound to shock viewers with some big surprises.
Ant and Dec will be hoping to keep their unbreakable winning streak for the nation’s favourite TV presenters after taking home the coveted gong 22 years in a row. They’re up for three prizes tonight but there’s one category they might find harder to win than the others…
Last year This Morning was met with boos but with a new team of presenters in Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, will it get a better reception tonight?
The 2023 NTAs were quite rightly all about Happy Valley in the drama categories.
This year Mr Bates versus The Post Office became one of the most life-changing dramas of all time, but is up against the most talked about series in the world, Baby Reindeer.
And EastEnders is currently the reigning champion of Best Soaps – will the residents of Walford be celebrating again tonight?
Here’s who I think will take home the big prizes tonight and who will go home empty-handed.
Mr Bates Versus The Post Office will win Best Drama
The nation was rocked by one of the biggest injustices still ongoing in the UK that wasn’t getting the attention it warranted in the Post Office scandal until ITV’s blistering three-part drama launched in January.
Days after airing, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced new legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal and former Post Office Paula Vennels handed back her CBE.
Few TV shows have changed the course of history and if Baby Reindeer was released any other year, Richard Gadd’s incredibly brave comedy-drama would easily walk away with the prize.
Bridgerton will pip The Crown to best Returning Drama
Bridgerton returned with arguably its bests series to date with Lady Penelope Featherington (or Lady Whistledown) at the centre of the raunchy third season.
The Crown lost its way by its last chapter, verging on the point of absurd, but I wouldn’t rule out Vera sneaking in for a shock win, particularly after ITV announced its next series would be the last.
Toby Jones will narrowly beat Jessica Gunning for Best Drama Performance
Toby Jones wasn’t my favourite performance of the year, but Mr Bates Vs the Post Office captured the zeitgeist at the beginning of 2024 like nothing else for years.
Jessica Gunning perhaps deserved this particular prize more but I can’t see anyone standing in the way of every category featuring Mr Bates.
Metro.co.uk’s Soap Editor Duncan Lindsay’s NTAs predictions
Having swept the boards of every soap prize last year, it seems like it could be EastEnders’ year once again.
The momentum hasn’t died down in the last 12 months, with a wave of major character returns right up to this week’s announcement of an imminent live episode, where you choose the outcome.
Following the blisteringly good two-hander between Yolande and Patrick Trueman, it seems incredibly likely that Angela Wynter will walk away with the Serial Drama Performance gong, an outcome that seems unanimously popular.
That’s not to say that the other soaps don’t have a chance but when it comes to consistency, social media buzz, and stable ratings, EastEnders is undoubtedly the one to watch.
I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see another clean sweep.
Jeremy Clarkson might actually win a publically voted for NTA
Love him or loath him, it doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to adoration for Clarkson’s Farm which has been the number one show for Amazon Prime Video in 2024.
Martin Lewis has been arguably a more important voice over the last year but reluctantly I have to admit no other factual entertainment series deserves an NTA more than Clarkson’s Farm.
Ghosts should win Best Comedy but I fear the worst
Ghosts is one of the few BBC comedies to really break through in years and its last-ever series was such a triumph it would be criminal for anything else to pinch this prize.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if Mrs Brown’s Boys’ fiercely loyal fans vote in their droves. If it can’t be Ghosts let’s pray they at least give the prize to Brassic.
This Morning hasn’t recovered enough for an NTA
I can’t imagine This Morning getting booed again, which is something, but an NTA feels further out of its grasp than ever before. Cat and Ben have been fine as new hosts, but will never share the chemistry of Holly and Phil in their heyday.
The Repair Shop is the most consistently moving Daytime series by a mile and won the same prize last year. I can’t see any reason Jay Blades and co. won’t take the award home with them again.
The Traitors will be unstoppable
The Apprentice, Love Island, and Celebrity Big Brother have all been so painfully forgettable this year, I’m amazed they’ve even been nominated. The first series of The Traitors felt like it couldn’t be topped – and then Diane and her fizzy rosé came along and did just that.
Race Across The World will win this award one year though – mark my words.
Strictly Come Dancing will overcome a year of scandal
Despite two of its biggest scandals to date over the last 12 months, Strictly will no doubt keep dancing and pick up tonight’s prize for Talent Show over Britain’s Got Talent, Bake Off, MasterChef, and The Voice UK.
Waltzing into its 20th series, Strictly is still the most anticipated series on television and last year it proved itself to be a timeless hit packed with joy and unrivaled excitement to ring in the winter months.
There could be an Ant and Dec upset
If Ant and Dec lose any award tonight it will be for Quiz Game Show. They are the unbeatable national treasures when it comes to Best TV Presenters for sure but for the best Quiz Show category they’ve got some serious contenders.
The Chase fan base is extremely loyal and vocal on social media, proven by The Chase’s three wins and another two for Beat The Chasers.
This might be the closest call across any category though – any of the five nominees could take gold.
David Beckham to bag his first NTA?
Becks and his ‘working class’ wife Victoria provided the TV moment of the year and could very well bag a well-deserved NTA.
Beckham was a surprisingly candid and unfiltered four-part series about the man we thought we knew inside out. It turns out there was a lot more going on beneath the surface of Golden Balls than we ever could have imagined.
But Kate Garraway’s documentary about caring for her husband Derek Draper, who died earlier this year following three years of complications from Covid, was immensely powerful and came at such a vital time when the care system has been so undervalued for far too long.
I’d bet on Kate clinching this one with Becks coming in a close second.
Ant and Dec will extend their record
Why even bother guessing this one?
Only one man can stand in the way of Sir David Attenborough
That man is the tour de force that is Martin Lewis. The money-saving expert was one of the most essential voices in lockdown and remains increasingly important during the cost-of-living crisis.
He is without a doubt the most essential and most used TV expert we have right now and quite rightly I’d expect him to walk away with his first NTA.
Has Nigel Farage ruined I’m A Celebrity’s NTA chances?
I’m A Celebrity is normally a frontrunner for The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award but viewers were turned off by the addition of Nigel Farage and its ratings took a beating.
However, up against The Masked Singer, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, and The Graham Norton Show, I’d still bank on Ant and Dec coming out on top (again) for the final series of Saturday Night Takeaway began its hiatus after 20 series this year, never once dipping in quality across its two decades.
For a show which depends solely on its two presenters for entertainment, that’s a remarkable feat that absolutely needs to be honoured tonight.
The National TV Awards airs tonight at 8pm tonight on ITV.
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