Double win for Little Britain

Little Britain star David Walliams said he could “never get bored” with winning awards as the programme pulled off a Bafta double.

The hit BBC show won best comedy series and best comedy performance to add to a clutch of awards already collected this year, including the British Comedy Award, Television Award and Royal Television Society Award.

He said Little Britain had proved such a success because of the characters that people recognise in their own lives.

“People say:' I know a Vicky Pollard, or there’s someone just like her who lives down my road.'

"People can identify with the characters,” he said.

He was asked if he was bored with receiving awards.

“No, you can never get bored,” he said. “The Bafta is the big one.”

He modestly joked that they were lucky that comic Ricky Gervais was not eligible this year, as he won the comedy performance award last time round.

He added: “We’d really like to thank the BBC, which has believed in us for many years, even when we were rubbish.”

His co-star Matt Lucas said: “We were really mediocre. Now we’re brilliant, aren’t we? So we’ve made up for it now.”

Sex Traffic was also a double winner last night, scooping the prizes for best actress and best drama serial.

The Channel 4 series about eastern Europeans being sold into prostitution in London starred Romanian-born Anamaria Marinca.

She said: “I thought it was important to tell the story and necessary to tell it especially as I’m from a country which deals with such problems.”

It was Bucharest-based Marinca’s first TV role and she added: “It’s very nice and exciting. I thought I didn’t hear it properly when my name was announced.”

Coronation Street won the Continuing Drama award for the third year in a row.

Street star Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, said: “Coronation Street knows how to balance comedy and tragedy without one killing the other. I like to think we set the pace.”

The night was particularly successful for Channel 4. Its programmes received a total of nine awards, including the two for Sex Traffic.

Among them was Shameless, the drama created by Paul Abbott set in a Manchester sink estate.

Accepting the drama series award, he said the show had been “the most fulfilling episode” in the careers of most of those involved.

“I’m more proud of this than any other I have received before,” he added.

Rhys Ifans was named best actor, for his portrayal of the comic legend Peter Cook in 4’s Not Only But Always.

He admitted he had been frightened of taking the role, but was finally persuaded by the writer and director.

Saira Shah, who made Death in Gaza with James Miller for Channel 4, said that he would have been “really, really proud” of their award for current affairs.

Miller was shot dead by the Israeli Defence Force while making the documentary.

His widow Sophy described her “immense pride” saying: “This award is a celebration for James, although he has been taken from us.”

TV chef Gordon Ramsay, who earlier took part in the London Marathon, collected a features award for his Kitchen Nightmares programme on Channel 4.

He said it had been “an amazing day” and he was “very happy and very proud”.

Channel 4’s Black Books won best situation comedy, and the channel’s Omagh won best single drama.

The Green Wing, the hospital-based comedy sketch drama, rounded off 4’s night of triumph with The Pioneer Award, the only one of the night voted for by the public.

Actor Julian Rhind-Tutt said: “We are very thrilled to get the popular vote, especially as it wasn’t a popular programme, apparently.”

Paul O’Grady won the award for entertainment performance for his new chat show The Paul O’Grady Show.

Asked why his shows had been so popular, he joked: “Because of people on the dole who have got nothing else to do at five o’clock.”

BBC Ten O’Clock News anchorman Huw Edwards collected the award for news coverage. He said it showed the “quality and consistency” across the corporation.

The team behind I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! Joked that they hoped their entertainment programme award would cheer up Ant and Dec after their football team Newcastle lost out to Manchester United yesterday.

BBC2’s The Power of Nightmares won the factual series award, while the channel’s Dunkirk won a specialist factual award. The Orphans of Nkandla on BBC4 won an award for single documentary.

Michael Palin joked that his special award had a “touch of the valedictory” about it, joking: “This is the gold watch of the TV industry”.

ITV also won a special award for 50 years of broadcasting.

Broadcaster Jon Snow was presented with Richard Dimbleby award for the year’s most important cotribution on the screen in factual television.

Director, writer and producer Paul Greengrass, who has worked on the likes of Bloody Sunday, Kavanagh QC, The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and Omagh, took home the Alan Clarke award for outstanding creative contribution to television.

David Frost was given the Academy Fellowship, and said: “This is a moment that I shall never forget and I shall always cherish.”

Writer Alan Plater said he was “thunderstruck” after winning the Dennis Potter award for Outstanding Writing in Television.