Comedy gong for Whitehall

Jack Whitehall landed the Best TV Comedy Actor prize at the British Comedy Awards tonight.

Whitehall picked up the award for for his role in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and thanked the rest of the cast, saying that just to be working with them was “amazing”.

Host Jonathan Ross kicked off the live show from Wembley, London, with a barrage of quips including a risky reference to the Savile scandal.

He told the audience, which featured the cream of British comedy talent: “They have demolished television centre. The studios we have all known and loved. It is now a building site and ironically it is now a far less dangerous place for children to play than ever before.”

In his wide-ranging controversial warm-up Ross made light of apartheid and UK Prime Minister David Cameron leaning in in for a “selfie” photograph at the Nelson Mandela memorial service along with US president Barack Obama and Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

He also poked fun at DJ Paul Gambaccini, TV cook Nigella Lawson and Whitehall’s father Michael – who is a talent agent and who has a show with his son.

Paul Whitehouse collected the first award of the night as he and long-time collaborator Harry Enfield picked up the prize for Best Sketch Show for Harry & Paul. It is an award they last won in 2009.

Whitehouse said it was “a real surprise – a genuine surprise, thank you very much” before

collapsing in laughter as one of his colleagues made random hand gestures and pretended to be doing sign language for the deaf, in a reference to the fake signer at the Mandela memorial.

A shocked Nina Conti picked up the Best Female TV Comic award and said “that is totally ridiculous”.

She said she had not made a speech because every one else in her category was so good but thanked her family before leaving the stage.

She won for her show Nina Conti Live At The Apollo.