Comedian Alan Carr received the prestigious Special Recognition award at the National Television Awards at London's O2 Arena on Tuesday night, reacting with disbelief after his close friends staged a surprise musical tribute on stage.
The television presenter had no idea he was being honored with the ceremony's highest accolade until singers Paloma Faith and Amanda Holden began performing in front of the star-studded audience.
Holden and Faith, who starred alongside Carr on Celebrity Traitors, opened the tribute by bringing Faith onto the stage inside a coffin as a nod to their time on the reality television show. They were soon joined by fellow Traitors cast members Charlotte Church, Kate Garraway, and David Olusoga for a rendition of I Know Him So Well from the musical Chess.
As Carr left the stage arm in arm with Holden following the performance, he was seen playfully calling her a "little b****" for keeping the secret from him throughout the week.
Speaking to the crowd of television stars at the venue, Carr admitted during his acceptance speech that he failed to realize the performance was dedicated to him until Faith appeared on stage. "This is how thick I am, it was only when Paloma came out that I realised it's me," Carr told the audience. He added: "I should have realised when they put me in the front row, I'm usually in the back with the people from Naked Attraction."
The theatrical routine quickly created a stir among viewers online, who lauded the performance as one of the campest things they had ever seen. During the dramatic climax of the song, Faith theatrically shoved fellow singer Church and Holden out of the way to elbow her way to the front of the stage, prompting hysterics from fans who branded the moment iconic and declared the pair a potential Christmas number one duo for 2026.
Holden confessed backstage that she was a bag of nerves before stepping onto the stage and struggled desperately not to let the secret slip to her close friend. She revealed to reporters that she tried not to call Carr for at least a week and arrived early on the red carpet specifically to avoid running into him before the show.
Sir David Attenborough and Jeremy Clarkson among major winners
The annual ceremony, hosted for the sixth time by comedian Joel Dommett, brought together major figures from across British television. Sir David Attenborough took home the NTA for Best Presenter in his 100th year, leaving long-time category winners Ant and Dec without the gong for the second consecutive year. The Geordie presenting duo had previously held the accolade for a record 23 years before losing to Gary Lineker at last year's ceremony.
Attenborough was unable to collect the award in person, so producer Mark Brownlow accepted the trophy on his behalf, delivering a speech focused on the urgent dangers of climate change.
Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm claimed the award for Reality Docuseries. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who made the revelation earlier this year that he was in remission from prostate cancer, kept his on-stage acceptance speech short before speaking about his illness during the winner's press conference.
The 66-year-old broadcaster reflected on his recent medical issues, saying: "I wasn't emotional; it was annoying. I had a heart thing, and I had a bit of cancer but I wasn't away really, it was two weeks." Clarkson added: "It was, it was just annoying because I missed a lot of the harvest time."
Lee Mack secured another win for his ITV hit The 1% Club in the Quiz Show category, attending the ceremony with his three children and paying tribute to his wife in his speech. Meanwhile, Michael McIntyre's Big Show took home The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award after being presented on stage by Paris Fury and her eight-year-old daughter Valencia.
The cast of Mrs Brown's Boys were ecstatic upon hearing they had won Best Comedy Show, providing a boost for creator Brendan O'Carroll after he was forced to cancel this year's festive specials due to a broken jaw. In the Factual Entertainment category, long-running series Gogglebox was awarded the gong in its 28th series, beating Stacey Solomon's Sort Your Life Out.
Vicky McClure leads historic all-female drama shortlist
This year's ceremony proved historic even before the first winners were announced, featuring the first ever all-female shortlist for Drama Performance. Vicky McClure came out on top thanks to her role as volatile explosives officer Lana Washington in Trigger Point, defeating fellow nominees Ella Bruccoleri, Judy Parfitt, Ruth Jones, and Sheridan Smith.
Sheridan Smith's series I Fought the Law won this year's New Drama category. The Authored Documentary award was presented to the BBC special Our Girls: The Southport Families. Call The Midwife picked up the trophy for Best Returning Drama, Emmerdale won Best Serial Drama, and actor Jeff Hordley won in the Serial Drama Performance category for his role as Cain Dingle in Emmerdale.
Completing the major television honors, ITV's This Morning won in the Daytime category, while BBC's Strictly Come Dancing won the trophy for Talent Show. The Celebrity Traitors claimed victory in the Reality Competition category, capping off a successful evening for the television franchise.
Full breakdown of National Television Awards 2026 winners
Below is the complete list of category winners and nominees from the National Television Awards 2026:
- Special Recognition: Alan Carr (WINNER)
- Reality Competition: The Celebrity Traitors (WINNER); I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!; I’m A Celebrity… South Africa; Race Across the World; The Traitors
- Quiz Show: The 1% Club (WINNER); Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win; Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel; Richard Osman’s House of Games; The Chase
- Returning Drama: Call the Midwife (WINNER); Blue Lights; Bridgerton; Stranger Things; Trigger Point
- Reality Docuseries: Clarkson’s Farm (WINNER); At Home With The Furys; Fletchers’ Family Farm; Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing; Stacey & Joe
- Drama Performance: Vicky McClure as Lana Washington, Trigger Point (WINNER); Ella Bruccoleri as Mary Bennet, The Other Bennet Sister; Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan, Call the Midwife; Ruth Jones as Elena Ravenscroft, Run Away; Sheridan Smith as Ann Ming, I Fought The Law
- Serial Drama: Emmerdale (WINNER); Casualty; Coronation Street; EastEnders; Hollyoaks
- Factual Entertainment: Gogglebox (WINNER); 24 Hours in Police Custody; Secret Garden; Sort Your Life Out; The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
- New Drama: I Fought The Law (WINNER); A Woman of Substance; Believe Me; Heated Rivalry; The Other Bennet Sister
- Authored Documentary: Our Girls: The Southport Families (WINNER); Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth; Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix; Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home; Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage and Me
- TV Presenter: David Attenborough (WINNER); Alison Hammond; Ant & Dec; Claudia Winkleman; Stacey Solomon
- Comedy: Mrs Brown’s Boys (WINNER); Amandaland; Changing Ends; Last One Laughing; Not Going Out
- The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award: Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (WINNER); Gladiators; The Graham Norton Show; The Masked Singer; Would I Lie to You?
- Serial Drama Performance: Jeff Hordley as Cain Dingle, Emmerdale (WINNER); Aaron Thiara as Ravi Gulati, EastEnders; Gareth Pierce as Todd Grimshaw, Coronation Street; Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates, EastEnders; Sue Devaney as Debbie Webster, Coronation Street
- Daytime: This Morning (WINNER); Good Morning Britain; James Martin’s Saturday Morning; Loose Women; Scam Interceptors
- Talent Show: Strictly Come Dancing (WINNER); Britain’s Got Talent; The Great British Bake Off; The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer; The Great Pottery Throw Down
