After Life Wins Best Comedy At National Television Awards

After Life has won Best Comedy at this year's National Television Awards, beating Friday Night Dinner, Sex Education and The Vicar of Dibley.

The show's creator Ricky Gervais jokingly said on stage: "I will keep it short. It's already interminable. Thank you for Netflix for all their support and their total lack of interference. They are just the best broadcaster.

"The amazing crew and cast, and the people at home who voted for it. Thank you so much. You are the reason I do this. The money is... You are the second.. I do it for the money and thank you..."

PA

Many fans were thrilled with the win, with one tweeting: "After Life! Fully deserved. What a programme. #NTAs."

Someone else said: "After Life for best comedy is SO deserved #NTAs."

A third added: "Considering that this award last went to Mrs Brown's Boys... good to see the public finally got it right. Congratulations to @rickygervais and #Afterlife. #NTAs."

Meanwhile, the BBC's hugely popular police series Line of Duty won the NTA for Returning Drama, coming out victorious over The Crown, Unforgotten and Call The Midwife, and Russel T Davies' moving miniseries It's a Sin picked up the New Drama gong - with Davies dedicating the win to 'those we lost, those who lived, those who learned and those we loved' during the Aids crisis.

The first accolade of the night, the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, went to I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Co-host Ant McPartlin said: "Thank you. It was a real change to do it in Wales last year but it was absolutely brilliant. We loved it, we loved doing it there and we can't wait to do it again this year."

McPartlin and his fellow presenter Declan Donnelly are also hoping to scoop the Best Presenter award for the 20th year in a row, going up against daytime TV favourites like Alison Hammond, Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby and Piers Morgan.

And another LADbible favourite, Gogglebox, took home the Factual NTA, beating Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, Gordon, Gino And Fred: American Road Trip and Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death.

Find out more of the winners as they're announced via the official NTAs Twitter account.

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman