Millions of fans in the UK had cast votes for their favorites programs and actors, and the winners were announced last night at the 2014 National TV Awards ceremony in London.
Doctor Who,
fresh off its 50th Anniversary celebrations, took home the honors for Best Drama, beating out Broadchurch,
Call the Midwife,
and Downton Abbey.
Tenth Doctor Matt Smith, who was up against Martin Clunes of Doc Martin,
Miranda Hart of Call the Midwife, and Maggie Smith of Downton Abbey, won for Best Drama Performance. Smith couldn’t attend the NTA event, so Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and costar Jenna Coleman accepted the award on his behalf.
Smith later gave his thanks via video.
Nominees in the new Best Detective category were Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock,
both Olivia Colman and David Tennant of Broadchurch, Idris Elba of Luther,
Suranne Jones of Scott & Bailey,
and Bradley Walsh of Law & Order UK.
The winner: Mr. “The Game Is On” Cumberbatch.
Another winner that stateside Brit TV fans may or may not have heard of or seen is Coronation Street,
the long-running soap opera that won for Best Serial Drama. If you’re up for some addictive television, check it out via streaming at Amazon Instant Video and Hulu.
And I feel compelled to give a “Huzzah!” to Mrs. Brown’s Boys,
the winner for Best Comedy two years in a row, which I had the laugh-out-loud pleasure of watching when I was in the UK last year. (Pssst, Amazon, Hulu, et. al.: Mrs. Brown’s Boys is a freaking riot, so puh-lease, do what you must to bring it to the States. Cheers.)
Congrats to all the nominees and winners. To see the full list of which actors and shows won, visit the National Television Awards website.
—————————
