National Television Awards, NTAs 2018 – Nominees, predictions & winners

National Television Awards, NTAs 2018 – Nominees, predictions & winners

NTA Nominees 2018 https://www.nationaltvawards.com

Click here for updates on winners https://www.nationaltvawards.com

The National Television Awards 2018: who will win – and who should

Courtesy of https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/23/the-national-television-awards-2018-who-will-win-and-who-should

The British public are going to give their verdict on the last 12 months of TV, so will hardy perennials like Ant & Dec be weeded out? Here are our predictions

The British public: give them a vote and you can rely on them to return a solid, sensible result. That’s the ethos behind The National Television Awards, the only gong show of its kind decided entirely by viewer opinion. So who’s going to go home with the top prizes from tonight’s celebratory ceremony at London’s O2 Arena? Our form guide for the nominated programmes and performers most likely to win is below, along with – heretical saboteurs that we are – some suggestions for what the TV electorate should have chosen instead…

CHALLENGE SHOW

Will win: I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Should win: Love Island

Defending champ I’m a Celebrity ought to have too much for the competition here, with series 17 memorable for a compelling and even moving narrative centring on alleged bullying victim Iain Lee. The glossy, muscly, steaming dark horse is Love Island: ITV2’s deceptively wholesome sex olympics fully penetrated the national conversation last summer.

Also nominated: The Great British Bake Off, MasterChef

CRIME DRAMA

Will win: Broadchurch
Should win: Line of Duty

Line of Duty feels like a critically acclaimed, Guardian-y show, of the kind that normally gets trampled and spat on at the NTAs – but the move to BBC1, the ten million viewers for the finale and the fact that season four was insanely exciting give it a shot. It doesn’t have the fanbase to beat a resurgent Broadchurch, though. Sherlock is nommed but has never won an NTA: it airs in January, so a whole 12 months later, everyone’s either forgotten it or is still trying.

Also nominated: Little Boy Blue

TALENT SHOW

Will win: Strictly Come Dancing
Should win: Strictly Come Dancing

Increasingly this category is a sparkly shoe-in for Strictly, since Simon Cowell’s ITV showcases both imploded some time ago: this year’s Britain’s Got Talent was notable mainly for the state-of-the-nation moment when an eight-year-old comedian came on and said something misogynist, while The X Factor finally slid completely into tone-deaf irrelevance.

Also nominated: The Voice UK

DRAMA

Will win: Doctor Foster
Should win: Doctor Foster

The NTAs love a category shake-up, and a rejig’s left this one wide open. Of course Drama isn’t a new category, but with no Period Drama this time round, Call the Midwife is here to face off against last year’s surprise Drama winner, Casualty. Panting in the shadows with a sharpened hairbrush up its sleeve is Doctor Foster, a previous winner (of New Drama, which it obviously couldn’t win again even if that category still existed, which it doesn’t – hope you’re keeping up with this) that caused even more theorising, gossiping and live-tweeting in 2017 with its triumphantly doolally second season.

Also nominated: Liar, Game of Thrones

TV PRESENTER

Will win: Ant & Dec
Should win: Ant & Dec

It simply isn’t the NTAs if Ant & Dec don’t win – the only ceremony for the past 18 years when they’ve not had to do their humble-surprise routine was 2009, when they narrowly missed out due to the NTAs not taking place. (ITV had run out of money.) Unless the voting public take a harsh view of Ant McPartlin’s heavily tabloid-documented personal woes, which seems unlikely, up the pair toddle again.

Also nominated: Phillip Schofield, Bradley Walsh, Holly Willoughby

FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT

Will win: Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy
Should win: Ambulance

An epochal fight between us down there and them up there: regular winner Gogglebox, which long since lost the element of surprise its citizen critics used to have, is under fire. Princes William and Harry are currently popular with the proletariat thanks to their inspirational children and/or lady-friends, and they melted even republican hearts back in July with a one-off, warmly emotional memoir of life as Princess Di’s sons. Just imagine, though, if Ambulance – BBC2’s heartbreaking portrait of NHS heroes – roared up and won. No chance.

Also nominated: Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs

DRAMA PERFORMANCE

Will win: Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster)
Should win: Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster)

Jones has form over course and distance: in 2016 she won this category against David Tennant’s turn in Broadchurch, which earns him another nom now, and even the mighty Sheridan Smith, who’s also here again. This time Smith gets a nod for The Moorside, a stronger vehicle than 2016’s Black Work. On the other hand, her unwatchably oozy song-and-chat showcase Sheridan ought to have caused instant disqualification, if not deportation. Suranne it is.

Also nominated: Tom Hardy – Taboo, Jenna Coleman – Victoria

THE BRUCE FORSYTH ENTERTAINMENT AWARD

Will win: All Round to Mrs Brown’s
Should win: Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway

The Entertainment category has cutely been renamed after the late Sir Brucie, but for rune-readers the interest is in two NTA titans suddenly landing in the same pool: All Round to Mrs Brown’s, the variety showcase that made the original Mrs Brown’s Boys look slick and cerebral, qualifies here and might topple the ordinarily invincible Saturday Night Takeaway. As always, Celebrity Juice is in the running, but is as likely to win as it is to feature a special round on Valerie Solanas.

Also nominated: The Graham Norton Show

SERIAL DRAMA

Will win: Emmerdale
Should win: Emmerdale

Last year Emmerdale shocked some, but not all, observers by finally edging out the big two soaps. There’s no reason why it can’t defend its title: it’s had another strong, solid year, and its digitally engaged fans will vote just as keenly. Meanwhile, Coronation Street and EastEnders have both overreached, with the too-horrible Pat Phelan storyline and the too-crap New Year heist respectively.

Also nominated: Hollyoaks

COMEDY

Will win: Peter Kay’s Car Share
Should win: Peter Kay’s Car Share

Often a depressingly weak category at the NTAs, and this year is no exception. Thank goodness for Peter Kay, whose sublimely romantic sitcom should make it two wins out of two with its second season. Rival nominees The Big Bang Theory and (2011 winner) Benidorm have been bridesmaids here for years – it would be weird if either of them beat Kay this time.

Also nominated: Still Open All Hours

DAYTIME

Will win: The Chase
Should win: This Morning

A weird one, in that if the NTAs had only just started you might assume This Morning would walk it. Yet The Chase is going for its third win in succession and, after a year in which none of the nominees made a particular impact, it might do it again. Last time This Morning had the consolation of the Live Magazine Show category, which might as well have been renamed Best Show Called This Morning, but that’s gone now.

Also nominated: Loose Women, The Jeremy Kyle Show

TV JUDGE

Will win: David Walliams
Should win: Paul Hollywood

The 2017 super-heavyweight champion Mary Berry doesn’t qualify because she didn’t do the Channel 4 version of Bake Off. Paul Hollywood did, and it would be nice for the new GBBO to win something after it so graciously coped with a tricky change of personnel and channel. But were NTA voters backing Berry because they love Bake Off, or because they love Mary? If it was the latter, David Walliamsmight sneak up behind Paul Hollywood and surprise him.

Also nominated: Simon Cowell, will.i.am

Jodie Whittaker has been named as the new Doctor Who

Jodie Whittaker has been named as the new Doctor Who

Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/16/jodie-whitaker-has-been-named-as-the-new-doctor-who-6782581/#ixzz4n0jWATST

Jodie Whittaker has been named as the new Doctor Who.

The BBC confirmed that WhitTaker will take over Peter Capaldi when the actor leaves the show following the 2017 Christmas episode.

The announcement was made on Sunday July 16 on BBC One after the Wimbledon men’s final.

New head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall who takes over from Steven Moffat on the next series made the decision to cast the first ever woman in the iconic role.

Jodie Whittaker says: ‘I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet. It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.’

Chris Chibnall, New Head Writer and Executive Producer says: ‘After months of lists, conversations, auditions, recalls, and a lot of secret-keeping, we’re excited to welcome Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.

‘I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we’re thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away.  Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role. The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way.’

Peter Capaldi says : ‘Anyone who has seen Jodie Whittaker’s work will know that she is a wonderful actress of great individuality and charm. She has above all the huge heart to play this most special part. She’s going to be a fantastic Doctor.’

‘Doctor Who is a great job but it’s a bit of a television factory, you do twelve episodes a year,’ said Capaldi of his reason for leaving.

‘I just worry that I wouldn’t be able to continue doing my best work because I like to be able to learn the lines and do some preparation and come in and give it the vigor and fun and not hate it.’

13 Need to know answers to questions about the new Doctor Who 

1) What does it feel like to be the Thirteenth Doctor?

It’s very nerve-racking, as it’s been so secret!

2) Why did you want the role?

To be asked to play the ultimate character, to get to play pretend in the truest form: this is why I wanted to be an actor in the first place. To be able to play someone who is literally reinvented on screen, with all the freedoms that brings: what an unbelievable opportunity. And added to that, to be the first woman in that role.

3) Has it been hard to keep the secret?

Yes. Very hard! I’ve told a lot of lies! I’ve embroiled myself in a whole world of lies which is going to come back at me when this is announced!

4) Who was the first person you told when you got the role?

My husband. Because I was allowed to!

5) Did you have a codename and if so what was it?

In my home, and with my agent, it was The Clooney. Because to me and my husband, George is an iconic guy. And we thought: what’s a really famous iconic name? It was just fitting.

6) What does it feel like to be the first woman Doctor?

It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you’re told you can and can’t be. It feels incredible.

7) What do you want to tell the fans?

I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that’s exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.

8) What are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about becoming part of a family I didn’t even know existed. I was born in 1982, it’s been around longer than me, and it’s a family I couldn’t ever have dreamed I’d be part of.

9) How did Chris sell you the part?

We had a strange chat earlier this year where he tricked me into thinking we were talking about Broadchurch. And I started to quiz him about his new job in Wales, and asked him if I could be a baddie! And he quickly diverted the conversation to suggest I should consider auditioning to be the 13th Clooney.

It was the most incredible chat because I asked every question under the sun, and I said I’d take a few weeks to decide whether I was going to audition. He got a phone call within 24 hours. He would’ve got a phone call sooner, but my husband was away and there was a time difference!

10) Did he persuade you?

No. There was no persuasion needed. If you need to be persuaded to do this part, you’re not right for this part, and the part isn’t right for you. I also think, for anyone taking this on, you have to want to fight for it, which I certainly had to do. I know there will have been some phenomenal actors who threw their hats in the ring.

11) What are you going to wear?

Don’t know yet.

12) Is that your costume in the filmed sequence which introduced you as the new Doctor?

No.

13) Have any of the other Doctors given you advice?

Well they can’t because they haven’t known until now, but I’m certainly expecting a couple of calls – I’ve got a couple of mates in there. I’m mates with a companion [Arthur Darvill], I’m mates with a trio of Doctors. I know Matt Smith, Chris Eccleston and obviously David Tennant. Oh! And let’s throw in David Bradley! Four Doctors! So I’m hoping I get some calls of advice.