The 31st National Television Awards: the winners in full, and what to watch

The 31st National Television Awards were handed out at The O2 in London on Tuesday 8 September, hosted by the comedian Joel Dommett. The NTAs are the only major British television awards decided by a public vote rather than a jury — a straightforward measure of national affection, and a useful guide to what Britain is actually watching together.

Who won?

Special Recognition — Alan Carr.
TV Presenter — Sir David Attenborough.
Reality Competition — The Celebrity Traitors.
New Drama — I Fought The Law.
Returning Drama — Call the Midwife.
Drama Performance — Vicky McClure (Trigger Point).
Quiz Show — The 1% Club.
Authored Documentary — Our Girls: The Southport Families.
Reality Docuseries — Clarkson's Farm.
Comedy — Mrs Brown's Boys.
The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award — Michael McIntyre's Big Show.
Serial Drama — Emmerdale.
Serial Drama Performance — Jeff Hordley (Emmerdale).
Factual Entertainment — Gogglebox.
Daytime — This Morning.
Talent Show — Strictly Come Dancing.

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What should you watch if you are new to Britain?

British television is the cheapest and fastest way to understand the country you live in: the language, the humour, the things people talk about at work. A few pointers from the list.

Gogglebox — ordinary families around the country watching television and saying what they think of it. It sounds absurd and it works perfectly: in one evening you hear real Liverpool, London and Welsh speech and find out what Britain actually laughs at. The best starting programme for anyone learning the language.

Call the Midwife — midwives in London's East End in the 1950s and 60s. Quiet, kind and very British, and along the way it explains where the NHS came from and what it means to people.

Clarkson's Farm — Jeremy Clarkson trying to run a farm in the Cotswolds. Under the comedy it is a fairly precise account of how British agriculture and the planning system work, and why farmers end up protesting.

The 1% Club — a quiz about logic rather than general knowledge, so the questions need no local background and you can play from your first day here.

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Strictly Come Dancing — the show every national "Dancing with the Stars" grew out of. Millions watch it through the autumn, and Monday-morning conversation about it is close to compulsory.

Mrs Brown's Boys — the Irish sitcom critics dislike and viewers keep voting best comedy year after year. A good way to see the gap between reviewers' taste and the country's.

Where can you watch it for free?

Almost everything here is available legally without a subscription. BBC iPlayer carries the BBC shows (Strictly, Call the Midwife, Mrs Brown's Boys) — you need an account and a valid TV licence. ITVX carries the ITV programmes, including This Morning, The 1% Club and Emmerdale, free with advertising. Channel 4 streams Gogglebox, also free with advertising. Clarkson's Farm is the exception: it is Prime Video, so a subscription.

The licence is worth a separate note. It is required for any live broadcast and for everything on BBC iPlayer, it costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, and it applies whether or not you own a television set. Catch-up on ITVX and Channel 4 needs no licence.

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