Last night was the award ceremony for the TV Bafta’s, and comedy seemed to be the order of the day.

The BBC3 sitcom, Gavin and Stacey had a double victory as the show won the category of Programme of the Year and the actor James Corden taking the award for Comedy Performance. These were the only awards actually voted for by the public. James was the man who came up with the idea for Gavin and Stacey with his co-star from Fat Friends Ruth Jones.

Corden beat The Thick Of it actor Peter Capaldi, Stephen Merchant for the Extra’s Christmas Special and David Mitchell for the Peep Show. Corden has been in the news recently surrounded by rumours of a romance with Lily Allen and was astounded when he heard that he had won.  Before the ceremony he said “It’s great to be recognised. It’s brilliant. But you can’t take it too seriously. There’s a chance that you think you’re a bit more of a dude than you really are. The show isn’t up for best sitcom so obviously they’re a bunch of p****s.  I can’t imagine winning but if we do no-one will be happier than me.  It’s terrific.”

Harry Hill also got a won a  double for the categories of Best Entertainment Programme for TV Burp and Best Entertainment  Performance.

The highest accolade that BAFTA can give is the Academy Fellowship Award, which was presented to Bruce Forsyth.  The host of Strictly Come Dancing said that he had been “dead and buried” before the dancing show started.  He added “This is quite overwhelming…Morecombe and Wise and Charlie Chaplin were the only light entertainment people to get this award before.  It’s so moving that this is where it started 58-years-ago when I walked into this theatre and didn’t know a soul and the stage doorman made me feel so much at home.  This means so much to me.  I can’t be funny.  There’s nothing to be funny about.  It’s a wonderful, wonderful night for me.  There are so many memories going through my mind right now.  It’s impossible to capture all of them.  This is as good as it gets.  Thank you so much for a wonderful, wonderful honour.”

Bafta TV committee Chairperson, John Willis said “Bruce Forsyth has been keeping viewers of all ages entertained for decades.  He is the ultimate all round entertainer.  Just after his 80th birthday is the perfect time for the Bafta to recognise his huge contribution to popular television by awarding Bruce a very well deserved fellowship.”

The actress Dame Eileen Atkins, 73-years-old, took the award for Best Actress for her role in the period drama, Cranford.  It was the first Bafta award that the actress has received and she was given a rapturous applause as she went to accept her prize and joked about the series by saying “I bet they wished they hadn’t killed me off now.”  The drama was surprisingly not awarded the honour of Best Drama Serial which went to the Channel 4 programme Britz, a two-part series about a young Muslim woman who became Britain’s first suicide bomber.

The Best Actor award went to the 24-year-old newcomer, Andrew Garfield, for his part in the provocative drama Boy A.

The Best Specialist Factual Programme went to Andrew Marr, the former BBC political editor, for the Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain.

The director of the documentary Malcolm and Barbera ‘Love’s Farewell’, Paul Watson, won the Special Award.  There was much controversy over the documentary last year when it was questioned whether he had filmed the final moments of  Alzheimer sufferer Malcolm’s life or used an earlier, edited version.

Holby City won the Best Soap category, a first for the hospital drama while US Sci-fi show ‘Heroes’ won the international category.

The Peep Show won Best Situation Comedy for Channel 4 and Gordon Ramsey was awarded a prize in the features category for Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.