The National Television Awards 2024 isn't far off! So it's time to get ready for a starry night of glitz, glamour and gongs as all our favourite TV stars gear up for the big event which returns live from London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday 11 September.
Telly’s biggest night of the year will once again be hosted by Joel Dommett, while all the winners will be voted for by our readers and other TV fans.
What’s On TV is proud to be in partnership with the NTAs, and here we reveal some of the exciting highlights from the voting long-list ahead of the big night...
The National Television Awards 2024 air date
The National Television Awards 2024 will be shown live on ITV1 on Wednesday, September 11 from 8pm.
The National Television Awards 2024 — shortlist nominees and categories
Here's a brief rundown of the biggest highlights from this year's long-list voting for the National Television Awards 2024.
By far one of the night’s biggest battles will be for the New Drama award, as break-out success Mr Bates vs The Post Office goes up against One Day, Red Eye, Fool Me Once and headline-making sleeper hit Baby Reindeer.
Meanwhile, the Returning Drama gong is a feast of popular historical classics with Bridgerton, Vera, Call The Midwife, The Crown, Bridgerton or Trigger Point all up for an award making it a particularly tough call!
Women dominate the Drama Performance shortlist this year as Vera’s Brenda Blethyn, Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning, Trigger Point’s Vicky McClure and Fool Me Once’s Michelle Keegan take on the sole male nominee, Toby Jones for Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.
The Expert category makes a welcome return for the first time since 2022, with Anton Du Beke, Sir David Attenborough, Martin Lewis, Torvill & Dean and Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper all vying to be crowned your favourite font of knowledge.
Millions of us tuned in to watch Harry Clark scheme his way to victory in The Traitors, but will the show take home the Reality Competition award for the second year in a row? Or could it be outmanoeuvred by The Apprentice, Celebrity Big Brother, Race Across The World or Love Island? It’s also been a bumper year for comedy and you can also pick your favourite!
The Talent Show category also features lots of enduring favourites, as Britain’s Got Talent, MasterChef, The Great British Bake Off, The Voice UK and Strictly Come Dancing go head-to-head.
We’re also excited to see who’ll come out on top in the Authored Documentary category, which pits England football star Wayne Rooney (Rooney) against his wife Coleen (Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story) and his former England teammate David Beckham (Beckham).
Could there be a surprise win in the TV Presenter category? We all know how Ant & Dec have been on a winning streak for an incredible 22 years running. But this year could they be toppled by Alison Hammond or The Traitors’ Claudia Winkleman?
With the voting still open, it’s up to you to choose!
Soap nominees at the NTAs 2024
As usual, the contest between the soaps at the 2024 NTAs is also set to be a tough one! EastEnders won last year for the first time since 2016, so could they do it again and beat off rivals like Corrie, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Casualty to claim the prize? It’s also tricky to call between Diane Parish (EastEnders), And in a year that’s seen so many incredible turns from our favourite soap stars, who will take home this year’s Serial Drama Performance award? In the running are David Neilson (Coronation Street) and and Peter Ash, EastEnders’ Angela Wynter and Diane Parish, and Emmerdale’s Eden Taylor-Draper. as their characters have all faced tough storylines.
How To Vote for the National Television Awards 2024
Voting for the National Television Awards 2024 is simple — you can vote free online at nationaltvawards.com. All votes must be in by midday on Wednesday Septemeber 11 2024 (see full Terms & Conditions and Privacy Notice at nationaltvawards.com).
EXCLUSIVE: Joel Dommett interview on hosting the National Television Awards 2024
What do you love most about hosting the NTAs, Joel?
Joel says: "It’s a beautiful opportunity to get everyone together and celebrate great TV, and I really think this has been an amazing year for television. One of the biggest moments for me is when we go to a commercial break and I’m able to take it all in and look at everyone in the room. It blows my mind that I’m in that position!"
Do you get nervous before the ceremony starts?
"I do, but I try not to let it affect me. The NTAs take so much preparation in terms of the script and rehearsals that once the night actually comes, it’s a bit of a relief, really. As soon as someone goes, ‘...and we are live!’, the train is going and there’s no stopping it. That is so fun for me, as I love doing live telly. I snap up every opportunity I get to do it."
So, which of this year’s nominated shows have you enjoyed watching?
"Baby Reindeer [the Netflix drama is shortlisted in the New Drama category while actor Jessica Gunning is up for Drama Performance] is really exciting. Everyone has been talking about it, and I know [creator and star] Richard Gadd from doing comedy shows together way back. It’s wonderful for me as a comic to see another comic doing so well. ITV1’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office [also shortlisted for New Drama, with Toby Jones in the running for Drama Performance] was incredible, too. It was such a huge series and I’m really happy that we’re celebrating it in a couple of different categories."
Congratulations on ITV1’s guessing game show The Masked Singer being shortlisted for The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award!
"I’m really excited! I love The Masked Singer and, having a child now, I appreciate it more than I ever have. Hopefully, as Wilde gets older, he’ll start to enjoy all the characters, the wild colours and the madness of it all. I feel very lucky that I host a show that he’ll be able to watch when he’s four."
What do you make of your chances against the other four shows in that category?
"I’d love it to be The Masked Singer, but I’m also slightly wed to ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, because that is sort of what got me started on the road to hosting this show in the first place [Joel was runner-up on the 2016 series of Australia-based juggernaut]. And it was the last Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway [on ITV1] this year, so that maybe gives them a bit of a notch up the ladder? And Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and The Graham Norton Show, both on BBC1, are so good. It’s hard, because everything’s brilliant. I don’t know what will win!"
The Expert award is back after taking a break in 2023. Are you excited for that one?
"Yes! Martin Lewis [who won in 2022 for ITV’s The Martin Lewis Money Show] is a hard man to beat as he does so much for the country in terms of saving people a few bob. I’m also a massive fan of Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, so I’m hoping Kaleb Cooper will be coming. A few years ago, when he was just sitting on his tractor, would Kaleb have ever thought he’d be up against Martin Lewis, Sir David Attenborough [for BBC1’s Mammals], Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean [for ITV1’s Dancing on Ice] and Anton Du Beke [for BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing]? What a category!"
What does the day leading up to the event typically look like for you?
"Usually we rehearse in the morning, and I’ll have a lot of press interviews to do. I have a moment of calm while the people who read out the cards are rehearsing, that’s when I go and get changed and do some social media bits and bobs. But there comes a point where I’m just sitting there, and that’s absolutely the worst part for me. I’d rather keep working."
It must be a tricky ceremony to host, what with commercial breaks, speeches that can overrun and having to finish on time for the news! How do you maintain control?
"It’s really difficult, but the more I do it, the more I get used to it. It’s such a balancing act and, to be honest, having to interrupt someone’s speech is easier than having to fill time! I’m also dealing with the noise and the madness of The O2, so I can’t always hear my earpiece very well. But what’s great about the NTAs is that the more things go wrong, the more fun it is!"
Have you chosen your outfit yet?
"I think I’ve decided! There’s this amazing tailor called Gresham Blake, who has done a beautiful suit for me. We went for white last year, but this time we’ve gone for a lovely double-breasted black velvet one."
Finally, when the ceremony is over, will you be heading into the after-party, or off home to bed?
"I prefer work to partying, which is why this is perfect for me as I get to be at a party while I’m working! Afterwards, I like to lie down on the floor in my dressing room for a couple of minutes, and just have that moment. Then I genuinely love getting in the car, going home, and going to sleep!"
National Television Awards 2024 tickets
Join host Joel Dommett and hundreds of your favourite telly stars for a night to remember at the National Television Awards 2024 on 11 September 2024 at London’s O2 by visiting nationaltvawards.com for tickets.
