Joel Dommett hails ‘huge’ shows in running for National Television Awards

Comedian Joel Dommett has described the National Television Awards (NTAs) as the “best night in talent” and said he cannot wait to meet the nominated stars of “unbelievable show” Adolescence.

Dommett, who is returning to host the awards ceremony for the fifth year in a row, said the nominated shows are “all just huge”.

He told the PA news agency: “It’s the best the shortlist has ever been since I’ve hosted it. I genuinely don’t know which way it’s going to go.

“That’s what’s really exciting about the NTAs – it’s shows, those things that are loved by the public.

“It’s not decided by a panel or a committee. It’s the people at home – it’s what they like, it’s what they watch.”

The awards will be held on Wednesday, where Adolescence stars Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham, who play on-screen father and son, will go head to head for the drama performance prize.

Adolescence, the juggernaut Netflix drama about a teenage boy who is arrested for murdering a classmate, is also in the running for the new drama prize.

Asked about the discussions that Adolescence has provoked about misogyny and the dangers of online radicalisation, Dommett said: “It’s amazing that we’ve had Mr Bates (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) and then only a year later, that we’ve got Adolescence.

“Huge shows that really change legislation, has politicians talking about it.

“It’s really exciting that telly is still making an impact like that.”

Dommett said he is “really excited” to meet Cooper and Graham and “celebrate what was just an unbelievable show”.

Asked about The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award, Dommett said the entertainer, who died in 2017, will “always be missed”.

Comedian Michael McIntyre is nominated for the award, for his variety show Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, facing off against The Graham Norton Show, The Masked Singer and panel game Would I Lie to You?.

“It really frustrates me that I never met Bruce,” Dommett added.

McIntyre is also in the running for the quiz show prize, with a nomination for his programme The Wheel, alongside nods for Richard Osman’s House Of Games, The 1% Club and The Chase.

Dommett said: “It’s a very heated category. It feels great that you have something like The Chase, that’s massive, and it has been massive for years.

“And then you’ve got The 1% Club, that won it last year, that just feels like this new exciting upstart for ITV, which is so cool that we still have these incredible shows that are making an impact.”

Gary Lineker has been shortlisted for the best TV presenter award, just months after his exit from Match Of The Day.

The former footballer will face off against Ant & Dec, who have won the prize for 23 years in a row.

Lineker exited the BBC’s flagship football show in May after 26 years, following a row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.

He issued an unreserved apology over the social media post, as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the BBC early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season’s FA Cup.

Lineker and Ant & Dec will compete for the television presenter prize against Alison Hammond, best known for her appearances on This Morning and The Great British Bake Off; The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman; and Sort Your Life Out presenter Stacey Solomon.

Other nominations for the best new drama include the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, the gangster saga MobLand, Code Of Silence and the cryptic comedy drama Ludwig.

The eagerly anticipated TV return of Gavin & Stacey at Christmas is shortlisted for the comedy prize, competing against stalwart Mrs Brown’s Boys, crime caper Brassic and Michael McIntyre’s 25th Year Stand-Up Special.

Flintoff, in which former cricket star Freddie Flintoff opened up about his life-changing Top Gear car crash, is shortlisted for the authored documentary prize.

It is in the running alongside There’s Only One Rob Burrow, which paid tribute to the late rugby league player-turned-MND campaigner; Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me, about Strictly professional Amy Dowden’s battle with cancer; reality star Molly-Mae Hague’s tell-all Molly-Mae: Behind It All as well as Boyzone: No Matter What, which chronicled the rise and tragedy of the 90s boyband.

TV personality Solomon has two nominations in the factual entertainment category, where her lifestyle show Sort Your Life Out and fly-on-the-wall series with husband Joe Swash – Stacey & Joe – are both contenders.

They face competition from Jeremy Clarkson’s agricultural shenanigans in Clarkson’s Farm, as well as Gogglebox and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live.

Meanwhile, The Great Pottery Throw Down has earned its first nomination for the talent show prize, securing a nod alongside Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice UK, Britain’s Got Talent and The Great British Bake Off.

The National Television Awards will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm on Wednesday.

Published: 06/09/2025 by Radio NewsHub