SIR Trevor McDonald hosts the National Television Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London tonight.
I’ll be there for one of the biggest TV nights of the year, which is recorded for screening on ITV1 at 8pm tomorrow.
The red carpet arrivals begin at 6.30pm, with the ceremony due to go on to around 11pm.
That’s followed by the after show party for the celebs, their guests and TV executives.
You can read about all the winners in tomorrow’s MEN – and back here in this blog.
Author: ianwylie
A final word on last night’s one-off special of The Royle Family, which was watched by 7.8m viewers – the highest audience for a comedy on British TV this year.
Actress Liz Smith, who played Nana, appeared on Channel 4’s The Paul O’Grady Show this teatime.
“I just want to let you see that I didn’t really die last night,” she said. “For a woman who’s just died, I feel quite good.
IF you chose to watch Mysterious Creatures on ITV1 last night, you’ll know it was no laughing matter.
But old friends Tim Spall and Brenda Blethyn, who played Bill and Wendy Ainscow, managed to find some things to smile about during filming.
As Tim told me at the press launch earlier this month: “There’s a very fine line between tragedy and comedy.”
A day off today – or rather it was meant to be.
So, making no apologies for returning to the subject, just a quick reminder not to miss The Royle Family on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday.
If you’re going out, don’t. It’s the best thing I’ve seen on TV this year.
Here’s a final taster:
THERE’S good news today for fans who enjoyed a golden era of Saturday morning TV.
Noel Edmonds is reuniting with Keith Chegwin, Maggie Philbin and John Craven for a one-off Swap Shop special on BBC2 called It Started With Swap Shop.
The two-hour documentary, to be screened one night over Christmas, will see them looking back at 30 years of Saturday morning kids’ TV on the BBC.
Guests are due to include other Saturday stars, the likes of Sarah Greene, Andi Peters, Emma Forbes and Mike Read – not forgetting Philip Schofield, Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston.
I’ve interviewed all of them over the years, some several times, and they all loved working on Saturday mornings…once they’d got over the alarm call.
IT’S late at night after another very long day. But some people are worth the wait.
Former Cagney and Lacey star Sharon Gless walks into the room with a smile, her eyes shining through big black glasses.
If you’re too young to remember the pioneering 1980s American cop show, check out the link at the bottom of the page.
Female New York City cops Christine Cagney, played by Sharon, and Mary Beth Lacey (Tyne Daly) paved the way for later dramas like Prime Suspect.
“We were bigger here than we were in the United States. Good taste, I guess,” laughs Sharon, in town for the first preview screening of BBC1’s new thriller series The State Within.
It’s begins on Thursday November 2 – and is not to be missed.
Emmy-award winning Sharon plays US Secretary of Defense Lynne Warner, a patriotic American with a Force 10 personality.
FRED Elliott ended up back on the counter of his butcher’s shop in Coronation Street last night.
Sadly, his return to Elliott & Son was in a glass jar which once contained gravy granules.
Attempting to resolve the row over the ownership of Fred’s ashes, barmy Bev plonked some of them on top of Ashley’s packed lunch.
Asked by Claire what was in the jar, Bev declared: “His father…well, half of him. Plenty of him to go round.
“I’m sorry about the jar. I know he couldn’t abide instant gravy, but it were the only container I had to hand.”
“YOU can’t see it with your eyes, hold it in your hand…this thing called love.”
Johnny Cash says it all in the new one-off episode of The Royle Family, screened on BBC1 at 9pm next Sunday.
It is, quite simply, The Royle’s finest hour. Or as Jim might say: “A bloody great work of genius.”
Writers and associate producers Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash and Phil Mealey have crafted a celebration of life, love and lamination which will have you laughing out loud one minute, and in tears the next.
TV trailers already feature one exchange between pregnant Denise (Caroline Aherne) and mum Barbara (Sue Johnston) involving Denise and Dave’s son Little David, who is now six:
THE preview DVD has been on my desk all week. Last night I finally got time to watch it. And then I had to watch it again.
Do not miss the second part of Prime Suspect: The Final Act on ITV1 at 9pm tomorrow night.
Having seen the first part at a preview screening over five weeks ago, this last ever case for Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison looked to be the TV event of the year.
Part two doesn’t disappoint – even knowing in advance that the final few minutes of the drama are missing from preview copies.
LIFE On Mars may be ending as we know it but there’s good news for fans of the hit TV drama set in 1973.
BBC1 bosses today confirmed they are developing a spin-off show – also to be named after a David Bowie song – which could be filmed in Manchester next year.
Ashes To Ashes is set in the 1980s and is due to feature some cast members from the original show, if it gets the go-ahead.
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