Alison Steadman reunited with her Gavin & Stacey co-star Larry Lamb on the red carpet at the National Television Awards in London, posing together as the ceremony prepared to broadcast live from The O2.
The actress, 79, and the actor, 77, who played Pam and Mick Shipman when the sitcom debuted in 2007, were photographed arriving at the awards on Wednesday. Steadman wore a mustard-yellow dress with gold jewellery, while Lamb wore a classic black suit with a bow tie and polished shoes.
The Gavin & Stacey Christmas Day special, which aired in December 2024, received a nomination in the Comedy category at the 2025 National Television Awards, where it faces competition from Mrs Brown's Boys, Brassic and Michael McIntyre's 25th Year Stand-Up Special. Ruth Jones, creator of Gavin & Stacey, told the PA news agency that the sitcom’s finale was “a really nice way to bow out.”
The National Television Awards, a public-voted ceremony, will be held at The O2 in Peninsula Square and broadcast live on ITV and ITVX from 8 p.m. Host Joel Dommett returns for his fourth time. The NTAs have been staged at The O2 every year since 2010, apart from the rescheduled 2022 ceremony at Wembley.
This year’s red carpet coverage will include presenters Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks making their debut in that role, and there has been speculation about Holly Willoughby making a return to British screens as part of the presenting team after she left This Morning in October. Producers have not provided a full rundown of the broadcasting team beyond Dommett and the announced red carpet presenters.
The presenter categories include a high-profile field. Alison Hammond secured a nomination in the TV presenter category after becoming a regular fixture on This Morning. She is listed alongside Bradley Walsh, Claudia Winkleman, Stacey Solomon and long-standing winners Ant and Dec, who have claimed the Best TV Presenter prize more than 20 times and are also contenders in the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award via their Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
This Morning as a programme is nominated in the Daytime category, but its interim co-hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard were not shortlisted for Best TV Presenter, after being drafted in following the departures of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
Several drama and performance nominations underline the awards' range. Michelle Keegan earned three nominations, including Best Drama Performance for her role in the Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Fool Me Once, which became one of Netflix’s biggest hits. The series is also nominated in the New Drama category, and Keegan has previously been nominated multiple times for television work dating back to Coronation Street.
Toby Jones received a nomination in the drama performance field for his role in Mr Bates vs the Post Office, one of several high-profile programmes recognised across drama and factual categories. Other nominees on the drama side include Baby Reindeer, One Day and Red Eye.
The NTAs have reintroduced an Expert category this year. Anton Du Beke, a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, received a nod in that field, joining longlists that included other industry specialists. The return of the Expert category comes amid ongoing coverage of allegations and investigations linked to the professional dance community; broadcasters have said they will await the outcomes of inquiries and any official findings before making further programming decisions.
High-profile authored documentary nominations include entries from David Beckham and Robbie Williams for Netflix projects, Rose Ayling-Ellis for a film exploring deaf community issues, and Kate Garraway for Derek’s Story, which followed the final year of her late husband’s life.
The NTAs traditionally reflect both popular appeal and industry momentum, with categories spanning comedy, drama, factual, daytime and entertainment. The ceremony is expected to draw a wide television audience as winners are decided by public vote and announced during the live broadcast.
Winners of last year’s National Television Awards included Mr Bates vs The Post Office for several categories and Ant and Dec in the TV presenter field. The 2025 ceremony will reveal whether returning favourites or newer shows and presenters take top honours this year.
The awards programme will air live from The O2 at 8 p.m. on ITV and will be available to stream on ITVX.