British Comedy Awards 2007

Cult comedy Gavin & Stacey swept the board with a hat-trick of top prizes at the 2007 British Comedy Awards while there were doubles for Peep Show and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.  The ensemble comedy Gavin & Stacey, seen only on BBC Three so far, was named Best New British TV Comedy at a star-studded ceremony in Central London – and won two more trophies for both of its creators.  Ruth Jones and James Corden, who created, wrote and starred in the ensemble show (made by Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow), were named Best Male and Female Comedy Newcomers.

The 2007 awards, sponsored by Highland Spring, gave a Lifetime Achievement award for Stephen Fry.  And at the age of 85, everyone’s favourite granny Liz Smith became the oldest winner in the awards’ 18-year history. Just a week before her 86th birthday, Ms Smith – who did not start acting until she was 50 - was named Best TV Comedy Actress for her role as the eccentric grandmother Norma in BBC1’s The Royle Family.

The prize for Best TV Comedy Actor went to David Mitchell for Channel 4’s Peep Show, and the show completed a double when it was named Best TV Comedy.

Simon Amstell won Best Comedy Entertainment Personality for breathing new life into BBC2’s Never Mind The Buzzcocks following the departure of former host Mark Lamarr, and the show confirmed its comeback by winning Best Comedy Entertainment Programme.
ITV, who own the broadcast rights to the show – though no transmission date has been set pending investigations into telephone voting – got in on the act when Al Murray’s Happy Hour was named Best New Comedy Entertainment Programme.

The Best International Comedy Show award was won by HBO’s cult classic Curb Your Enthusiasm, shown here on More4.  In the non-broadcast section of the ceremony, Alan Carr won the prize for Best Live Stand Up, and The Simpsons Movie won Best Comedy Film, while Simon Pegg, writer and star of hit films Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run, was presented with The Writers’ Guild Ronnie Barker Award.

WINNERS & NOMINEES:

Best New Comedy Entertainment Programme 2007
Al Murray's Happy Hour
Fonejacker
The Graham Norton Show

Best Television Comedy Actor 2007
David Mitchell (Peep Show)
Jack Dee (Lead Balloon)
Kevin Bishop (Star Stories)
Lee Mack (Not Going Out)

Best Television Comedy Actress 2007
Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show)
Liz Smith (The Royal Family: The Queen of Sheba)
Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey / Saxondale)

Best New British Television Comedy (Scripted) 2007
Gavin & Stacey
Lead Balloon
Not Going Out

The Writer's Guild Ronnie Barker Award
Simon Pegg

British Comedy Lifetime Achievement Award
Stephen Fry

Best Comedy Film 2007
Borat
Hot Fuzz
The Simpsons Movie 

Best Comedy Entertainment Personality 2007
Alan Carr & Justin Lee Collins (The Friday Night Project)
Simon Amstell (Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Stephen Fry (QI)

Best Male Comedy Newcomer 2007
James Corden (Gavin & Stacey
Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey)
Matt Berry (The IT Crowd)

Best Female Comedy Newcomer 2007
Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey)
Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey)
Sharon Horgan (Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive / Pulling)

Best International Comedy Show 2007
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office: An American Workplace
The Simpsons

Best Comedy Entertainment Programme 2007
Harry Hill's TV Burp
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
The Friday Night Project

Best Live Stand Up 2007
Alan Carr
Dara O'Briain
Simon Amstell

Best Television Comedy 2007
Gavin & Stacey
Peep Show
Star Stories

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