The lucky winners were revealed on our website at 7pm on Monday, 6 September 2021.
BEST DRAMA SERIES: LINE OF DUTY
Mother of God! A hat-trick - as Martin Compston and Vicky McClure have also won their respective acting categories. The highs and lows of Jed Mercurio’s BBC1 drama about the police’s anti-corruption unit AC-12, kept 12.8 million of us glued to our screens for the big reveal of ‘H’, making it the UK’s most-watched drama series of the century so far. A previous win for Best Drama in 2019, too.
BEST FAMILY DRAMA: CALL THE MIDWIFE
It’s now seven in a row – and eight in total - for the popular period drama about the nuns and midwives of Poplar’s Nonnatus House, which continues to tackle topical subjects. Stephen McGann, who plays Dr Turner in the BBC1 series, recently revealed after the 10th series aired, that he’s writing a book based on a decade of working on the show.
BEST NEW DRAMA: BRIDGERTON, NETFLIX
Netflix’s answer to Downton Abbey proved to be a huge hit with viewers and the streaming giant confirmed three further instalments had been commissioned. The racy Regency drama is their biggest series ever – with a record 82 million households tuning in to see Lady Whistledown revealed. However, Regé-Jean Page (who played Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings) will not return.
BEST ENTERTAINMENT SHOW, IN ASSOCIATION WITH GREATEST HITS RADIO: GOGGLEBOX / CELEBRITY GOGGLEBOX
Whichever bright spark came up with the idea that a programme showing people watching telly on their sofas hit the nail on the head - and then famous faces got in on the act, too! This marks the fourth time that Channel 4 have scooped this gong, and they’ve beaten multi-award winners Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
BEST REALITY SHOW: I’M A CELEBRITY… GET ME OUT OF HERE!
An incredible 16th Best Reality Show win for the ITV series hosted by Ant and Dec, which had to get creative when COVID-19 hit. Instead of the heat of the Australian jungle, camp-mates bedded down in Gwrych Castle in north Wales, with author and actress Giovanna Fletcher beating Radio 1’s Jordan North to be crowned Queen of the Castle.
BEST COMEDY: THE VICAR OF DIBLEY IN LOCKDOWN
We’ve been laughing along with Dawn French since vicar Geraldine Granger first burst onto our screens in 1994, and the comedy won this prize in 2005. After three series, several specials and charity episodes, she returned to BBC1 with a mini-trilogy mainly consisting of monologues to her congregation during the pandemic. It was dedicated in memory of late cast members Liz Smith, John Bluthal, Emma Chambers and Roger Lloyd-Pack.
BEST TALENT SHOW: THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF / THE GREAT CELEBRITY BAKE OFF FOR STAND UP TO CANCER / JUNIOR BAKE OFF
Love Productions can rejoice again for their third win, with last year’s gong awarded for The Great British Bake Off/Bake Off: The Professionals/The Great British Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer. Matt Lucas took over from Sandi Toksvig to co-host alongside Noel Fielding on the Channel 4 show, with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith returning to the tent - and the health crisis saw cast and crew on the main show living in a ‘self-contained biosphere bubble’ to complete filming.
BEST LIFESTYLE SHOW: LONG LOST FAMILY
A first for the emotional, but uplifting series hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, in which people hope to be reunited with their relatives. Several spin-offs have been spawned from the original ITV show, which beat DIY: SOS: The Big Build, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live in this tough category.
BEST DAYTIME SHOW: THIS MORNING
It’s clear that TV Choice readers are huge fans of this daytime stalwart, which picks up its eighth Best Daytime award. The long-running ITV show – predominantly fronted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield – has once again beaten its rivals which, this time, are The Chase, Loose Women and Pointless/Pointless Celebrities.
BEST ACTOR: MARTIN COMPSTON for LINE OF DUTY
Is it the waistcoats or his London accent? After the sixth series of the BBC1 police drama saw DI Steve Arnott trying to track down the killer of Gail Vella and investigate the identity of ‘H’, while battling an addiction to prescription drugs, Martin Compston has been rightly rewarded for his first TV Choice award, pipping co-star Adrian Dunbar to the gong.
BEST ACTRESS: VICKY MCCLURE for LINE OF DUTY
Martin’s co-star Vicky McClure – as Steve’s ‘mate’ Kate – makes it an acting double for Line Of Duty as Vicky scoops her first award for her portrayal of DI Fleming. This series saw Kate switch to the Murder Investigation Team, while reporting her suspicions of corruption back to AC-12, and a heart-stopping moment where viewers thought she’d been killed.
BEST FACTUAL SHOW: PAUL O’GRADY: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS
Man’s best friend wins again as the trophy returns to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home for a fourth time. Paul O’Grady always throws himself in at the deep end with the pets in need of new homes, and this ninth series of the ITV show saw the strange arrival of some rabbits, an outbreak of highly infectious parvovirus in the kennels, and even more tugging of the heart-strings.
BEST FOOD SHOW: JAMES MARTIN’S SATURDAY MORNING
A first win for James Martin and his ITV show in which he’s joined by celebrity guests, as he provides food inspiration and handy hints for viewers. His loyal fanbase saw people take to social media when an episode was postponed due to coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death. The chef has hosted his own series since 2017 after leaving Saturday Kitchen, also shortlisted in this category_._
BEST SOAP ACTOR: DAVID NEILSON
He first stepped foot on the famous Coronation Street cobbles in 1995 and has been involved in many high-profile storylines. But following Seb and Nina’s horrific attack earlier this year, David Neilson has really shone as Nina’s uncle, offering support to his niece after he had to break the news that her boyfriend had died from his injuries.
BEST SOAP ACTRESS: SALLY CARMAN
Abi Franklin may have been an addict who lost custody of her twins when we first met her in 2017, but since cleaning herself up, she’s now a mechanic. However, as she was looking forward to tying the knot with Kevin Webster, her world collapsed when son Seb was killed. Sally Carman’s powerhouse performance as a grieving mum has earned the actress her first TV Choice award.
BEST SOAP: CORONATION STREET
A second hat-trick in a row for the Weatherfield-set soap, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in December. The long-running ITV series also scored the same clean sweep last year with Best Soap and both acting gongs. Seb and Nina’s attack - produced with the help of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation – has been its biggest talking point in recent months, with the trial verdict due to be screened this week.