GLITTERING PRIZES - THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

Stars of the small screen donned their finery and stepped out on the red carpet for the Bafta TV awards

- INDIGO STAFFORD

The biggest stars in British TV descended on the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday 12 May for the Bafta Television Awards, celebrating the very best of the industry in 2023. For the second year, the ceremony honouring excellence on the small screen was hosted by comedy duo Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan - and the jokes came thick and fast.

It was a successful night for Brit dramas Happy Valley, Top Boy and The Sixth Commandment, which emerged as the big winners of the evening. Sarah Lancashire scooped the award for Leading Actress for her role as no-nonsense Sergeant Catherine Cawood in hit Yorkshire thriller Happy Valley.

Other winners included BBC One series Casualty, which was named Best Soap, while Strictly Come Dancing was awarded best Entertainment Programme. And Eurovision hosts Graham Norton, Rylan Clark and Hannah Waddingham joined the celebrations as the award for Live Event Coverage went to last year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Meanwhile, it was Bafta frustration for Geordie telly duo Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, who left the ceremony empty-handed. The pair were among the Entertainment Performance nominations for I'm A Celebrity – but comedian Joe Lycett triumphed, taking home the award for his show Late Night Lycett.

Funnyman Joe’s extravagant outfit was one of the most talked about moments of the night. The star dressed up as Queen Elizabeth I in a huge royal ruff and long silver cape, his hair dyed flame red, after losing a bet with his two aunties. Unlucky BBC Sport producer Ron Chakraborty, who was sitting behind Joe, went viral after he shared a picture revealing how his view of the stage was blocked by the star’s elaborate get-up.