Royle Family wins BAFTA award

The Royle Family: Queen of Sheba has won the BAFTA for best situation comedy at tonight's British Academy of Film and Television Arts TV awards ceremony. The family sitcom, written by Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne, beat Green Wing, The IT Crowd and Pulling.

Later in the evening, BBC2 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look somewhat surprisingly beat The Catherine Tate Show and Little Britain to be named best comedy programme of 2006.

Ricky Gervais, who was up against Dawn French, Liz Smith and Stephen Merchant, was awarded the BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance. As Gervais is currently filming in America his Extras co-star had to, somewhat bizarrely, go on stage to pick up the award on his behalf.

Also during the evening Jonathan Ross was awarded the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance and Victoria Wood was named Best Actress for her role in drama series 'Housewife, 49'.

The evening ended with the presentation of the Academy Fellowship Award to Richard Curtis. The comedy writer was honoured for creating hit series like Blackadder, Vicar of Dibley and Mr Bean, and for his impressive charity work to date which includes founding Red Nose Day.