Beehive City are backstage at The British Comedy Awards 2011 to give you all the best coverage of the stars of comedy, including interviews with the winners, the special guest presenters and even the runners-up at tonight’s glittering event in North London. We’ll give you as much insight as we can, and tweet until our fingers bleed.
Speaking of tweeting, @ComedyOn4 will be live tweeting from the British #ComedyAwards tonight. They have a AAA rating (the French can’t interfere here) and will be announcing winners, taking backstage pictures and dishing out gossip along the way. And they will be retweeting the best tweets from people there on the night as well as the funniest comments from people at home using the #ComedyAwards hashtag, so give them a look.
But that’s enough pre-amble – we’ll keep you updated below:
20:55 Well, we’re in the breezy backstage area of the British Comedy Awards awaiting the start of tonight’s live broadcast. The stars are taking their seats, and Wossy is up on stage doing his soundcheck.
21:10 After Wossy’s pre-amble, Jeff Goldblum is the first special guest presenter. Not to ruin things for you, but I walked past Dame Helen Mirren’s dressing room on the way in too. And pleny more besides…
21:12 IT’s Inbetweener vs. Inbetweener vs. lots of other people for the first award and… Joe Thomas and the rest of the Fresh Meat cast and crew beat Simon Bird, among other, to Best New Comedy Programme
2115 We should probably mention Fosters Funny somewhere – they brought back The Fast Show and now they’re bringing us The Comedy Awards. Kudos.
2125 Jack Whitehall is a big hit backstage as Graham Norton wins Best Comedy Entertainment Personality and the rest of the Fresh Meat stars head for the sausage rolls at the bar. Winning makes you hungry then.
2130 Twenty Twelve wins Best sitcom having just lost to Fresh Meat in Best New Comedy Programme. And that’s why there’ll never be a Top Trumps of British Comedy…
2132 Now Kylie is onstage in, quite frankly, a brilliant dress. Beehive city is glad it brought its DSLR…
2133 …And she just said “Clunge” – Brilliant!
2139 And now we’re waiting for The Inbetweeners and Kylie to head towards the backstage….
2140 And instead we get Twenty Twelve and Paloma Faith, whom a waiter decides isn’t famous enough not to push past her with a cheese board.
2155 Beehive City has no idea who just won what, but we did just have a good chat with The Inbetweeners and we saw Kylie’s thigh. In person!
2159 And Dame Helen Mirren just said “Clunge”. It’s like the Oscars all over again…
2200 Why are there reality TV stars back here?
2201 And Miranda must have won something, because she’s in here talking to the gradually more drunken, gradually more feisty crowds of press.
2206 Have I Got News For You winthe Lifetime Achievement Award. And what a lifetime! BC is looking forward to speaking to Paul Merton for the first time since we served him petrol in Clacketts Lane in 2000…
2208 “This is about some many more people than just me” says Paul Merton. Best speech yet.
2217 The award that counts now – The People’s King or Queen of Comedy.
2219 Is Babs drunk? Never!
2220 Sarah Millican’s quirky accent and quirkier humour gain her the crown of Queen of Comedy. “Ta very much!”
2221 We’re seeing less and less stars back here. No Have I Got News For You. But Helen Mirren’s here. I’m off.
2230 Stewart Lee picks up a second award. Well, I say “picks up”…
2232 Steve Coogan announcing The Writer’s Guild award – so the producers have a firm grasp of irony then…
2236 I must take back my previous claims about Ms. Windsor (see 2219) – she’s the picture of sobriety backstage.
2237 Armando Ianucci takes the stage – the face of British comedy would be very different without him…
2245 Time for a sitdown, a Fosters and a shameless plug.
2248 And Victoria Wood beats tonight’s other winners Miranda Hart and Sarah Millican. Go figure.
2249 Speedy speech from Victoria Wood. Do you get the feeling they’ve been told to hurry up?
2250 “She’s got flowers all over her dress. She looks like a grave.” Freddie Starr deals with a heckler…
2252 And Dan Skinner, better know as Angelos Epithemiou, slays him as he accepts Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist.
2258 Freddie Starr’s back here now, but no interviews. Another guest’s claims that he ate their starter are quickly quashed.
2259 I’m sorry about 2258, but nothing’s happening here…
2304 Lee Evans closes off the show with the Special Contribution Award. BC met him at Clacketts Lane in 2000 too. Seems to be the place comedians go to fill up their car.
2306 And we’re onto the after party. Better known as the ‘Shit We Overran And Still Have Two Awards To Give Out’ Special…
2308 Psychoville wins Best Comedy Drama.
2310 And finally Best Sketch Show…
2311 Just been handed the winners list. First line: “Stewart Lee beats off stiff competition to score a double win…” I wondered how he managed it. And why he didn’t collect his awards. He must’ve been too tired!
2312 Horrible Histories wins Best Sketch Show. Nobody really cares any more, least of all them.
2313 Now it’s over to Lauren Laverne – Comedy Vampire.
Well, that’s all for now. Check out Beehive City’s review of the evening which will be up when we get round to it…
We’ll include all the winners, plus a few exclusive pics.
