I went to the NTAs — here’s everything you don’t see on TV-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

More goes on at the NTAs than what you see on the TV (Picture: Getty/Shutterstock)

Being a journalist means you’re often standing slightly outside the story in order to tell it, and that was the case at the National Television Awards.

My outsider status wasn’t just metaphorical at the NTAs, there was a metal barrier placed on the outskirts of the red carpet, separating me from the celebrities walking through it.

However, after interviewing the stars of British TV for three hours while placed behind it, I swapped my comfy Primark dolly shoes for stiletto heels.

This change of accessories was because I had something in my handbag that meant for tonight, I was able to infiltrate their world even further – a ticket.

It allowed me to be in the room when Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 48, were tackled by Bradley Walsh after winning the TV presenter award for the 23rd year in a row. And I was there when Kate Garraway, 57, dedicated her best authored documentary win to her late husband Derek Draper in an emotional speech.

The event began with me running along the red carpet, and managing to accidentally get into the back of 36-year-old Jorgie Porter’s paparazzo pictures – my paper bag carrying an emergency cookie and a change of shoes is now on Getty. It ended with bumping into Josie Gibson, 39, at the taxi rank, who told me she must dash as she’s got the school run in the morning.

My paper bag made it onto Getty (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Metro.co.uk got a ticket for the NTAs (Picture: Metro)

But what happened in between? While things might not have been totally glamorous for me, there was plenty of glitz inside London’s O2 arena.

Here is what it’s like to be at one of the biggest nights in TV…

Even celebrities love a queue

The evening is about picking up awards, but it’s also about getting a cute pic that will appear in the papers, and that you can post on Instagram.

Rather than dashing down the red carpet, celebrities queued patiently to stand in front of the official NTAs backboard. At one point the queue was around 30 metres long. It included Strictly star Tasha Ghouri, 26, Towie’s Georgia Kousoulou, 33, and Love Islander Ovie Soko, 33, all waiting for their turn to pose. However, the late arrivals, including Strictly dancer Nadiya Bychkova, 35, avoided the rush completely.

Stacey Solomon was one of the last to walk the red carpet, and despite cutting it close, the host of Sort Your Life Out took the time to pose for multiple selfies with fans gathered outside.

Do you want to know more about what happened at the NTAs? Our Reddit Ask Me Anything is underway:

Acceptance speeches were subtly cut short

The music got louder towards the end of Stacey’s speech (Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images for the NTAs)

While the NTAs want to make sure every award winner has their moment, they also have to bear in mind that they have 16 awards to get through in two and a half hours.

Some celebs thanked more people than I have saved in my contacts list (Brendan O’Carroll, 68, winning Comedy for Mrs Brown’s Boys was a particularly lengthy speech) which used up a lot of time.

Another issue was the celebrities’ journey up to the stage taking a while. Stacey, 34, gave her whole team a hug, as well as her son Zachary, who she sweetly brought along as her plus one. This ate into her speech time, and so after around a minute of talking, it was indicated that production wanted her to wrap it up. The music got noticeably louder in the arena – luckily, Stacey understood the signal and brought her thank-yous to an end.

The real party is during the advert breaks

The nominees have come to the event to have a good time, and although watching awards being handed out is entertaining, they want to party.

To keep everyone hyped for the long record, during the advert breaks an MC would take over from host Joel Dommett, and encourage some fun.

The celebrities did not hesitate to dance to One Direction hits, and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline was a particularly popular tune. EastEnders actor Scott Maslen, 53, was very enthusiastic, singing the lyrics loudly and running around the VIP section with his arms waving in the air.

It’s nice to see his Strictly dance skills are still coming into use 14 years later!

In the more subdued recording breaks, they would play iconic acceptance speeches from years gone by, but celebrities were more interested in chatting with each other than rewatching Billy Connolly, 81, getting his special recognition award in 2016.

Danny Dyer made it clear when handing out an accolade that he’d like to return to play Mick Carter in EastEnders. It was evident too when he took the time to hug every member of the cast.

The Love Island winners are for real

Mimi and Josh are into each other (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for the NTAs)

Josh Oyinsan and Mimii Ngulube are the current reigning champions of Love Island, and it seems they are the real deal.

The couple held hands as they queued to go through security scanners before entering the arena seating, which they tried to tackle together. An official had to ask them to let go of each other for a second to do it separately. Josh was also sweetly carrying her clutch bag, which is boyfriend goals.

They weren’t the only cuties – Olivia Attwood, 33, was checking that husband Bradley Dack, 30, was having a nice time while they headed to the suites, where non-nominated celebrities sit with brands that have invited them to come along.

Announcers get a helping hand

There is one person who spends almost as much time on the stage as Joel, but if you’re watching at home, you’ll never see him. He’s a member of production, who is essential to the smooth running of the ceremony.

As soon as the award presenters – which included Holly Willoughby, 43, Bobby Brazier, 21, and Mary Berry, 89 – said the words: ‘And the nominees are…’ he made his way up the stairs and stood beside them.

He’ll then point at them when they need to read the next nomination and held his hand in a stop signal when they should pause (demonstrated in the video above).

Danny, 47, looked like he was going to go too early at one point while introducing the nominees for best new drama, and the mystery man gently pulled him away from the microphone. The man then makes himself scarce before the winners have their moments.

What you also don’t see is Joel, 39, standing at the side having a good old chinwag with the announcer while the acceptance speeches take place. He seemed to have the biggest laugh with Bobby with the pair comparing the soles of their shoes.

One moment united the arena

The win led to a standing ovation (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for the NTAs)

Everybody enthusiastically clapped for every win, but two awards clearly got the most audience support.

When the Mr Bates vs The Post Office team was given the impact award, everybody in the arena rose to their feet to clap and nobody sat down until the speech began. It was the first standing ovation of the night, and clearly deserved.

Jo Hamilton – a postmaster played by Monica Dolan in the drama – told the audience that they still hadn’t all been paid compensation for the Horizon IT scandal and there was an audible gasp before the booing began.

The disdain for the government’s delay was so loud that it was difficult to hear what Jo was saying at points.

The only other award winner who received a standing ovation was Davina McCall for a special recognition award. She became emotional while reflecting on her long TV career, and the audience was right there with her. I felt a lump in my throat as she expressed how much she enjoys her job.

Security was tight

There are lots of famous people in one place which means plenty of security (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for the NTA’s)

With so many famous faces in one building, having security is essential. There were officials dotted around the building in black clothing and at one point, I saw them called into action.

I was seated just behind the nominees, who were placed in a special VIP section right in front of the stage. One woman tried her luck and ran towards it. A security guard quickly spotted her running and firmly told her to stop what she was doing. It was dramatic, but quickly resolved.

The National Television Awards are available to watch on ITVX

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