British Comedy Awards 2012: Winners And Pictures

British Comedy Awards: Winners And Pictures

The 2012 British Comedy Awards took place in London on Wednesday night - and there were some surprise winners among the results.

Julia Davis's spoof period drama 'Hunderby' beat off stiff competition from the likes of 'The Thick Of It' and 'Twenty Twelve' to win both Best New Comedy Programme and Best Sitcom - and in doing so, marked a real coup for Sky.

'The Thick Of It' went on to win awards for its two main leads, however: Peter Capaldi for Best Comic Actor ("I am now officially funny") and Rebecca Front for Best Comic Actress - who beat off twice-nominated Olivia Colman, and thanked her "long-suffering husband" and the BBC ("We are bloody lucky to have them").

Best Comedy Entertainment Personality went not to the family-friendly Stephen Fry, Graham Norton or Harry Hill, but to '10 O'Clock Live' and Newswipe's Charlie Brooker. Young Jack Whitehall, meanwhile, beat the likes of Alan Carr, Sarah Milican and Graham Norton to win the people's vote and be named the King Of Comedy. "This feels a little bit like when TOWIE got a Bafta," acknowledged the 'Fresh Meat' star.

Sacha Baron Cohen brings back his Ali G character and is pictured with Sir Ben Kingsley

Jo Brand was named Best Female TV Comic, while Lee Mack won the Best Male TV Comic award. E4's 'Cardinal Burns' won Best Sketch Show; and the Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist went to talented impressionist-actress Morgana Robinson.

In two bittersweet moments, 'Harry Hill's TV Burp'- which has reached the end of its run - won Best Comedy Entertainment Programme, and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer - whose 'Shooting Stars' was axed this time last year by the BBC - received the Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award. Reeves and Mortimer thanked the many people who had contributed to their success, including host Jonathan Ross "'cos he made it happen... And Jools Holland. And Glenn Tilbrook."

And in true British rewarding-those-who-have-made-it-big style, the Outstanding Contribution Award went to Sacha Baron-Cohen. Accepting his gong from Ben Kingsley, and in the guise of Ali G - a character we haven't seen in years - Baron-Cohen said: "I is grown up now! I ain't living in my nan's house anymore. I am living in her garage".

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