NTAs 2023: are Ant and Dec now the most successful winners in the history of the National Television Awards?

The National Television Awards returns to London’s The O2 and our screens this evening, with many starting to make their way to the venue and grace the red carpet ahead of this evening’s ceremony. 

Will Ant and Dec make it another victory in the “Best Television Presenter” category once again this year? The duo have been on quite the roll across recent years at the event, but a worthy challenger has stepped up to try and dethrone them from their almost never-ending award wins; ‘This Morning’ host Alison Hammond.

The pair are heavy favourites though to earn an award through their work in ITV’s successful reality competition, ‘I’m A Celebrity…,’ which William Hill offered odds of 8/11 that the show would pick up the gong once again. But the duo have two chances in the “Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award” category, with ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’ also in contention.

But are Ant and Dec the most successful act in National Television Awards history, and if so, just how many awards have the pair won? We know they’re not the youngest winner of an award nor the oldest, and have either of their shows ever won the most awards for a series?

So let’s take a look at some of the most successful winners in the history of the National Television Awards, ahead of its live screening on ITV One and ITVX later this evening.

How many NTAs have Ant and Dec won?

After their win this evening, bringing their total to 44 awards after Geordie duo Ant and Dec (Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly) are the most successful winners at the National Television Awards since they began in 1995.

They have won the gong for Best Presenter 21 times, alongside The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award on several occasions and also bagged the gong for Most Popular Reality Programme several times.

In 2002 they also won the Special Recognition Award, solidifying their status as the new kings of light entertainment.

What has been the most successful television show at the National Television Awards?

If we’re not including acting wins, then that would be the long-running ITV Soap ‘Coronation Street,’ which has picked up the “Best Serial Drama” award nine times. If we were to include acting gongs alongside the show itself earning awards, that would bump the figure up to 22 - still 21 awards less than the success of Ant and Dec.

Who is the oldest winner at the National Television Awards?

That would be Sir Richard Attenborough, who earned the Special Recognition award in 2018 for his services to television and documentary filmmaking. Attenborough was 91 at the time he received the award.

When and where can I watch the 2023 National Television Awards?

The National Television Awards 2023 will be screened live and exclusively on ITV One and ITVX from 8pm on Tuesday September 5 2023. The show can also be watched on demand through ITVX.