Joel Dommett on hack for presenting NTAs: ‘I look at Ant and Dec the whole time’

Joel Dommett said he focuses on TV duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly while presenting the National Television Awards (NTAs) because “they laugh at everything”.

The comedian and TV presenter, 38, is set to return to host the award ceremony at The O2 in London for the third time on Tuesday, which among the awards will see ITV’s This Morning seek to defend the title of best daytime show amid the furore of the Phillip Schofield affair.

Dommett described the NTAs as “the office party of our business” while appearing on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp – and also shared his hack for a successful presenting gig.

“I genuinely look at Ant and Dec the whole time, and I’m not even exaggerating because Ant and Dec are such good audience members,” he said.

“They are brilliant because they have done it for a long time and they know more than anyone how hard live television is, and so they laugh at everything.

“And so I just direct everything towards them, they’re usually right front and centre.”

He added: “They really are fantastic, I really look up to them in my career and down to them when I do the awards.”

The NTAs this year will see This Morning go up against The Chase, Loose Women and The Repair Shop, having been on a winning streak in the daytime category for the last number of years at the annual award ceremony.

It comes following Schofield’s resignation from ITV in May after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger male colleague on the show, with the programme also facing claims of toxicity and bullying behind the scenes.

Schofield, 61, and former co-host Holly Willoughby had been longlisted for the NTAs’ best TV presenter prize, alongside fellow This Morning stars Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Rylan Clark and Martin Lewis, but only Hammond and Lewis made the cut.

The pair will compete against The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman and The Chase’s Bradley Walsh, as well as McPartlin and Donnelly – who took the award for the 21st year in a row at last year’s ceremony.

Dame Deborah James and Paul O’Grady have both been posthumously recognised in the nominations, with Dame Deborah named in the authored documentary category, for Bowelbabe In Her Own Words.

Dame Deborah set up the Bowelbabe cancer research fund, and died last year at the age of 40 after suffering from bowel cancer.

Her documentary will compete against Rob Burrow: Living With MND, Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now and Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction.

TV presenter and comedian O’Grady, who died earlier this year, has also been nominated in the factual entertainment category for his show For The Love Of Dogs.

It will go up against Clarkson’s Farm, Sort Your Life Out and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live.

In the running for the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award are two shows from Donnelly and McPartlin – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway – as well as Gogglebox and The Masked Singer.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing, The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee are nominated for best talent show.

Piers Morgan is nominated in a new TV interviews category this year for his Piers Morgan Uncensored on Talk TV, alongside Louis Theroux Interviews… The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show and The Graham Norton Show.

In the new drama category is Netflix hit Queen Charlotte: A Bridgeton Story, Blue Lights, Beyond Paradise, and Wednesday, which stars Jenna Ortega as the Addams Family character Wednesday Addams.

For her role in the Bridgerton prequel, India Amarteifio, who plays Queen Charlotte, has been nominated for the drama performance award alongside Happy Valley stars James Norton and Sarah Lancashire who are competing against Vera’s Brenda Blethyn and Call the Midwife’s Judy Parfitt.

The climax of Happy Valley is in the running for the returning drama prize, alongside Stranger Things, Call The Midwife and Vera.

Over in the reality competition category is The Traitors, SAS: Who Dares Wins, Race Across The World and Love Island, which aired its 10th season this year.

Other categories include serial drama, serial drama performance, comedy, rising star and quiz game show.

The National Television Awards will be broadcast live on Tuesday September 5 from 8pm on ITV1.