This Morning battles to retain best daytime crown at National Television Awards

This Morning will seek to defend its best daytime show title at the National Television Awards as the programme continues to face backlash amid the furore of the Phillip Schofield affair.

The ITV morning programme, which has been on a winning streak in the daytime category for the last number of years, will go up against The Chase, Loose Women and The Repair Shop as the annual award ceremony returns to The O2 in London on Tuesday evening.

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, This Morning has faced claims of toxicity and bullying behind the scenes.

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

On Monday, Willoughby and Hammond returned to the ITV show, opening the programme from outside the TV studio alongside the cast of Mamma Mia! The Party.

At the NTA’s, Hammond and Lewis will compete against Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as well as The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman and The Chase’s Bradley Walsh.

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 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.

Comedian Joel Dommett will return for the third year as host of the NTAs, which will be broadcast live on Tuesday from 8pm on ITV1.