• Date: December 14, 2005
• Location: London Studios, London
• Host: Jonathan Ross
• Broadcaster: ITV1

Television and film

Winners first; nominees indented

Best Comedy Entertainment Programme

• The X Factor (ITV1)
  • Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (Granada Television, ITV1)
  • Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC One)

Best Comedy Film

• Festival
  • Sideways
  • The Incredibles

Best International Comedy TV Show

• The Simpsons (Twentieth Century Fox, BBC Two, Sky One, Channel 4)
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, More4)
  • Kath and Kim (BBC Two)

Best TV Comedy Drama

• Shameless (Company Pictures, Channel 4)
  • Christmas Lights
  • Not Only But Always (Channel 4)

Best New TV Comedy

• The Thick of It (BBC Four)
  • Extras (BBC Two)
  • Help (BBC Two)

People's Choice Award

After a public vote by telephone the results were declared as:

1. Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2. The Catherine Tate Show
3. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
4. Green Wing

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (Ant & Dec) received the award from Robbie Williams; however, in May 2008, it emerged that The Catherine Tate Show was in fact the programme which polled the most votes, following an investigation by the independent law firm Olswang, and McPartlin and Donnelly voluntarily returned the prize as they had already agreed to do.^[1] Olswang reported there was "insufficient evidence" to explain why the "error" occurred but speculated that "it was understood that [Williams] would be happy [to present the award] if the recipients were [Ant and Dec]. In order to ensure his attendance, this assurance was given." The report concluded that there was "no suggestion" that any of the three celebrities were aware of deception, and "it cannot be concluded that this was the reason why the wrong winner of the [award] was announced."^[2]

People and performances

Best TV Comedy Actor

• Chris Langham - Help (BBC Two), The Thick of It (BBC Four)
  • Matt Lucas and David Walliams - Little Britain (BBC Two)
  • Ricky Gervais - Extras (BBC Two)

Best TV Comedy Actress

• Ashley Jensen - Extras (BBC Two)
  • Catherine Tate - The Catherine Tate Show (BBC Two)
  • Tamsin Greig - Green Wing (Channel 4), Love Soup (BBC)

Best TV Comedy Entertainment Personality

• Paul O'Grady - The Paul O'Grady Show (ITV1)
  • Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly - Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (ITV1)
  • Jonathan Ross - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC One)

Best TV Comedy Newcomer

• Ashley Jensen - Extras (BBC Two)
  • Chris Addison - The Thick of It (BBC Four)
  • David Mitchell - Mock the Week (BBC Two), Peep Show (Channel 4)

The Ronnie Barker Writer of the Year Award

• Matt Lucas and David Walliams

References

1. ^ "Ant and Dec Return Comedy Prize", BBC News, bbc.co.uk (2008-05-09). Retrieved on 2008-05-12. "TV presenters Ant and Dec [(Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly)] are to return a prize they were awarded at the 2005 British Comedy Awards after ITV revealed that they did not win. ... Ant and Dec are reportedly appalled at the error over the prize [photo caption]." 
2. ^ PA (2008-05-08). "People's Choice Award? Not If Robbie Williams Has Anything to Do With It", The Independent, independent.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-12. "Robbie Williams presents Ant and Dec with the People's Choice Award for "Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway" at the British Comedy Awards 2005. It has now been revealed that the award should have gone to the Catherine Tate Show."