There's no shortage of TV award ceremonies, but the National Television Awards can lay claim to something which makes them different - they're voted for by the viewers. But does that make them special?

WHY should we regard the National Television Awards any more highly than any of the other never-ending parade of winners at any other prize-giving?

Giving and receiving among the TV luvvies is nothing new, with hardly a week going by without some fresh gong show. Certainly, every soap magazine seems to stage its own awards. The sheer number devalues their worth.

I'd always thought of the Bafta Television Awards as the top ones but no, ITV is claiming the NTA as "Britain's biggest awards ceremony". They can claim, without anyone arguing, to be the only TV awards where viewers - or those that bother to vote - choose the winners, although I've yet to meet anyone who's voted.

Now, in its tenth anniversary year, the NTA has been named the highest-rated TV awards of the decade with over 14 million viewers. They'll probably give themselves an award for that alone.

Over to Sir Trevor McDonald, who hosts the ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday: "Over the past ten years the National Television Awards has become a true barometer of public tastes and preferences. It makes it possible for viewers to give their verdict on the year's television and I'm immensely proud to be part of it."

Certainly, without the NTA we'd never have seen Judy Finnigan's bra, cruelly exposed after her halter neck fell down during the presentations. Or the Duchess of York presenting the most popular drama award at the height of the controversy over her private life with the comment: "I'm sure most of you think I should be receiving this award rather than presenting it."

And how about Michael Barrymore picking up a hat-trick of awards in 1995 in his first public appearance after coming out as gay and telling the fans: "Thank you for being my kind of people and letting me live my kind of life." Barrymore has won more of the NTA prizes than anyone else or any programme - for all the good it did him after his TV career crumbled in the light of fresh revelations about his private life.

Geordie jokers Ant and Dec could be the ones to overtake his record. They're nominated again in the most popular entertainment presenter category, which they've taken for the past three years. Hoping to break their run of wins are Big Brother's "big sister" Davina McCall and her "little brother" Dermot O'Leary, along with BBC chat show king Jonathan Ross.

Ant and Dec have also been nominated twice in a single category - most popular entertainment programme - for Pop Idol and their Saturday Night Takeaway. Veteran entertainer Bruce Forsyth, with his TV return in Strictly Come Dancing, will be hoping to take the award away from them.

Executives at five can already break out the Bolly after receiving their first-ever NTA nomination, even if it was for the US import CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I can't see it winning against a trio of ITV shows that represent trash TV at its most crowd-pleasing, namely The Bill, Bad Girls and Footballers' Wives. They're all competing for most popular drama.

Why Patsy Kensit crops up in the best newcomer nominations is a mystery. She may only have joined the cast of Emmerdale relatively recently but is hardly a newcomer to the business, having started as a child actress. Much more deserving of a win is 12-year-old Sam Aston, who melts hearts as youngster Chesney Brown in Coronation Street. He has the distinction of being the youngest ever NTA nominee - and winner, I wouldn't mind betting.

ANY TV awards ceremony is a good opportunity for the rivalry between soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders to erupt into full-blown hostilities. With the BBC's Albert Square saga going through a rough patch with the exit of the producer and half the cast, it could do with the boost by seeing cast members take home trophies.

EastEnders' Jesse Wallace (Kat Moon) is up for most popular actress, but so are the Street's Tina O'Brien, a former best newcomer winner as Sarah Platt, and Suranne Jones, alias Karen McDonald. Zoe Lucker from Footballers' Wives completes the nominees.

The odds favour EastEnders in most popular actor category with both Shane Richie (Alfie Moon) and heart-throb Nigel Harman (Dennis Rickman) nominated. The Street's Bruno Langley, who had one of the year's biggest storylines as his character Todd Grimshaw came out, is in (out?) with a chance too. But all three face tough competition from two old hands - David Jason, for A Touch Of Frost, and James Nesbitt, for Canterbury Tales.

With reality TV occupying such a large slice of the schedules, those programmes get their own category with Hell's Kitchen, Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! and SAS Desert - Are You Tough Enough? vying for the award.

Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan won the most popular daytime programme award a record four times as hosts of This Morning. Now they're hoping their C4 Richard and Judy can do the same. They need a boost after Paul O'Grady's new rival chat show on ITV beat them in the ratings. GMTV, Des And Mel and This Morning are up for the prize too, along with the odd one out, daytime Aussie soap Neighbours.

* The National Television Awards: Tuesday, ITV1, 8pm.

Published: 23/10/2004