Coogan, Whitehouse and Ferrell win British Comedy Awards

Special winners annouced

Will Ferrell, Steve Coogan and Paul Whitehouse are to pick up British Comedy Awards tomorrow night.

They have been revealed as the recipients of the awards for International Achievement, Outstanding Achievement and The Writer’s Guild of Great Britain Award respectively.

Ferrell, who is in the UK to promote Anchorman 2, said: ‘I’d love to say how honoured and thrilled I am to be receiving this award; I'd love to say how honoured I am to be held in such high regard by the British comedy community but, at this juncture, I think it would be more prudent to say: no comment.’

Coogan, who will pick up the award for outstanding achievement , said: ‘I can honestly say I am almost humbled by having my modest contribution to the world of comedy be pronounced “Outstanding”.

‘Over the last 25 years I have worked with many wonderful people and a few bastards. Of the many epithets I have received; cutting edge, acerbic incisive, one trick pony, visionary and “depressingly popular:(Time Out), Outstanding is perhaps the most flattering.

‘Of all the accolades I have received the most gratifying is undoubtedly Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival [for Philomena] and then probably this one. Although I don't pay enough attention to the comedy Zeitgeist, prefering instead to watch reruns of Nazi-Hunters on the Military channel, it is never the less an honour to be recognised among my peers. I can only hope that one day my epitaph will read Here lies Alan Partridge AKA Steve Coogan. God bless you all.’

Previously ITV2’s Plebs has been announced as best new comedy award.

The rest of the awards will be unveiled live on Channel 4 from 9pm tomorrow, in a ceremony host by Jonathan Ross.

The full list of nominations is:

Best Comedy Panel Show

8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
A League of Their Own
Have I Got News For You
Would I Lie To You

Best Comedy Entertainment Programme

Alan Carr Chatty Man
Saturday Night Takeaway
The Graham Norton Show
The Last Leg

Best Sketch Show

Harry & Paul
Horrible Histories
It's Kevin
Psychobitches

Best Sitcom

Bad Education
Count Arthur Strong
Getting On
Peep Show

Best Male TV Comic

David Mitchell, Would I Lie To You
James Corden, A League of Their Own
Jon Richardson, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Lee Mack, Would I Lie To You

Best Female TV Comic

Miranda Hart, Room 101
Nina Conti, Live At The Apollo
Sarah Millican, The Sarah Millican Television Programme
Sue Perkins & Mel Giedroyc, The Great British Bake Off