For I, Daniel Blake

Comedian Dave Johns has won his first major acting award.

The veteran stand-up scooped best actor at the British Independent Film Awards for his role in the Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake.

The movie, in which Johns plays a widowed carpenter who can't get his benefits following a heart attack, previously won the prestigious Palme D’Or at Cannes.

But this is his first acting accolade. He has also been nominated in the European Film Awards, which will be handed out next weekend.

Speaking after collecting the BIFA award tonight, he said: ''I've been a stand-up for 27 years and no one knows who I was. Now I've done my first film and it's been incredible.' He added that the comedy circuit had been 'amazingly supportive' of his career change:

Here is the post-award interview:

Johns's co-star Hayley Squires won most promising newcomer tonight.

And fellow comic Brett Goldstein won best supporting actor for his role opposite Jodie Whittaker in Adult Life Skill, about a 30-year-old who lives in a shed.

Alice Lowe, who also appears in Adult Life Skill,  lost out on the Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director for Prevenge (Review) to Babak Anvari for the horror thriller Under The Shadow.

Johns talks about his role in I, Daniel Blake here.

Published: 4 Dec 2016