Accolades for Ghosts, The Cleaner, Inside No9 and more...

Taskmaster has been named comedy of the year at the comedy.co.uk awards.

The Channel 4 programme was also named best entertainment show, while host Greg Davies picked up the best new sitcom gong for BBC One's The Cleaner, in which he stars as well as adapting it from its German original.

Here Davies and his Taskmaster sidekick – and series creator – Alex Horne discuss their victories:

Other shows honoured at the awards include Inside No 9, Ghosts, and Would I Lie To You.

Here are the full list of winners, chosen by the public – who cast almost 400,000 votes.

Comedy Of The Year: Taskmaster

Best TV Entertainment Show: Taskmaster

Best New TV Sitcom: The Cleaner

Davies said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted. The Cleaner’s been a labour of love for me. Thank you so much to all who voted, and thank you to the team who make The Cleaner with me. I’m delighted, really am genuinely delighted to get this - thanks a lot!’

Best Returning TV Sitcom: Ghosts

The Ghosts creators and stars - Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond - said in a statement: ‘We’re thrilled to have won the comedy.co.uk Award for best returning sitcom. Thanks to everyone who voted. We shall be returning again later this year so don’t go anywhere!’

Best Radio Sitcom: Michael Spicer: Before Next Door

Spicer said: ‘I’m thrilled to have got this. I’ve been doing this a long time, writing and sending scripts to the BBC, since I was about 17, so it’s amazing to get this now. If you’d have told me then I’d need to wait 26 years before it happened then… I’d’ve been mad. I’d’ve been furious. Really upset actually. Really crying. Really sobbing. Twenty-six years! That’s a long time.’

Best TV Sketch Show: Horrible Histories

Jessica Ransom, contributing writer and one of the core cast members, said: ‘It means ever so much that people have taken the time to vote for us at all, to win is the icing on the cake. It's a joy and a privilege to make the show as part of a massive team effort. The mine of horrible historical stories seems pretty bottomless, so we're delighted to keep on digging for more. Thank you!’

Best Radio Sketch Show: Dead Ringers

Creator and producer Bill Dare said: ‘What a thrill to receive this award. I’d like to thank the fantastic cast, the writers, and the BBC for backing Dead Ringers for twenty years - and also for paying us so much! The writers, especially, are all millionaires; they’re mostly in LA, sat by the pool, just firing off the sketches…'

Best TV Panel Show: Would I Lie To You?

Host Rob Brydon, and team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell, said in a statement: 'We are extremely touched and grateful for this award and would like to thank each and every one of the people who voted for us – though by "each and every one" we don’t mean to imply that we’re planning to thank people individually as that simply wouldn’t be workable. But thank you very much. This award genuinely means just as much to us as any of the ones where you also get a free dinner.’

Best Radio Panel Show: The Unbelievable Truth

Host David Mitchell said: ‘A huge thanks to everyone who voted for the show but also a small thanks to everyone who didn’t vote for one of our rivals.’


 Best Radio Entertainment Show: You’re Dead To Me

Host Greg Jenner says: ‘This is clearly cheating, isn’t it? We’re a podcast, let’s be honest - but it goes out on Radio 4 so technically it counts. It feels like chicanery but I don’t care! ‘

Best TV Comedy Drama: Inside No. 9

Writers and stars, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith said: ‘We are humbled to win the Comedy.co.uk Award for Comedy Drama once again in the face of such stiff competition. Either we are truly the best at this trumped up genre or we have the most tireless and supportive fans. Either way it’s a very nice feeling so thank you to everyone who watched and voted and we hope you’ll join us Inside No. 9 again soon.’

Published: 21 Feb 2022