The 2025 TV Choice Awards was an emotional affair as stars gathered at The Hilton on Park Lane on Monday evening.
Jason Manford hosted the swanky ceremony, which saw The Hairy Bikers win Best Food Show for The Hairy Bikers Go West, their final series before the tragic death of Dave Myers.
Dave passed away aged 66 in February 2024, with his co-star Si King by his side following a lengthy battle with an unspecified cancer.
Si was on hand to graciously accept the award on Monday night, which had been been voted for by the public and was presented by The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Sally Lindsay and Steve Edge.
Another poignant moment saw Brenda Blethyn, 78, presented with an Outstanding Contribution Award, in recognition of ITV detective series Vera, in which she played DCI Vera Stanhope before quitting last year after 14 series.
Chosen to present the gong was Brenda’s Secrets and Lies co-star and fellow BAFTA winner Timothy Spall, 67.
The 2025 TV Choice Awards was an emotional affair, which saw The Hairy Bikers win Best Food Show for The Hairy Bikers Go West, their final series before the tragic death of Dave Myers (right pictured 2023)
Si was on hand to graciously accept the award, which had been been voted for by the public, presented by The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Sally Lindsay and Steve Edge
Dave passed away aged 66 in February 2024, with this co-star Si King by his side following a lengthy battle with an unspecified cancer
Meanwhile Nicola Coughlan nabbed Best Comedy Performance for her role in Channel 4’s Big Mouth, beating Brassic’s Michelle Keegan.
One of the night’s biggest winners was the critical acclaimed ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which scooped Best New Drama and Best Drama Performance for actor Toby Jones who played the titled character.
The four-part series told the story of a long-running campaign to expose the Horizon IT system scandal, in which hundreds of Post Office staff were wrongfully accused of theft and fraud.
Ant & Dec secured their whopping 19th trophy as I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! was once again named Best Reality Show, while rival Strictly took home Best Talent Show.
Emmerdale also enjoyed a successful evening winning the top honour of Best Soap and Best Soap Newcomer for Beth Cordingly for her role as Ruby Fox-Miligan.
The TV Choice Awards has become the latest ceremony to ditch gendered categories in favour of ‘Best Performer’ gongs.
It has been the debate among the award ceremonies in recent years as to how categories ensure they are inclusive of non-binary performers, with the BRITs the first to go gender-neutral while the BAFTAs decided against it.
But gone now gone are the TV Choice Awards’ Best Soap Actor and Best Soap Actress gongs, replaced by a Best Soap Performer award which is open to anyone who played a role in a recurring show.
Another poignant moment saw Brenda Blethyn , 78, presented with an Outstanding Contribution Award, in recognition of ITV series Vera (Brenda, second right, pictured with her co-stars)
The show saw Brenda play DCI Vera Stanhope before quitting last year after 14 series
Meanwhile Nicola Coughlan (pictured in the show) nabbed Best Comedy Performance for her role in Channel 4’s Big Mouth, beating Brassic’s Michelle Keegan
One of the night’s biggest winners was the critical acclaimed ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which scooped Best New Drama and Best Drama Performance for actor Toby Jones (centre) who played the titled character
Similarly, the Drama category has been streamlined into one award while the newly-added Comedy category has received the same treatment.
The Best Soap Newcomer award completes the list of new honours available to actors and actresses at this year’s show.
Another awards ceremony to no longer have gendered categories is The BRIT Awards after it adopted a gender-neutral approach in 2022.
Among the new categories was Best Male Solo Artist (a move widely thought at the time to have been driven by non-binary singer Sam Smith).
Adele, who won Best British Artist in 2022, said on stage: ‘I understand why the name of this award has changed but I really love being a woman and being a female artist.’
In 2023 there was outrage after the Best British Artist shortlist was all-male.
But a year later a subsequent tweak was made to the category – which doubled in size and saw more of a balanced mix, with six of its ten nominees established female artists.
At its 2024 nomination announcement, the British Phonograph Industry – who organise the annual event – admitted gender balance has been readdressed following 2023’s all-male nominees.
BPI Chair Yolanda Brown, said: ‘We shared our upset that no women or R&B artists were represented last year.
Emmerdale also enjoyed a successful evening winning the top honour of Best Soap and Best Soap Newcomer for Beth Cordingly (pictured) for her role as Ruby Fox-Miligan
While Corrie’s Peter Ash won Best Soap Perfomance for his role as Paul Foreman who died following a battle with motor neurone disease
Strictly Come Dancing took home Best Talent Show (2024 contestant Sarah Hadland pictured)
Ant & Dec secured their whopping 19th trophy as I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here ! was once again named Best Reality Show
‘We consulted with our advisory group, we thought long and hard about moving forward.’
But BAFTA dealt a blow to nonbinary performers, deciding – after spending two years debating the thorny question of ‘gendered’ acting categories – that awards nominees will have to pick a side and choose whether they want to compete as ‘actors’ or ‘actresses’.
The announcement places non-binary performers – like Emma Corrin, Emma D’Arcy and Bella Ramsey – in a tricky position.
Revised guidelines released last year say that film producers must ‘confirm the gender/gender identity of each candidate for nomination’.
A source adds: ‘It is up to the entrant which category they enter into.’
