Inside major shake-up to National Television Awards – including new category inspired by Prince Harry

REALITY hit The Traitors seems to have inspired 2023’s National Television Awards, the annual small-screen celebration voted for by viewers.

The longlist for potential winners is released today with 16 categories, including two new ones that reflect TV’s biggest trends.

The Reality Competition section will find the top show from a batch that acknowledges The Apprentice, SAS Who Dares Wins as well as The Traitors, one of the biggest successes of the past year.

Meanwhile, the TV Interview category follows some huge chats including Prince Harry’s shocking revelations to ITV newsreader Tom Bradby.

The new categories have been accommodated by losing TV Expert and Talent Show Judge which featured in 2022.

As host of The Traitors and The Piano and co-host of Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman, is also on the list for the TV Presenter gong.

But she faces strong competition from Ant & Dec, who have won that title 21 times, not to mention NTAs compere Joel Dommett, who we usually see fronting The Masked Singer on ITV.

Claudia will also be up against This Morning’s Holly Willoughby and The Circle’s Emma Willis, along with newcomer Hannah Waddingham, the Ted Lasso actress whose profile has soared since fronting the Eurovision Song Contest last week.

Harry and Tom also face competition in the TV Interview category from Louis Theroux, who had an outstanding one-to-one with rapper Stormzy last year, in which he waxed lyrical about his adoration of Love Island host Maya Jama.

There is a clash involving one of the biggest dramas of the year, BBC One’s Happy Valley.

Not only is it on the list for Returning Drama, its two main stars — Sarah Lancashire and James Norton — are both in the running for Drama Performance on the back of their work in the sensational final series.

Sky’s The Last Of Us, starring Pedro Pascal, could also triumph, for New Drama.

Cancer campaigner and Sun columnist Dame Deborah James, who died last year, might receive a posthumous gong in the Authored Documentary category for her Bowelbabe film.

Paul O’Grady’s For The Love of Dogs is on the Factual list, two months after the Lily Savage star and presenter died.

And the late Jade Goody’s son Bobby Brazier is on the longlist for Rising Star, for his role as Freddie Slater on EastEnders.

But whether any of them take home an award on the night all depends on who the viewing public now put through to the shortlist.

ALL BEAR BENEATH THE KILT

ACTION man Bear Grylls loves to go commando – but only when he’s wearing a kilt.

The survival expert enjoys bounding around in as little as possible when he is on his private island in North Wales with the family.

Bear told the Radio Times: “My sons always laugh at me because I love to wear a kilt when I go out with the dogs.

“Everything feels free. I love to go running beside a riverbank near where we live, in bare feet and just a kilt and T-shirt.

“Then I just strip off and dive in and it feels so good, and natural.”

He was talking ahead of his appearance on BBC One genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? where he discovers he is related to Archibald Campbell, First Marquess of Argyll.

Here’s hoping he’s been wearing the Argyll tartan for that kilt all this time . . . 

ADAM’S SMOOTH RETURN

THE great performers often have to make big sacrifices for their art.

Just ask Adam Woodyatt, who is making a return to EastEnders this summer as Ian Beale with his “back from the dead” wife Cindy.

The actor had to shave off his beard to resume playing the Albert Square stalwart.

That’s despite spending the past two years nurturing the face furniture.

Having appeared in the BBC One soap since its start in 1985, Adam quit in 2021.

He was often seen sporting the grey whiskers, including during his stint on I’m A Celebrity that year.

But I understand he has had to razor it all off to become Ian again, along with pulling on those trademark polo shirts, of course.

I’m not sure which is worse.