TV awards await Doctor's return
The National Television Awards, Britain's TV Oscars, are taking place tonight with sci-fi comeback Dr Who up for a string of awards
The BBC1 drama has been nominated for a hat-trick of gongs - Most Popular Actor and Actress for Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, and Most Popular Drama.
Doctor Who is pitted against Bad Girls (ITV), Desperate Housewives (Channel 4) and The Bill (ITV) in the Drama category.
Eccleston, who quit playing the Doctor after just one series, runs against Martin Clunes, EastEnders' Nigel Harman (Dennis) and Shane Richie (Alfie), and Bradley Walsh (Danny) from Coronation Street for Most Popular Actor.
Piper, who plays the Doctor's assistant Rose, is up against Caroline Quentin, EastEnders Jessie Wallace (Kat), June Brown (Dot) and Coronation Street's Sally Lindsay (Shelley) for Most Popular Actress.
ITV's teatime TV host Paul O'Grady has two nominations - for Most Popular Entertainment Presenter and Most Popular Daytime Programme for The Paul O'Grady Show.
His rivals for the presenter title are Ant and Dec, Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall.
In the daytime category, O'Grady will do battle with GMTV, Neighbours and This Morning.
This year's new category for Most Popular Expert on TV will see chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, X Factor's Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell and Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson all go head-to-head.
Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks will all fight it out for Most Popular Serial Drama.
The winners will be named at a ceremony tonight hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald at the Royal Albert Hall.
