Joel Dommett admits NTAs 30th anniversary hosting pressure and reveals his standout TV show of last three decades
Dommett's fifth turn hosting has some added pressure as the event heads into its 30th year – this is what he had to say about it.
The National Television Awards are fast approaching, with the esteemed ceremony gearing up to celebrate 30 years.
Once more, the biggest names across the entertainment industry will come together to celebrate the very best in British television in the past year.
The likes of the critically-acclaimed Adolescence will be going head-to-head with Rivals, MobLand, Code of Silence and Ludwig in the New Drama category. Meanwhile, Alison Hammond, Claudia Winkleman, Stacey Solomon, Gary Lineker and Ant & Dec are all nominated in the TV presenter category.
One presenter missing from that list is Joel Dommett, and for good reason. The comedian steps back into his hosting role for a fifth year, which he admitted was rather daunting prospect as the ceremony heads into its 30th year.
"It does add to the pressure a little bit because it makes everyone sort of go back and look at how it's been in the past," Dommett told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview ahead of the NTAs.
He continued: "This show has been hosted by Trevor McDonald, by Dermot [O'Lear], obviously, and David Walliams, like these really great, huge people. And it feels really, really cool to be a part of whatever that history is.
"Obviously everyone's looking back and looking at all those amazing moments that have happened over the over the years, and it just feels really mad to be the 30th, but it's really exciting to put the show together, because [it] means you've got a context for the whole show. So it feels like there's something that we can hang everything on a little bit, making it more intriguing to the viewer."
As for what Dommett and the NTA team have planned, the presenter was careful not to reveal too much. He did admit it would be "fantastic" if Giant Joel made an appearance.
However, fans of The Masked Singer shouldn't get their hopes up too quickly, as the host told RadioTimes.com: "The trouble is to get Giant Joel out of storage and then you don't win, would be quite a big expense."
Taking place at London's O2 arena, the awards will be broadcast live on ITV on Wednesday 10th September, with a host of famous faces in attendance to see if the public has voted in their favour.
Additional nominees include Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham for their powerful performances in Adolescence, as well as Tom Hardy for MobLand, Rose Ayling-Ellis for Code of Silence and Brenda Blethyn for her emotional final turn in Vera.
But it's not just drama leading the crusade, with the likes of Michael McIntyre's The Wheel, Richard Osman's House of Games, The 1% Club and The Chase all nominated in the Quiz Show category, as well as The Traitors, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Love Island and Race Across the World nominated for Reality Competition.
When asked which of the many programmes aired throughout the year across major broadcasters and streamers was his favourite, Dommett picked two TV shows that aired in the time period he's been hosting the event.
He told RadioTimes.com: "You look at something like Mr Bates vs The Post Office, [that was] so important. Adolescence this year, which is really important for [getting] us all talking and conversation and politicians talking about all that stuff. I think it's really interesting. Those are some huge shows."
If you want to know who else is up for an NTA this year, you can find a full list below – vote free online.
The National Television Awards 2025 will be broadcast live on ITV on Wednesday 10th September from 8pm.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
