Little Britain triumphed at the British Comedy Awards tonight - and left Ricky Gervais and The Office in the shade.
 The show - which began life on Radio 4 before moving to the digital channel BBC3, and is now shown on BBC1 - won three awards at the glitzy ceremony. Its writers and performers, Matt Lucas, 30, and David Walliams, 33, jointly won the Best TV Comedy Actor title. The show itself took home Best TV Comedy and scooped a third gong, the People's Choice Award, the only one on the night voted for by TV viewers. Gervais had been nominated for the actor title - his show's Christmas Special was also up for Best TV Comedy - but it failed to win any of these prizes. The hit comedy did, however, get a Writer's award at the annual event, held in London's LWT building. Golden Globe winner Gervais said afterwards: "We've won an awful lot of awards in the last couple of years - it's a bit embarrassing." Walliams said that The Office should have taken the trophy, saying: "The Office is more than a comedy. It's a great piece of work." The 15th annual awards ceremony did not end so brightly for the show's host, Jonathan Ross, who lost out to Ant and Dec. When the pint-sized duo's names were announced as winners of the Best Comedy Entertainment Personality award, comedian Johnny Vegas rubbed salt into Ross's wounds. Vegas, who was presenting the award, asked him: "How does it feel to be beaten by two lads half your size?" Jennifer Saunders received a standing ovation when she and her comedy partner, Dawn French - who was not at tonight's event - received a Lifetime Achievement award. Caroline Quentin took home Best Television Comedy Actress for ITV shows Life Begins and Von Trapped. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening received an Outstanding Contribution award, presented to him by famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking. The Simpsons, which is set to feature Hawking in one of the cartoon shows, also won Best International Comedy Show, beating Sex and the City. BBC show Nighty Night, the dark comedy series described as a West Country version of Fatal Attraction, was named Britain's Best New TV Comedy over ITV1 show Doc Martin and Life Begins. But Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes as a doctor whose tactless manner causes mayhem in a small Cornish community, won Best Comedy Drama over Jonathan Creek (BBC1) and Shameless (Channel 4). Catherine Tate was given Comedy Newcomer award over Shameless star James McAvoy and Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh (BBC3). Despite losing out on two of the awards, Gervais provided some of the biggest laughs of the night when he made a joke about The Office producer Ash Atallah. He said: "When Stephen Hawking came up he (Atallah) had his nose out of joint because he usually is the best in the room". He told Atallah: "Don't worry, you're just the same as Stephen Hawking". And of the scientist he added: "He milked it a bit didn't he". Little Britain won the People's Choice award over Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and the Green Wing. Ross also caused controversy when one of the Little Britain awards was announced. One of the show's characters is the only gay man in a Welsh village and Ross said: "But some say he is not the only gay in the partnership". | 
