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| Brand wins British Comedy Award | Brand wins British Comedy Award |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Controversial comedian Russell Brand has won the best live stand-up award at the British Comedy Awards. | Controversial comedian Russell Brand has won the best live stand-up award at the British Comedy Awards. |
| Brand took the prestigious title in the wake of the row over the prank calls he and TV host Jonathan Ross made to actor Andrew Sachs on Brand's Radio 2 show. | Brand took the prestigious title in the wake of the row over the prank calls he and TV host Jonathan Ross made to actor Andrew Sachs on Brand's Radio 2 show. |
| Brand resigned from the BBC following the incident and Ross was suspended from all BBC duties for 12 weeks. | Brand resigned from the BBC following the incident and Ross was suspended from all BBC duties for 12 weeks. |
| Accepting his award from Adam Sandler in LA, Brand said: "I would like to dedicate this award to Jonathan Ross." | Accepting his award from Adam Sandler in LA, Brand said: "I would like to dedicate this award to Jonathan Ross." |
| He continued: "There are no comedy awards without Jonathan Ross, he is the King-maker." | He continued: "There are no comedy awards without Jonathan Ross, he is the King-maker." |
| Brand, who is now pursuing his Hollywood movie career, asked Sandler if he would like to do a radio show - to huge laughter. | Brand, who is now pursuing his Hollywood movie career, asked Sandler if he would like to do a radio show - to huge laughter. |
| Angus Deayton hosted this year's awards show at the London Television Studios, standing in for Jonathan Ross, who stepped down after his BBC suspension. | Angus Deayton hosted this year's awards show at the London Television Studios, standing in for Jonathan Ross, who stepped down after his BBC suspension. |
| Ross may not have been at the ceremony but Deayton lost no time in making jokes about the reasons for his absence. | Ross may not have been at the ceremony but Deayton lost no time in making jokes about the reasons for his absence. |
| "Normally at awards shows, it's the winners that can't be here but this time it's the host," he said. | "Normally at awards shows, it's the winners that can't be here but this time it's the host," he said. |
| He said Ross must be waiting at home anxiously wondering if the phone would ever ring again - giving him an insight into the life of his brother Paul Ross. | He said Ross must be waiting at home anxiously wondering if the phone would ever ring again - giving him an insight into the life of his brother Paul Ross. |
| Deayton said Brand could not be at the awards as he was on a beach in Hawaii - no doubt "distraught" at losing his Radio 2 slot. | Deayton said Brand could not be at the awards as he was on a beach in Hawaii - no doubt "distraught" at losing his Radio 2 slot. |
| Ricky Gervais won the coveted title of Best Television Comedy Actor for last year's Extras Christmas Special. | Ricky Gervais won the coveted title of Best Television Comedy Actor for last year's Extras Christmas Special. |
| Ricky Gervais added another award to his collection | Ricky Gervais added another award to his collection |
| Gervais could not accept his award in person and had instead prepared a video message. | Gervais could not accept his award in person and had instead prepared a video message. |
| Sitting in a regal-looking bed in his pyjamas, Gervais joked: "I can't be bothered to be here, there in person. | Sitting in a regal-looking bed in his pyjamas, Gervais joked: "I can't be bothered to be here, there in person. |
| "This is beneath me to be honest. I've won real awards, Golden Globes and Emmys." | "This is beneath me to be honest. I've won real awards, Golden Globes and Emmys." |
| He went on raise howls of laughter from the London audience, as he revealed pop singer George Michael was in the bed with him. | He went on raise howls of laughter from the London audience, as he revealed pop singer George Michael was in the bed with him. |
| Michael was just one of the many famous faces to have taken part in Extras, thereby agreeing to be the butt of many of the jokes in the episode concerned. | Michael was just one of the many famous faces to have taken part in Extras, thereby agreeing to be the butt of many of the jokes in the episode concerned. |
| Sharon Horgan won the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Actress for the BBC show Pulling. | Sharon Horgan won the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Actress for the BBC show Pulling. |
| Alan Carr won the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. | Alan Carr won the award for Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. |
| Carr is best known for hosting TV shows the Sunday Night Project and Celebrity Ding Dong. | Carr is best known for hosting TV shows the Sunday Night Project and Celebrity Ding Dong. |
| Accepting his award from US actor Alec Baldwin, Carr said: "Thank you ever so much, see you on Celeb Air." | Accepting his award from US actor Alec Baldwin, Carr said: "Thank you ever so much, see you on Celeb Air." |
| Harry Hill's TV Burp won the award for the Best Comedy Entertainment Programme, for which Friday Night with Jonathan Ross had also been shortlisted. | Harry Hill's TV Burp won the award for the Best Comedy Entertainment Programme, for which Friday Night with Jonathan Ross had also been shortlisted. |
| Ross's show was criticised last month by the BBC Trust for the use of lewd language in separate interviews wtih Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Aspel. | Ross's show was criticised last month by the BBC Trust for the use of lewd language in separate interviews wtih Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Aspel. |
| Geoffrey Perkins was honoured posthumously Father Ted | Geoffrey Perkins was honoured posthumously Father Ted |
| Striking a poignant note in the night's proceedings was the Outstanding Contribution to Comedy award. | Striking a poignant note in the night's proceedings was the Outstanding Contribution to Comedy award. |
| This was given posthumously to comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins who died in a road crash earlier this year, aged 55. | This was given posthumously to comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins who died in a road crash earlier this year, aged 55. |
| Perkins was the comic genius behind many of British TV's best-loved comedy shows, including Father Ted, the Catherine Tate show and the Fast Show. | Perkins was the comic genius behind many of British TV's best-loved comedy shows, including Father Ted, the Catherine Tate show and the Fast Show. |
| Deayton, who had worked with Perkins on many occasions, paid tribute to his "good friend". | Deayton, who had worked with Perkins on many occasions, paid tribute to his "good friend". |
| "He was not necessarily a household name but he should have been," said Deayton. | "He was not necessarily a household name but he should have been," said Deayton. |
| The award was accepted by Perkins's daughter Charlotte who said her father would have been "extremely surprised and utterly honoured to receive this award". | The award was accepted by Perkins's daughter Charlotte who said her father would have been "extremely surprised and utterly honoured to receive this award". |
| She added that her father loved everything about his work. | She added that her father loved everything about his work. |
| Hollywood actress and the Licks singer Juliette Lewis presented Best Comedy Drama of 2008 to darkly comic BBC Three show Drop Dead Gorgeous. | |
| Television writer David Renwick, who is known for One Foot in the Grave as well as mystery series Jonathan Creek, was given the Ronnie Barker Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award. |