Comedy award? I want that one...

Little Britain became Great Britain as its creators and stars, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, scooped three British Comedy Awards.

Lucas and Walliams jointly picked up the best television comedy actor award. Their hit sketch show, which has progressed from digital channel BBC3 onto BBC1, was named best TV comedy and was comfortably voted the people's choice.

Ant and Dec shared the best comedy entertainment personality award and took the best entertainment comedy programme award for I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Simpsons creator Matt Groening also claimed two awards. But for once the man who has made it big playing one of TV's classic losers, David Brent, was a loser himself. Ricky Gervais, 43, lost out to Lucas and Walliams in two categories for critically acclaimed comedy The Office. He did not leave emptyhanded though, picking up a writer's award with his partner Stephen Merchant.

Brigitte Nielsen, in England to appear in Celebrity Big Brother, was one of a number of unlikely presenters of the awards. Sylvester Stallone's Amazonian ex-wife was paired with Labour MP Robin Cook, while former Labour leader Neil Kinnock handed out a gong with Jon Culshaw, standing nervously alongside as the Dead Ringers star did a rousing Tony Blair impression.

The cream of British comedy was in the audience at LWT's South Bank studios, including David Baddiel, Steve Coogan, Jack Dee and Eddie Izzard.

Victorious Lucas, 30, declared himself "chuffed" at winning, while Walliams, 33, praised the evening's host Jonathan Ross, saying: "He's great at slagging everyone off."

Caroline Quentin, 43, beat off strong competition from Julia Davis and Catherine Tate to win best television comedy actress, but Tate scooped best comedy newcomer, while Davis's dark suburban sitcom Nighty Night was voted Britain's best new TV comedy. French and Saunders collected an award for outstanding achievement in comedy.

For once the awards ceremony was a model of decorum.

Feuding guests Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell even seemed to have reached a Christmas truce.

The nearest thing to a moment of chaos was when Johnny Vegas, presenting the award for best comedy entertainment personality to Ant and Dec, teased defeated nominee Ross: "How does it feel to be beaten by two lads half your size?"