Lee Mack celebrates fourth consecutive NTA win with rarely-seen children by his side

Lee Mack had an unusually personal moment at the National Television Awards on Tuesday night when his three teenage and young-adult children joined him as he collected another major prize for The 1% Club.

The 58-year-old comedian and presenter accepted the Quiz Show award for the fourth consecutive year, with his ITV programme beating strong competition from Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Richard Osman’s House of Games and The Chase.

The win continued the remarkable run of The 1% Club at the NTAs. The programme previously won the Quiz Game Show award in 2023, while ITV has described it as one of the most successful original quiz formats of recent years.

Lee Mack turns his acceptance speech into a family joke

Mack’s three children, Arlo, 21, Louie, 19, and Millie, 14, are rarely seen at high-profile events with their father. Their appearance at the NTAs therefore came as something of a surprise.

During his acceptance speech, Mack pointed out that his children had actually come along for the occasion. He then joked that their presence finally gave him the opportunity to prove that their father was not, as he put it, a “useless cretin”.

The joke prompted an awkwardly timed camera shot of the three children in the audience, adding to the comic moment.

Mack then moved on to thank the people behind The 1% Club, singling out Andy and joking that he was merely the show’s “eye-candy”. He also thanked everyone at Magnum Media, although he admitted that he could not remember all of their names, comparing the company to a family where you do not necessarily know everyone’s name.

He saved another joke for his family, thanking his wife Tara and saying that none of his success would have been possible without her.

He then added a gag about his “two ex-wives”, before immediately acknowledging that he does not actually have any ex-wives and had simply set himself up for the joke.

How The 1% Club works

The format of The 1% Club helps explain why the programme has become such a distinctive part of ITV’s Saturday-night schedule.

Each episode begins with 100 contestants, with every player starting with £1,000. The questions gradually become more difficult, beginning with one that 90% of the public answered correctly and eventually progressing to the question that only 1% of people are expected to get right.

Rather than relying primarily on traditional general knowledge, the programme focuses on logic, reasoning and common sense. ITV says contestants can come from all backgrounds and do not need to spend time studying facts to have a chance of reaching the end.

The format has continued to grow since its launch. ITV announced in May 2026 that The 1% Club had been renewed for another three years, describing it as the biggest original quiz show in more than a decade.

This Morning keeps its winning run going

Mack was far from the only presenter celebrating at this year’s ceremony.

This Morning continued its strong run at the NTAs after Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard accepted the award for Best Daytime Show alongside the programme’s Friday presenters, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.

Strictly Come Dancing also added another award to its long list of successes, taking the Talent Show prize ahead of the competition.

Meanwhile, The Celebrity Traitors won in the Reality Competition category. The BBC series, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, had featured prominently among the nominees, alongside its civilian counterpart.

Alan Carr also found himself back on stage after receiving the night’s Special Recognition award. When he returned to collect another prize, he joked about his repeated appearances, asking whether the audience was getting tired of seeing him.

He later shared the Reality Competition award with the programme.

Jeremy Clarkson speaks about his cancer treatment

Another major winner was Jeremy Clarkson, whose Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm took the Reality Docuseries award.

Clarkson had revealed earlier in the year that he was in remission from prostate cancer. He kept his acceptance speech brief, but later discussed his health during the winners’ press conference.

The 66-year-old said his illness had not left him away from the farm for very long, describing the experience as frustrating because he missed much of the harvest.

He explained that he had experienced a heart problem as well as cancer, but had only been away for around two weeks.

For Clarkson, the timing was particularly inconvenient because of the demands of the farming season.

Michael McIntyre and Mrs Brown’s Boys among the night’s other winners

Michael McIntyre’s Big Show received the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award. The prize was presented by Paris Fury and her eight-year-old daughter, Valencia.

There was also a celebratory moment for the cast of Mrs Brown’s Boys, which won Best Comedy Show. The award came as a welcome boost for Brendan O’Carroll, who had been forced to cancel this year’s festive specials after breaking his jaw.

Gogglebox, now in its 28th series, won the Factual Entertainment award, beating Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out.

The National Television Awards also made history before the winners were even announced, with the Drama Performance category featuring its first-ever all-female shortlist.

That award ultimately went to Vicky McClure for her performance as explosives officer Lana in Trigger Point.

Sheridan Smith drama wins New Drama award

The New Drama award went to I Fought the Law, led by Sheridan Smith.

The BBC’s Our Girls: The Southport Families received the Authored Documentary award.

The remaining awards included Best Returning Drama for Call the Midwife, while Emmerdale won Best Serial Drama.

Jeff Hordley also took home the Serial Drama Performance award.

For Lee Mack, however, the evening belonged as much to his family as it did to The 1% Club. With Arlo, Louie and Millie watching from the audience, his fourth consecutive Quiz Show victory came with an acceptance speech that was characteristically irreverent while giving his rarely-seen children a brief place in the spotlight.

The latest win also underlined the enduring popularity of The 1% Club, which remains one of ITV’s most successful original entertainment formats.