Cult BBC3 sitcom Gavin and Stacey and veteran actress Dame Eileen Atkins triumphed in a night of surprises at the TV Baftas.
James Corden, 29, the co-creator of Gavin and Stacey, won the Bafta for best Comedy Performance for his role as Smithy in the surprise hit comedy about a whirlwind romance between a boy from Billericay and a girl from Barry Island.
Gavin and Stacey also beat big-hitters like The Apprentice, Britain's Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing to the Audience Award for Programme of the Year, the only gong of the night voted for by the public.
While newcomer Corden emerged as the night's big winner at the glitzy ceremony hosted by Graham Norton, veteran actress Dame Eileen was awarded her first Bafta, at the age of 73.
She won the battle of the Dames to scoop best Actress for her performance as moral guardian Miss Deborah Jenkyns in the 19th Century period drama Cranford. Dame Judi Dench, also 73, had been favourite for the award for her performance as Dame Eileen's screen sister in the acclaimed BBC1 drama.
Corden, who dreamt up the idea for Gavin and Stacey with Fat Friends co-star Ruth Jones, beat The Thick of It star Peter Capaldi, Stephen Merchant (Extras Christmas Special) and David Mitchell (Peep Show) to the Comedy Performance gong for his role as Gavin's best friend.
Other winners of the night included Harry Hill, who won two Baftas - Entertainment Performance for Harry Hill's TV Burp as well as Entertainment Programme for the ITV1 show.
Controversially, Paul Watson, the director who hit the headlines last year about whether or not he had filmed the dying moment of Alzheimer's sufferer Malcolm Pointon in his film Malcolm and Barbara, won this year's Special Award.
Holby City took the battle of the soap category for the first time while US-born British actor Andrew Garfield, 24, won best Actor for his portrayal of a juvenile child killer haunted by his past in Channel 4 drama Boy A.
Other first-time winners included Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares which took the Features category over Heston Blumenthal's TV show, and Channel 4's Fonejacker for the Comedy Programme award.
