Forget the Oscars, the Baftas and the BRITs.
It’s time for a really prestigious gong-fest - the first ever Unmissables Awards, decided by the elite panel of experts at Heat magazine, as we reward the finest achievements of the year in all areas of entertainment and pop culture.
And we got you, our loyal readers, to vote in the hotly contested category of best Reality TV Show, too. We also got hold of as many of the winners as we could find, and handed over the awards themselves, and you can see the acceptance speeches on heatworld.com and hear them on a special Unmissables podcast out today (14 November). So without further ado, and with a suitably dramatic drumroll, here are the results.
Unmissable Actress of the Year: Vicky McClure (The Replacement, Line Of Duty, BBC1)
What a year it’s been for Vicky McClure. As well as starring as DS Kate Fleming and being as phenomenal as ever in the fourth and best series yet of Jed Mercurio’s superb police drama Line Of Duty, she also triumphed in the super-tense psychological drama The Replacement alongside Morven Christie.
McClure kept us guessing all the way as to the true nature of her extraordinarily intriguing character. Vicky tells us, “I want to say a massive thank you for this award. I love playing Kate in Line of Duty and I had a lot of fun playing Paula in The Replacement, so this means a lot. I used to be – and still am – an avid heat reader, Tuesdays was always a special day, so this is going pride of place.”
Runners-up:
Elisabeth Moss (Top of The Lake: China Girl & The Handmaid’s Tale)
Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies & Top of the Lake: China Girl)
Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who)
Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster)
Unmissable Actor of the Year: Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock and The Child In Time, BBC1)
We all know just how endlessly astonishing Benedict Cumberbatch is as Sherlock Holmes, the role which turned him into an overnight sensation, and in 2017’s fourth series he was as stunning as ever. But when The Child In Time came along, it was clear his beautifully emotional performance as the grieving father of a missing little girl, was a defining moment in his career.
Benedict says, “Brilliant! I’m very chuffed about this…not least because as well as Sherlock, you’re honouring me for The Child In Time, the first show made by our production company, and adapted from Ian McEwan’s extraordinarily powerful novel. So I accept this on behalf of everyone who worked so brilliantly on it. Thank you, heat!”
Runners-up:
Tim Roth (Tin Star)
Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster)
Martin Freeman (Sherlock)
Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who)
Unmissable TV drama of the Year: Line of Duty (BBC1)
We’re not sure how he does it, but Line Of Duty creator and writer Jed Mercurio keeps upping the ante of his police conspiracy drama year after year, and 2017’s fourth run not only featured a plum role for Thandie Newton as the detective who killed in self defense and then got in too deep as she tried to cover her tracks, but also expanded upon and deepened the wider police corruption thread that bounds together the whole glorious Line of Duty saga.
Runners-up:
Broadchurch (ITV)
Sherlock (BBC1)
Dr Foster (BBC1)
Poldark (BBC1)
Unmissable TV Comedy of the Year: The Trip to Spain (Sky Atlantic/NOW TV)
Despite brilliant shows from comedy legends Pete Kay, Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, and two wonderfully funny BBC Three series, nothing gave us greater pleasure this year than watching Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon chewing the fat, doing impressions and bickering their way through the lush landscapes of the Spanish coast.
Coogan says, “We are very pleased to receive this. It was a real pleasure to make, and people ask if it as much fun to make as it is to watch and it is almost as much fun. I’m sure we’ll do another series one day if we can’t get any other work…”
Runners-up:
A a closely fought category, but the unbeatable mix of James Corden and his regulars Jamie Redknapp, Freddie Flintoff and jack Whitehall make ALOTO the freewheeling TV sensation that it is. The very definition of entertainment. James told us, “It’s an honour for our show to win this hugely prestigious Award. Just to be in the same category as national treasures such as Strictly is a great achievement in itself but to actually win is a massive triumph for the fantastic team that work on the show. We have such fun making it and it’s a privilege to be part of it. The fact that people seem to like it so much makes it even more special. Thank you Heat."
This Country (BBC3)
The X Factor
People Just Do Nothing (BBC3)
Runners-up:
Peter Kay’s Car Share (BBC1)
Britain’s Got Talent
Catastrophe (C4)
Strictly Come Dancing
Unmissable Comedian of the Year: Jack Whitehall
In between co-creating one series for Sky, and starring alongside his daddy Michael in a travelogue adventure for Netflix, Jack embarked upon his biggest and best stand-up tour yet. The show Jack Whitehall: At Large (available able on Netflix) included a dizzying array of hilarious stories. For all this and more, Jack’s our funny person of the year. He told us, “Thank you very much for making me comedian of the year and for making A League Of Their Own entertainment show of the year. These will take pride of place next to my award for Zoo’s best stand-up 2012!”
**Runners-up: **
Ricky Gervais
Romesh Ranganathan
Sara Pascoe
Sarah Millican
Unmissable Entertainment Show of the Year: A League of Their Own (Sky One/NOWTV)
A closely fought category, but the unbeatable mix of James Corden and his regulars Jamie Redknapp, Freddie Flintoff and jack Whitehall make ALOTO the freewheeling TV sensation that it is. The very definition of entertainment. James told us, “It’s an honour for our show to win this hugely prestigious Award.
Just to be in the same category as national treasures such as Strictly is a great achievement in itself but to actually win is a massive triumph for the fantastic team that work on the show. We have such fun making it and it’s a privilege to be part of it. The fact that people seem to like it so much makes it even more special. Thank you heat."
Runners-up:
Britain’s Got Talent
Strictly Come Dancing
The Last Leg
The X Factor
Unmissable TV Presenter of the Year: Claudia Winkleman
The nominees in this category are a veritable who’s who of iconic TV presenters, but the panel felt Claudia is so seemingly effortless and naturally funny and loveable in every single TV appearance she does, that she deserved to take the award, and it’s some measure of just how magnificent she is alongside Tess Daly on Strictly, that it’s as big a hit as ever, despite the loss of Brucie. Claud says, “Thank you so much – it’s the best thing I’ve ever had apart from a giant Toblerone. I’m incredibly grateful. heat is my favourite magazine. Are there any other magazines? I don’t know…”
Runners-up:
Sue Perkins
Mel Giedroyc
Dermot O’Leary
Richard Ayoad
Unmissable Reality Show of the Year: Geordie Shore
You voted in your thousands in this category and we have to say we were surprised that Love Island, the show which lit up our Summer and became a proper pop culture phenomenon, was beaten by the 14th and 15th series of MTV juggernaut Geordie Shore. It’s some tribute to the cast and producers that after 133 episodes, this unashamedly cheeky and rude show is as popular as ever.
**Runners-up: **
Love Island (ITV2)
Ex On The Beach (MTV)
Made In Chelsea (E4)
TOWIE (ITV Be)
Unmissable TV Binge of the Year: Stranger Things 2 (Netflix)
There were so many massively addictive serial dramas this year that we felt they needed their own category, and despite a huge challenge from the brilliant Nicole Kidman/Reese Witherspoon production Big Little Lies, the new run of Stranger Things felt even more iconic and riveting from start to spectacular finish. On-screen bf and gf Joe Keery and Natalya Dyer said, “Hey heat, thank you so much for giving Stranger Things your Unmissable binge of the year award. If you haven’t binged on it yet it’s up there on Netflix for you to enjoy now!”
Runners-up:
Big Little Lies (Sky Atlantic/NOW TV)
Mindhunter (Netflix)
Top Of The Lake: China Girl (BBC2)
Tin Star (Sky Atlantic/NOW TV)
Unmissable Soap Storyline of the Year: The grooming of Bethany Platt (Coronation Street, ITV)
Runners-up:
Ashley’s dementia (Emmerdale)
Lee’s mental health (EastEnders)
Nick brought to justice (Hollyoaks)
Unmissable TV Moment Of The Year: Game of Thrones (Jon Snow & Danaerys get it on) – Sky Atlantic/NOW TV
Great TV isn’t just about epic 13-episode binges, it’s also about those indelible sequences that as soon as you watch them, become rooted in your mind forever.
So in this category we considered such wide-ranging scenes as Liam’s unfettered joy on Bake Off, and that violent but incredibly thrilling fight-back in Top Of The Lake, but decided Jon Snow’s butt and the hot get-together with Dany was our moment of 2017.
Runners-up:
Blue Planet 2 - Surfing dolphins
Bake Off - Star baker Liam
X Factor – Grace’s audition
Top Of The Lake 2 – The attack
Unmissable FIlm of the Year: Baby Driver
Dunkirk was an overwhelming experience, It was scary and moving, Get Out was an ingenious tale of bigotry run riot, and Wonder Woman changed the face of superhero blockbusters, but writer/director Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver was a true original, a romance and a crime caper with lashings of comedy all set to non-stop classic tunes, all of which combined to make it our movie of the year.
Runners-up:
Dunkirk
It
Get Out
Wonder Woman
Unmissable Book of the Year: Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land
It's rare to come across a book that you can't stop thinking about, talking about, and pushing into the hands of everyone you know. Ali Land's haunting and unforgettable debut Good Me Bad Me does all that, and has, to date, been translated in 20 different languages. It tells the story of teenager Annie, who's been given a new identity and placed with a foster family while her serial killer mother awaits trial, and it's as dark and twisty as it is heartbreaking. Accepting her award, Ali told heat, "I'm the happiest person ever. It's been an incredible year, and heat have been behind me the whole way – thank you so much!"
Runners-up:
Behind Her Eyes – Sarah Pinborough
See What I Have Done – Sarah Schmidt
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Unmissable Album of the Year: Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer
There have been some huge albums this year but the one we keep going back to is this debut from Croydon’s finest, Stormzy, full of incredibly infectious tunes, unusual and inventive lyrics and some glorious collaborations with the likes of J-Hus, Wretch 32 and Raleigh Ritchie. Stormzy also happens to be the nicest man in grime.
Runners-up:
Dua Lipa
Ed Sheeran
Harry Styles
The X Factor
Despite a late challenge from true-crime saga Dirty John, the podcast prize had to go to a series that genuinely took the world by storm, S-Town started off sounding like a crime story of a small-town villain who might have got away with murder, but it soon morphed into the saga of one extraordinary and eccentric man’s life, and ended up as a celebration of one of society’s true outsiders.
Unmissable Podcast of the Year: S-Town
Despite a late challenge from true-crime saga Dirty John, the podcast prize had to go to a series that genuinely took the world by storm, S-Town started off sounding like a crime story of a small-town villain who might have got away with murder, but it soon morphed into the saga of one extraordinary and eccentric man’s life, and ended up as a celebration of one of society’s true outsiders.
Runners-up:
Dirty John
The Adam Buxton Podcast
Kermode & Mayo Film Review
My Dad Wrote A Porno
Check out all the winners in the new issue of heat mag - OUT NOW.
Oh, and here's our winners' bloody brilliant acceptance speeches: