Some of the biggest names in British TV comedy have been snubbed by this year’s British Comedy Awards nominations.

Popular presenters Ant and Dec failed to receive a nod for the first time in four years, while Paul O’Grady and Jonathan Ross were also left off the nominations list.

“Some of the big names are missing,” said Comedy Awards producer Michael Hurll. “This year has been a great year for new comedy, new shows, new faces and new writers.”

BBC3 show Gavin & Stacey leads the field with seven nominations, with stars James Corden, Mathew Horne, Joanna Page and Ruth Jones up for acting awards.

Other nominees include Catherine Tate, The Royle Family’s Liz Smith, David Mitchell for Peep Show, and actor Stephen Fry, who is nominated for Best Comedy Entertainment Personality for his BBC2 quiz show QI.

Star Stories, Peep Show and Gavin & Stacey have been nominated for Best TV Comedy.

The awards will be will be hosted by Jonathan Ross and held in London on December 5.

However it is not known if ITV, which traditionally broadcasts the awards every December, will be able to screen the event as the network is awaiting the results of an investigation by media law firm Olswang into alleged phone vote irregularities in the 2005 show.

ITV announced in September that it was suspending coverage of the event pending an investigation into reports that viewers were encouraged to vote in the 2005 ceremony after the winner had been chosen.

The alleged irregularities occurred during the public vote for the People’s Choice Award, which went to Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway - a show engulfed by the recent fake phone-in scandal that has cost viewers millions of pounds.

However the pair proved their popularity at the National Television Awards last week when they jointly won the award for Most Popular Entertainment Presenter, and their shows Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here won Most Popular Entertainment Programme and Most Popular Reality Programme.

It is still unclear where and when viewers will be able to watch the British Comedy Awards, now in its 18th year.

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