The 61st annual TV Week Logie Awards were held last night, and comedian Tom Gleeson won the night’s highest honour.
The ABC Hard Quiz host, who ran a comic and unusually aggressive campaign in the lead up to the awards, won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on TV.
Before the awards, he described rival nominee Costa Georgeiadis as an “impostor” and said it would be a “travesty” if weatherman Sam Mac was to win.
He was criticised for saying the idea of winning the Gold Logie was “so preposterous that I have to have it” but when he was on stage accepting the award, he said he was now “in a tricky spot …. because I like it and I hate it at the same time”.
“I can tell you this, I am not the most popular person on Australian television. Turns out I am just really good at manipulating the media to get people to do things for me which, if you think about it, is why we’re all here. So maybe I do deserve this award,” he said.
The organisers of the event saw Gleeson’s campaign and asked him to open the show with a monologue, replacing Dave Hughes who is in Europe.
Gleeson’s win comes a year after he ran a campaign for weatherman-turned-gameshow host Grant Denyer to win the award.
Below is the full list of winners: (winners indicated in bold)
TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE – MOST POPULAR PERSONALITY ON AUSTRALIAN TV
Amanda Keller (The Living Room/Dancing With The Stars, 10)
Costa Georgiadis (Gardening Australia, ABC)
Eve Morey (Neighbours, 10)
Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Nine Network)
Sam Mac (Sunrise, Channel Seven)
Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz, ABC)
Waleed Aly (The Project, 10)
MOST POPULAR ACTOR
Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road, ABC)
Guy Pearce (Jack Irish, ABC)
Luke McGregor (Rosehaven, ABC)
Ray Meagher (Home And Away, Channel Seven)
Rodger Corser (Doctor Doctor, Nine Network)
Ryan Moloney (Neighbours, 10)
MOST POPULAR ACTRESS
Asher Keddie (The Cry, ABC)
Celia Pacquola (Rosehaven, ABC)
Deborah Mailman (Bite Club/Mystery Road, Nine Network/ABC)
Eve Morey (Neighbours, 10)
Jenna Coleman (The Cry, ABC)
Marta Dusseldorp (A Place To Call Home/Jack Irish, Foxtel/ABC)
HALL OF FAME AWARD
Kerry O’Brien (ABC)
MOST POPULAR PRESENTER
Amanda Keller (The Living Room/Dancing With The Stars, 10)
Carrie Bickmore (The Project, 10)
Costa Georgiadis (Gardening Australia, ABC)
Julia Morris (Blind Date/I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here/Chris & Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway, 10)
Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz, ABC)
Waleed Aly (The Project, 10)
GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR NEW TALENT
Bonnie Anderson (Neighbours, 10)
Courtney Miller (Home And Away, Channel Seven)
Dylan Alcott (The Set, ABC)
Eddie Woo (Teenage Boss, ABC)
Joe Jonas (The Voice Australia, Nine Network)
Tasia Zalar (Mystery Road, ABC)
MOST POPULAR DRAMA PROGRAM
Doctor Doctor (Nine Network)
Home And Away (Channel Seven)
Mystery Road (ABC)
Neighbours (10) The Cry (ABC)
Wentworth (Foxtel)
MOST POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Anh’s Brush With Fame (ABC)
Dancing With The Stars (10)
Gogglebox Australia (Foxtel/10)
Gruen (ABC)
Hard Quiz (ABC)
The Voice Australia (Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR COMEDY PROGRAM
Have You Been Paying Attention? (10)
Hughesy, We Have A Problem (10)
Rosehaven (ABC)
Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures (10)
Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (ABC)
True Story With Hamish & Andy (Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM
Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders (10)
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! (10)
Married At First Sight (Nine Network)
MasterChef Australia (10)
My Kitchen Rules (Channel Seven)
The Block (Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Back In Time For Dinner (ABC)
Better Homes And Gardens (Channel Seven)
Gardening Australia (ABC)
Selling Houses Australia (Foxtel)
The Living Room (10)
Travel Guides (Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR PANEL OR CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM
7.30 (ABC)
60 Minutes (Nine Network)
A Current Affair (Nine Network)
Australian Story (ABC)
Four Corners (ABC)
The Project (10)
MOST POPULAR TELEVISION COMMERCIAL
Dundee: Australia’s Tourism Ad In Disguise – Tourism Australia
Frank – Westpac
I Am The Captain Of My Own Soul – Invictus Games
Naked Wrestling – KFC
Santa Crashes Christmas – Aldi
Serena Project: I Touch Myself – Berlei
MOST OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Doctor Doctor (Nine Network)
Mystery Road (ABC)
Neighbours (10)
Secret City: Under The Eagle (Foxtel)
Wentworth (Foxtel)
MOST OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR TELEMOVIE
Bloom (Stan)
Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted To You (Channel Seven)
On The Ropes (SBS)
Pine Gap (ABC)
The Cry (ABC)
MOST OUTSTANDING ACTOR
Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road, ABC)
Bryan Brown (Bloom, Stan)
Jay Ryan (Fighting Season, Foxtel)
Robbie Magasiva (Wentworth, Foxtel)
Scott Ryan (Mr Inbetween, Foxtel)
MOST OUTSTANDING ACTRESS
Danielle Cormack (Secret City: Under The Eagle, Foxtel)
Jenna Coleman (The Cry, ABC)
Judy Davis (Mystery Road, ABC)
Leah Purcell (Wentworth, Foxtel)
Nicole Chamoun (On The Ropes, SBS)
MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
Bernard Curry (Wentworth, Foxtel)
Ewen Leslie (Fighting Season, Foxtel)
Frankie J Holden (A Place To Call Home, Foxtel)
Ian Meadows (Dead Lucky, SBS)
Wayne Blair (Mystery Road, ABC)
MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Asher Keddie (The Cry, ABC)
Celia Ireland (Wentworth, Foxtel)
Jacki Weaver (Bloom, Stan)
Keisha Castle-Hughes (On The Ropes, SBS)
Susie Porter (The Second, Stan)
MOST OUTSTANDING ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Australian Ninja Warrior (Nine Network)
Eurovision – Australia Decides 2018 (SBS)
Gogglebox Australia (Foxtel/10)
Have You Been Paying Attention? (10)
True Story With Hamish & Andy (Nine Network)
MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
Bluey (ABC)
Grace Beside Me (SBS/NITV)
Mustangs FC (ABC)
Teenage Boss (ABC)
The Bureau Of Magical Things (10)
MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE
Australia Vs India; Second Test In Perth (Foxtel)
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (Channel Seven)
Invictus Games Sydney 2018 (ABC)
Supercars Championship: Bathurst (10)
The 2018 FIFA World Cup (SBS)
MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE OR PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
“James Comey Interview” (7.30, ABC)
“Leadership Spill” (Sky News, Foxtel)
“Out Of The Dark” (Four Corners, ABC)
“Townsville Flood Disaster” (7 News, Channel Seven)
“Who Cares?” (Four Corners, ABC)
MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL OR DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
Employable Me (ABC)
Exposed: The Case Of Keli Lane (ABC)
Ron Iddles: The Good Cop (Foxtel)
Taboo (10)
The Pacific – In The Wake Of Captain Cook With Sam Neil (Foxtel)
MOST OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders (10)
House Rules (Channel Seven)
Married At First Sight (Nine Network)
MasterChef Australia (10)
The Block (Nine Network)
Are you happy with these winners? Let us know by commenting below.
Written by Rekha Kulen
