BBC sweeps board at Baftas

BBC bosses are basking in glory today after the corporation stole the show at the TV Baftas

Doctor Who and Bleak House were double winners at last night's awards ceremony with EastEnders beating Coronation Street to the best soap crown for the first time in four years.

And political satire The Thick Of It also scooped two awards, including Best Comedy Performance for Chris Langham, while The Apprentice was named Best Feature.

By contrast, ITV1 came away with just one prize - Best Entertainment Programme for The X-Factor.

Deal Or No Deal host Noel Edmonds missed out on his first Bafta. He had been hoping to cap his career comeback by winning Best Entertainment Performance.

But instead the award went to Jonathan Ross for his Friday night chat show.

Jamie Oliver's crusade to improve school dinners earned him an outstanding presenter award and his Channel 4 series won Best Factual Series.

Davina McCall hosted the glittering ceremony from the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London.

Doctor Who stars Billie Piper and David Tennant were there to collect their two awards - Best Drama Series and the Pioneer Audience Award (voted by viewers).

The BBC1 adaptation of Charles Dickens classic Bleak House won the award for Best Drama Serial, while Anna Maxwell Martin was named Best Actress, beating co-star Gillian Anderson.

Sir Alan Sugar broke into a rare smile when The Apprentice beat Dragon's Den, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Top Gear to win Best Feature.

BBC4 satire The Thick Of It won Best Sitcom and Best Comedy Performance for Langham, who beat Catherine Tate and Extras star Ashley Jensen.

Another Langham show, BBC2's Help, won Best Comedy Programme.

In December Langham was arrested in connection with a police investigation into internet child pornography. No charges have been brought and he is currently on bail.

Edmonds could not hide his disappointment at failing to land a Bafta. Winner Jonathan Ross said backstage: "I kind of wish he won, which probably makes it worse for him."

Jamie Oliver received a standing ovation from the audience when he accepted the Richard Dimbleby Award for Outstanding Presenter of a Factual Programme.

The TV chef, who persuaded the Government to put more money into school meals, said he was frustrated to be dealing with the third Education Secretary since he began his crusade, after Ruth Kelly was axed in favour of Alan Johnson.

"There's always a bloody excuse which is, 'I've just started'," he said.

Channel 4's The Government Inspector, a dramatisation of the death of Dr David Kelly, picked up two awards - Best Single Drama and Best Actor for Mark Rylance.

Director Peter Kosminsky used the ceremony to launch a bitter attack on the Government, saying that Kelly had been the "victim of a game of political football played by the Government in a crude and pointless battle with the BBC".

Other winners included the BBC Ten O'Clock News coverage of the July 7 London bombings, BBC2's music memorial programme from Auschwitz and Channel 4's coverage of England's Ashes victory.

Veteran writer and director Ken Loach was honoured with the Academy Fellowship.