The Project co-host Waleed Aly won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality On Australian Television at the 58th annual TV Week Logie Awards, held on 8 May 2016 and televised on the Nine Network.
Aly won the award ahead of fellow nominees Scott Cam (The Block), Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Grant Denyer (Family Feud), Lee Lin Chin (SBS World News and The Feed) and The Project colleague (and previous year’s Gold Logie winner) Carrie Bickmore.
In his acceptance speech, Aly paid tribute to his fellow nominees, acknowledging that each brings something unique to the television landscape. In declaring his win as significant for diversity, he also dedicated his award to “Mustafa”, a member of the television industry who was in attendance at the Logies but who was not employed under his real name for fear that he would not have a job. It was later revealed that “Mustafa” was Sydney actor Tyler De Nawi, then starring in the Nine Network sitcom Here Come the Habibs.
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Aly also collected the Silver Logie for Best Presenter and The Project won Best News Panel Or Current Affairs Program.
Erik Thomson, from the Seven Network‘s 800 Words, won the Silver Logie for Best Actor, while Jessica Marais from Nine’s Love Child won Silver for Best Actress.
Home And Away again won the Logie for Best Drama Program, while Adam Dovile from Better Homes And Gardens won Best New Talent. Dovile joined the lifestyle program after appearing as a contestant on Seven’s reality show House Rules.
It was another win for The Living Room as Best Lifestyle Program, and The Footy Show (NRL) for Best Sports Program.
While Cam and Denyer were not to collect the Gold Logie, their respective programs — The Block and Family Feud — won Best Reality Program and Best Entertainment Program.
TV newcomer Gogglebox, shared between Network Ten and Foxtel, won Best Factual Program.
Aly’s Gold Logie win followed another significant milestone in Logies history. Noni Hazlehurst became only the second female, and the first since 2001, to be inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall Of Fame. From a career dating back to the 1970s and programs including The Ernie Sigley Show and The Box through to Play School, The Sullivans, Nancy Wake, Better Homes And Gardens, City Homicide and A Place To Call Home, Hazlehurst has been a steadfast advocate for children’s television. She is also a former host of the TV Week Logie Awards, co-hosting with Andrew Daddo in 1995.
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Alex Dimitriades won the industry-voted Logie for Most Outstanding Actor for his work in the SBS series The Principal. Deborah Mailman won Most Outstanding Actress for Redfern Now, while the ABC series Glitch won Most Outstanding Drama Series.
ABC also fared well in other industry-voted categories. Shaun Micallef‘s Mad As Hell won the Logie for Most Outstanding Comedy Program, and Gruen won Most Outstanding Entertainment Program. The Killing Season was awarded Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report, while ABC3 series Ready For This won Most Outstanding Children’s Program.
The two-part ABC mini-series The Secret River, based on the novel of the same name written by Kate Grenville, received two awards: Most Outstanding Mini-Series Or Telemovie, and Tim Minchin for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Celia Ireland, who played Liz Birdsworth in Foxtel’s Wentworth, won Most Outstanding Supporting Actress. Melina Vidler, from the Seven Network’s 800 Words, won Most Outstanding New Talent — Actress.
The Seven Network mini-series Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door, which told the story of the young man from country New South Wales who rose to international stardom with his flamboyant presence and energetic performances, won two awards. Joel Jackson, who played the adult Allen, won Most Outstanding Newcomer — Actor, while Ky Baldwin, who played the younger Allen, won the Graham Kennedy Breakthrough Star Of Tomorrow Award.
Performers on the night included Delta Goodrem, Jimmy Barnes and Conrad Sewell.
Gold Logie — Best Personality on Australian Television: Waleed Aly
Best Presenter: Waleed Aly (The Project)
Best Actor: Erik Thomson (800 Words)
Best Actress: Jess Marais (Love Child)
Best New Talent: Adam Dovile (Better Homes And Gardens)
Best Lifestyle Program: The Living Room
Best Sports Program: The Footy Show (NRL)
Best Entertainment Program: Family Feud
Best Reality Program: The Block
Best Drama Program: Home And Away
Best Factual Program: Gogglebox
Best News Panel or Current Affairs Program: The Project
Gold Logie — Hall Of Fame: Noni Hazlehurst
Most Outstanding Actor: Alex Dimitriades (The Principal)
Most Outstanding Actress: Deborah Mailman (Redfern Now)
Most Outstanding Drama Series: Glitch
Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie: The Secret River
Most Outstanding Supporting Actor: Tim Minchin (The Secret River)
Most Outstanding Supporting Actress: Celia Ireland (Wentworth)
Most Outstanding Children’s Program: Ready For This
Most Outstanding Entertainment Program: Gruen
Most Outstanding Comedy Program: Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell
Most Outstanding News Coverage: “Parramatta Shooting”, Seven News
Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report: The Killing Season
Most Outstanding Sports Coverage: KFC T20 Big Bash League
Most Outstanding Newcomer – Actor: Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door)
Most Outstanding Newcomer – Actress: Melina Vidler (800 Words)
The Graham Kennedy Breakthrough Star Of Tomorrow Award: Ky Baldwin (Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door)
Source: TV Week, 14 May 2016, 21 May 2016. Sydney Morning Herald.
The 66th annual TV Week Logie Awards, Sunday 16 August, 7.00pm, Seven and 7Plus.
[This is a revision of The 58th TV Week Logie Awards, published in 2016]
