Television presenter Waleed Aly silenced his critics with a stunning victory at the annual TV Week Logie Awards last night.
Aly, who co-hosts Ten's news panel program The Project, was one of six personalities up for the night's top award - the publicly-voted Gold Logie - and, with SBS presenter Lee Lin Chin, had been branded a controversial inclusion by some quarters of the media.
The other nominees were actress Essie Davis, game show host Grant Denyer, The Block host Scott Cam and Aly's co-host on The Project, and last year's Gold Logie winner, Carrie Bickmore.
But, as the 37-year-old journalist, commentator and now TV host stood victorious before the gathered leaders of the television industry, he spoke powerfully and generously of the diversity that the Gold Logie field represented.
"Each nominee brilliantly distils some separate piece of Australia and I think it's an amazing thing that that can be assembled on this night in this way," he said. "If you step back and look at those pieces assembled, it is a truly spectacular mosaic."
Aly's win served to crown an impressive telecast, with genuinely funny moments and powerhouse acceptance speeches.
Actress and comedian Julia Morris managed to drop an F-bomb - scripted and approved by the network censor, by all accounts - after a spectacular pratfall mid-speech.
Later she even returned to the stage to perform Holdin' Out For A Hero, the same song she had performed as a teenager on New Faces.
Actor Shane Jacobson had jokingly invited her to the stage to perform the song, but the telecast's producers swept past the moment. A social media storm then erupted, with the audience demanding Morris be permitted to sing.
Later, veteran actress Noni Hazlehurst was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame, delivering a powerful speech.
Hazlehurst is only the second woman ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, an issue that has in the past attracted criticism; the first female inductee was the late, legendary Ruth Cracknell.
In her acceptance speech, the star of A Place To Call Home and iconic former star of the preschool series Play School, praised the wisdom and brilliance of children.
She praised Play School as a "safe haven for small children in an increasingly complex media landscape and world".
The 62-year-old actress also touched on mental illness, and the role negative imagery on television plays in it.
"Here is my pitch: I'd love a channel that features nothing but stories that inspire us and reassure us and our children that there are good things happening and good people in the world," she said.
The ABC was the winning network on the night with seven wins, just slightly ahead of Ten with six.
Seven, whose personalities had staged a noisy but ultimately pointless boycott of the event, won just four. (Inclusive of three awards announced earlier this year, Seven's total rises to seven.)
And Nine, the host broadcaster, took away three, and the bill.
The Ten Network's Family Feud - a reboot of a 45-year-old television format - defeated the collective talent show wealth of commercial TV, The Voice and The X Factor Australia.
And the TV-watches-TV format Gogglebox, a Foxtel production which airs on both Foxtel and Ten which films people as they watch TV, took out best - that is, most popular - factual program, ahead of Bondi Rescue, Bondi Vet and Australian Story.
The ABC miniseries The Secret River won outstanding miniseries or telemovie, and one of its stars Tim Minchin won outstanding supporting actor. In his acceptance speech, Minchin brilliantly noted he was moving back to Australia and declared he was open to work offers.
Easily the most competitive field on the night was outstanding actress, which lined up five stunning performances from Deborah Mailman (Redfern Now), Essie Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Mandy McElhinney (House of Hancock), Pamela Rabe (Wentworth) and Sarah Snook (The Beautiful Lie). Mailman took out the win.
Congratulations #GoldLogie winner Waleed Aly @theprojecttv What an incredible speech from such a passionate principled man— Melissa Doyle (@melissadoyle) May 8, 2016
Full list of winners
Gold Logie: Best (Most Popular) Personality on Australian Television: Waleed Aly, The Project (Ten)
Gold Logie: TV Week Gold Logie Hall of Fame: Noni Hazlehurst
Best (Most Popular) Presenter: Waleed Aly, The Project (Ten)
Best (Most Popular) Actor: Erik Thomson, 800 Words (Seven)
Best (Most Popular) Actress: Jess Marais, Love Child (Nine)
Best (Most Popular) New Talent: Adam Dovile, Better Homes and Gardens (Seven)
Best (Most Popular) Lifestyle Program: The Living Room (Ten)
Best (Most Popular) Sports Program: The NRL Footy Show (Nine)
Best (Most Popular) Entertainment Program: Family Feud (Ten)
Best (Most Popular) Reality Program: The Block (Nine)
Best (Most Popular) Drama Program: Home and Away (Seven)
Best (Most Popular) Factual Program: Gogglebox (Lifestyle Channel / Ten)
Best (Most Popular) News Panel or Current Affairs Program: The Project (Ten)
Outstanding Actor: Alex Dimitriades, The Principal (SBS)
Outstanding Actress: Deborah Mailman, Redfern Now (ABC)
Outstanding Drama Series: Glitch (ABC)
Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie: The Secret River (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor: Tim Minchin, The Secret River (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress: Celia Ireland, Wentworth (Soho)
Outstanding Children's Program: Ready For This (ABC)
Outstanding Entertainment Program: Gruen (ABC)
Outstanding News Coverage: Parramatta Shooting, Seven News
Outstanding Public Affairs Report: The Killing Season (ABC)
Outstanding Sports Coverage: KFC T20 Big Bash League (Ten)
Outstanding Comedy Program: Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell (SBS)
Outstanding Newcomer, Actor: Joel Jackson, Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door (Seven)
Outstanding Newcomer, Actress: Melina Vidler, 800 Words (Seven)
Graham Kennedy Breakthrough Star of Tomorrow Award: Ky Baldwin, Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door (Seven)
