STAGE CHAOS: Joel Dommett left scrambling to fill time after Emmerdale’s NTAs win

Joel Dommett was left improvising on stage at the National Television Awards after Emmerdale’s acceptance speech ended sooner than expected, leaving an awkward gap before the ceremony could come to a close.

The presenter, hosting the NTAs for the sixth consecutive year, found himself with minutes to fill after the Emmerdale cast collected the award for Best Serial Drama on Tuesday night.

Joel turns to the Emmerdale cast

The cast made their way onto the stage to collect the trophy, with Katie Hill, who plays Sarah Sugden, delivering the acceptance speech on behalf of the soap.

Katie thanked everyone who had voted for Emmerdale and continued to support the ITV drama, before paying tribute to the people behind the scenes.

She gave a special mention to the crew, production team, writers, cast and producers Ian, Sophie and Maura, stressing how many people work behind the scenes to make the show what it is.

Katie finished by saying the cast were proud to take the award back to Yorkshire.

The audience responded with loud applause, but there was still time remaining in the live ceremony.

That was when Joel stepped into the middle of the group and began trying to keep things moving.

“Well done. Well done guys, how ya feeling? Final award of the night,” he said.

He then turned to another cast member and asked: “How you feeling? You feeling ok sir?”

Jeff Hordley turns the question back on him

Jack Downham, who previously played Noah Dingle, responded that he was feeling great.

Joel then asked whether the cast planned to celebrate all the way back to Yorkshire.

“Absolutely,” another member of the Emmerdale group replied.

Still needing to occupy the remaining time, Joel moved around the stage and continued asking members of the cast how they were doing.

Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle, eventually turned the question back on the presenter.

“I’m good, are you?” Hordley asked.

That gave Joel the opportunity to acknowledge exactly what was happening.

“I’m good, I’m clearly filling [time],” he admitted.

Rather than letting the moment linger, Joel gathered the cast together and encouraged them to lead the audience in a final “come on Emmerdale” cheer before the programme ended.

The unscripted exchange quickly became one of the more awkward but memorable moments of the ceremony, with viewers noticing that the acceptance speech had left more time than expected to be filled.

One fan praised Joel’s handling of the situation on X, suggesting Katie Hill’s speech had been considerably shorter than planned and saying the presenter dealt with the unexpected gap professionally.

Emmerdale celebrates another NTA success

The win gave Emmerdale a major moment at the 2026 National Television Awards, held at The O2 in London on Tuesday, September 8.

Joel returned as host for his sixth year, having taken charge of the ceremony since 2021. The 2026 event marked the 31st National Television Awards.

For Emmerdale, the evening ended with the cast celebrating their Best Serial Drama victory alongside the audience and their fellow television stars.

And for Joel, the final minutes provided an unexpected test of live presenting skills. With the planned running time still to fill, he kept the conversation going, brought the cast into the moment and ultimately sent the ceremony out with a cheer for Emmerdale.