Sacha Baron Cohen, 'The Thick of It' Actors Honored at British Comedy Awards

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LONDON - Sacha Baron Cohen won a special award for outstanding achievement in comedy here Wednesday night at the British Comedy Awards.

Other big winners included BBC and Hulu political comedy The Thick of It. Its stars Rebecca Front and Peter Capaldi were honored as best TV comedy actress and actor. Capaldi portrays spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, while Front plays hapless politician Nicola Murray.

Front beat out Olivia Colman, who was nominated for two roles - one in London 2012 Olympics series Twenty Twelve and one in sitcom Rev.

Sky show Hunderby was named best new comedy program and best sitcom, upsetting The Thick of It and other contenders. Hunderby is a period comedy, set in the 1800s, written by and starring Julia Davis (Nighty Night, Human Remains, Gavin & Stacey). It focuses on a shipwreck survivor washed ashore near a small English village.

Sacha Baron Cohen accepted his award more than a decade after winning the honor for best comedy newcomer at the event.

Charlie Brooker, a writer and TV star who is known for his sarcastic and at times controversial comedy, won the award for best comedy entertainment personality. He hosts BBC Four TV review show Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and writes a column for The Guardian.

Former medical doctor Harry Hill got an award as his show Harry Hill's TV Burp, a weekly review of TV highlights that ended a decade-long run earlier this year, was honored as the best U.K. comedy entertainment program. Hill is currently working on getting a musical satire called X Factor - The Musical to the stage, in which he celebrates and pokes fun at the Simon Cowell-created music competition.

The comedy awards show aired on Britain's Channel 4.

Here is a list of other winners:
* best male TV comic: Lee Mack

* best comedy breakthrough artist: Morgana Robinson

* Writers' Guild of Great Britain award: Vic Reevesand Bob Mortimer

* best female TV comic: Jo Brand

* best sketch show: Cardinal Burns

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai