BROADCHURCH star David Tennant was awarded the special recognition prize at the 2015 National Television Awards.
He was given the accolade after being a familiar face on TV screens for a decade.
At the annual ceremony staged at London's O2 Arena, Pixie Lott and The Proclaimers performed 500 Miles, one of the actor's favourite songs and a track he once performed with his Doctor Who colleagues.
Actors including his Doctor Who co-star Billie Piper, Richard Wilson, and Stephen Fry, paid tribute to Tennant in a short film about his acting career, heavily featuring his roles in Broadchurch and Doctor Who.
Stephen Fry called Tennant and Olivia Colman's choice for the roles 'champagne casting.'
Colman paid tribute to her Broadchurch co-star saying: “On-set David is a joy - he's always happy.”
She added that he was an 'utterly good human being.' She said: “Something about David that makes him particularly good, I think, is the complete lack of ego.
“He doesn't try and force anything on it. It's completely natural and believable and you just want to believe him as well.”
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