Not long to go until the 11th Screen Nation Awards on Saturday 19th March. We're highlighting the talented individuals up for the prestigious awards – next up are the nominees for Favourite Male TV Personality – the winner of this award will be decided by the public so get voting!
Ainsley Harriott – Strictly Come Dancing, various
There are only a handful of personalities whose enduring popularity places them in that rare category where they are instantly recognized simply by their first name. “Ainsley” can only mean Ainsley Harriott. Ainsley's career spans a whopping 18 years which began when BBC Radio asked him to present More Nosh, Less Dosh for Radio 5 Live. A call from Pebble Mill soon followed and Ainsley moved in to become resident chef on BBC TV’s Good Morning with Anne And Nick. Shortly afterwards he was invited to join a new series which went on to redefine cookery television – Ready Steady Cook, which became a hit worldwide. Can’t Cook Won’t Cook was also hugely popular, running for several series during the 90s. More recently Ainsley took part in the 2015 series of BBC Strictly Come Dancing. He Reached week 5 in the competition being the fourth contestant to be voted out. He also headed up new shows Len and Ainsley's Big Food Adventure on BBC One and Ainsley Harriott's Street Food on More4. Here's to another 18 years!
Charles Venn – Casualty
Charles got his big break in 2003 when he was cast as Curtis Alexander in the footballing drama Dream Team on Sky One. Initially only contracted to appear in two episodes, he became part of the regular cast, appearing in 98 episodes in all until the character was killed off in 2005. Venn moved to another football drama the following year, appearing as 'alpha male' Tremaine Gidigbi in the final season of Footballers Wives. The success continued as in late 2006 Venn landed a role in the horror film sequel Return to House on Haunted Hill, a small roles in Bourne Ultimatum and The Dark Knight.
Charles has also graced the theatre stage appearing in The Brothers by Angie Le Mar at the Hackney Empire for several runs in 2005. It was televised by MTV Base in March 2009 with MC Harvey and Jason Barrett also in the line-up. Charles has also appeared in the nation's most loved (and long-running) soaps – first up was Eastenders in the role of Ray Dixon and since 2005 he's been starring in Casualty as the nurse Jacob Masters.
Danny John Jules – Death in Paradise
Danny John-Jules gaines mainstream popularity playing the role of Cat in the science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf since its inception in 1988. He also starred in the children's spy series M.I.High and played Barrington in the children's series Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. He is currently appearing in the BBC One series Death in Paradise as policeman Dwayne Myers. The show has been one of the Beeb's biggest hits in recent years. In May 2015, it was announced that he would be returning to Red Dwarf for the eleventh and twelfth series.
Idris Elba – Luther
What a year it has been! From leading BBC One's hit drama Luther and his numerous roles on the big screen to being awarded an OBE for services to drama, Idris Elba has become one of Britain's best creative exports. In 2015, Idris appeared as Heimdall in the superhero blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon. Then in one of his most talked about roles, Idris starred alongside Abraham Attah in the film Beasts of No Nation which premiered in select theaters and on Netflix. As a result he earned a Golden Globe nomination for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, a BAFTA nomination for a Supporting Actor award in the Film category and took home the Screen Actor's Guild and Independent Spirit Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Supporting Male respectively. There's more to look forward to this year as Idris will voice the villainous tiger Shere Khan in the live-action remake of Disney classic The Jungle Book. He will also provide voice work on Pixar's upcoming Finding Dory, alongside Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks. More recently, Stephen King confirmed that Elba will portray Roland Deschain in the upcoming Dark Tower movie.
Melvin Odoom – Xtra Factor
Melvin gained popularity presenting MTV Digs alongside his on-screen and Kiss FM radio partner in crime Rickie Haywood-Williams. Gigs presenting MTV One's coverage of the BRIT Awards, the BAFTA awards alongside Kimberly Walsh for MTV One and backstage online content for Sky1's Must Be the Music followed. In 2003, Melvin appeared as a team captain on the BBC Three comedy panel show Sweat the Small Stuff and in February 2015, Melvin and Rickie co-hosted ITV2's red carpet show at the BRIT Awards alongside Laura Whitmore. In arguably his biggest gig to date, Melvin then landed a spot as a presenter of The Xtra Factor alongside Rochelle Humes. This year, we'll see Melvin take his fun and frolics prime-time in new ITV1 Saturday night game show Bang on the Money.
Richard Blackwood – Eastenders
It's been a while since Singled Out and The Richard Blackwood Show but 'RB' is back on our screens almost every weekday as villain Vincent Hubbard in EastEnders. Before landing a role in the long-running soap, Richard had acting appearances in Holby City, Ed Stone Is Dead, Anuvahood and Bollywood hit film Don't Stop Dreaming. Richard also took on theatre where he played Brightie in the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, alongside Adrian Lester and James Earl Jones at the Novello Theatre in London.
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To attend the awards, get your tickets here.
