Dame Helen crowned yet again
this time for majesty on stage

Stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Damian Lewis and Myleene Klass posed for photographers and signed autographs for fans on the red carpet outside the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, central London.

Other celebrities at the ceremony, hosted by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville and actress Sheridan Smith, included Will Young and Sherlock star Lara Pulver.

Smith kicked off the show with a performance of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, followed by an appearance by the cast of Cabaret including Will Young before the first awards were handed out.

The production of American playwright Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night at the Apollo Theatre picked up the award for best revival.

Best actor in a supporting role went to Richard McCabe for his portrayal of former prime minister Harold Wilson in The Audience. Nicola Walker was named best actress in a supporting role for her performance in the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Awards for lighting, sound and set design also went to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Goodnight Mister Tom won the award for entertainment and family show, while the musical Billy Elliot won the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award.

The award for outstanding achievement in dance went to Marianela Nunez for her performances with the The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House.

The star of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Luke Treadaway, was best actor.

Harry Potter star Radcliffe presented Dame Helen with the award for best actress for her role as the Queen in The Audience.

She paid tribute to the monarch who she said had put in the “most consistent and committed performance of the twentieth century and probably the twenty-first”.