Molly-Mae Hague shouldn’t have won her NTA – but not because she’s underserving

Molly-Mae Hague won her first National Television Award (NTA) for her Amazon Prime series, Behind It All, on Wednesday night.

It’s a win which, according to the internet, represents ‘everything that’s wrong with the world’.

To say her victory has sparked outrage would be a gross understatement, as astounded viewers took to social media in their thousands to brand it a ‘slap in the face’ to the other nominees.

But before you come to a judgment, consider that she is not at all responsible for this backlash. In fact, the controversial outcome has highlighted a deep flaw in the NTAs that desperately needs resolving.

Released in January and with a second season already in production, Behind It All gave fans of Love Island champ Molly-Mae unrestricted access to her life like never before.

Cameras entered her sprawling Cheshire home as she juggled raising two-year-old daughter Bambi with launching her clothing line, the pressures of influencing to 8million followers, and navigating newly single life after splitting from Tommy Fury.

I tuned in on launch day with intrigue, hoping for a juicy reveal on the breakdown of their high-profile relationship in the same way that my parents probably tuned into Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir.

Was it groundbreaking television? Not by any means. But fans of the Maebe founder clearly saw something in it that deemed it worthy of her lifting a trophy – after all, winners are decided by public vote.

The problem lies, however, in the calibre of the other ‘Authored Documentaries’ Molly-Mae defeated to make it onto that O2 stage on Wednesday night.

She was nominated alongside some of the hardest-hitting documentaries British television has seen in recent years: Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, which followed the dancer’s breast cancer treatment, There’s Only One Rob Burrow, a tribute to the late rugby legend after his death from MND, and Flintoff, which chronicled Freddie’s recovery from his near-fatal 2022 Top Gear crash.

Completing the category was Boyzone: No Matter What, an emotional film that exposed the true cost of global fame for one of the 90s’ biggest boybands.

In comparison, Molly-Mae’s series doesn’t even touch the sides of these docs, which delve into far more severe topics and explore the fragility of life in testing circumstances.

Instead, we saw Molly-Mae talk about being thrown off her horse after it was spooked by a paparazzi photographer, and lament that poor-quality, overpriced blazers were accidentally sent out from her clothing line to customers. 

Therefore, by nominating Molly-Mae against these films, NTA bosses have uncovered a problem in how their system works — and I’m not surprised people are mad about it.

In my view, Behind It All isn’t an authored documentary. 

What Molly-Mae made was a reality show. And there’s nothing derogatory about that label.

Coming from a reality TV background herself, I’m sure Molly-Mae would agree that her fly-on-the-wall programme far better suits that criteria. However, it surely opens up a discussion about whether she should’ve been in that category at all.

It feels a bit like the Grammys nominating Sabrina Carpenter for best new artist in 2025 despite her 10-year stint in the industry thus far, even if her success has only rocketed in recent months.

This isn’t a new issue either. Last year, David Beckham’s Netflix series was also nominated as a possible Best Authored Documentary, which saw him go up against Rhod Gilbert’s cancer documentary, Kate Garraway’s latest instalment on late husband Derek Draper, and Rose Ayling-Ellis’ Signs for Change, which gave a personal insight into the deaf experience.

Not everything that tells a personal story should be considered an authored documentary, certainly not when such a prestigious accolade is at stake.

So, what’s the solution? Does Molly-Mae get her own category? Can she be lumped in with other reality shows of the past 12 months?

Honestly, I can’t be certain. The category is still fresh, but it needs major refinement before it can be as solid as the likes of Factual Entertainment or Serial Drama Performance.

Until then, I urge everyone to ease up on the hate towards Molly-Mae, whose win has been somewhat tarnished by the vitriol hurled her way, with trolls declaring that they ‘fell ill’ at the fact that she received enough votes to add the silver prize to her mantelpiece.

Refusal to acknowledge her win is to belittle what she’s achieved as undeniably the most successful reality star in Britain. With an astronomical net worth, a sturdy fashion empire under her belt, and a loyal following who ask ‘How high?’ when she tells them to jump, Molly-Mae isn’t going anywhere fast.

What’s more, Behind It All wasn’t mindless viewing 100% of the time, as fans became privy to the turbulence of parenting a toddler away from a perfectly curated Instagram feed and, what resonated most with me, the challenges of living with someone with an alcohol issues. It had its emotive moments, which proved that existing as the brand of Molly-Mae isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

It’s a great shame that Molly-Mae, who openly dedicated her award to Burrows and his family, can’t celebrate her win without what I predict to be a pang of embarrassment and guilt.

But perhaps this widespread criticism can be a lesson to NTA execs and a reminder of something they should already know better than anyone: television isn’t black and white, and it can’t always be pigeonholed or compartmentalised into genres.

To assume it can results in worthy winners missing out on a deserved moment of glory and trophies being sent home for the wrong reasons.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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