David Tennant honoured with special recognition at the National TV Awards 2015

The actor dedicated the surprise award to his father

David Tennant accepts the Special Achievement Award during the 2015 National Television Awards (PA)

Broadchurch star David Tennant has been honoured with a special recognition at the National Television Awards.

The shocked actor was unsuspectingly presented with the accolade at the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena.

Dedicating the award to his dad, he said: “I grew up loving the telly, so thank you. The fact that I get to make part of my living from being on the telly is something I have to pinch myself about, to win a prize for it is something I have to compute."

He added: “But anything I have achieved is because talented and clever people gave me a job…Anyone who has ever given me a shot, thank you very much. And anyone who has ever let me into their screens on the telly – it’s a real honour, thank you.”

The actor, who began his TV career in children’s show Dramarama in 1988, is perhaps best known for starring in Doctor Who as the Tenth Doctor from 2005-2010.

Paying tribute to Tennant, his former co-star Billie Piper called him a “special actor and a decent human being”.

“He is a very gifted person but he is also able to be a human within that,” she said.

His current on-screen partner in crime Olivia Colman praised Tennant’s “complete lack of ego”, describing him as a "joy to be with" on set.

“He doesn’t try and force anything, he is just completely believable. And you want to believe him as well. He is an utterly, utterly good human being. You’d love him.”