Sam Neill has won a posthumous best actor award at Australia’s biggest television awards, the Logies, with comedian Sam Pang taking home the night’s top honour, the Gold Logie award for most popular personality.
Neill, who died in July, won his posthumous Logie for best lead actor in a drama, for his performance in legal thriller The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer. His close friend, the actor Heather Mitchell, accepted the award on his behalf.
“I’m so sorry I’m not Sam,” she said. “I know how much it would mean to him. This is an indication of his connection with his audience.”
Mitchell said The Twelve, which Neill starred in for three seasons, “meant a great deal” to him.
“He really relished the character of Brett Colby. He talked about it a lot, and he thought [Colby] was a very clever man, and also a sort of ۰۰۷ kind of person. And that was Sam as well,” she said.
Pang, who is a panellist on quiz show Have You Been Paying Attention? and hosts The Front Bar and Sam Pang Tonight, joked: “I’ve got lots of people to thank tonight and I’ll probably forget some names. If I do forget you, I’m sorry, but maybe also have a think about how much you did.”
The ۵۲-year-old congratulated his fellow nominees for the top award: A Current Affair host Ally Langdon, comedian Julia Morris, ABC presenter Lisa Millar, Masterchef judge Poh Ling Yeow, presenter Robert Irwin and Tipping Point Australia host Todd Woodbridge.
Pang was presented the award by Magda Szubanski, who made a surprise appearance after recently announcing she was in remission after being treated for cancer.
The Logies have historically been unusual awards, with a mix of popularly voted awards – which celebrities have always actively campaigned to win – and peer-voted awards. Last year, the voting system was overhauled so that the “best” categories – formerly called “most outstanding” – are now determined by a combined score: ۵۰% of which is peer assessment and audience data supplied by the broadcasters, and ۵۰% of which is by popular vote.
The Gold Logie and the “most popular” award categories remain determined entirely by popular vote.
Irwin, who hosted this year’s ceremony, won his first Logie, taking home the Bert Newton award for most popular presenter for his role on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, which was recently cancelled by Network ۱۰. Irwin thanked his family, who he said were watching remotely from a crocodile research expedition in north Queensland, as well as Australia Zoo, where he has lived since childhood.
“My heart beats for Australia Zoo,” he said. “I bleed khaki … This is for my Australia Zoo family – ۵۰۰ back at home, who back me, who work towards a mission that my dad started.”
Brooke Satchwell won best lead actress in a drama for her role in Stan series Dear Life, while Claudia Karvan won best supporting actress in a drama for her role as the mother of a trans child in SBS show Homebodies. Karvan used her speech to pay tribute to trans children and their parents, saying: “May their voices always be heard.”
Simon Baker won best supporting actor for his performance in The Narrow Road to the Deep North – his second Logie win after his first in ۱۹۹۳, which was “somewhere in the shed”, he said. He thanked director Justin Kurzel and his castmates, joking: “There’s not a bad performance in this thing and I can say that because I have just won an award.”
The ABC had a strong night, winning eight Logies. Goolagong, the ABC drama about the two-time Wimbledon winner Evonne Goolagong Cawley, won best miniseries, while the show’s star, Whadjuk and Ballardong Noongar actor Lila McGuire, won the Graham Kennedy award for most popular new talent.
ABC comedy Dog Park won two awards: best actress in a comedy for Celia Pacquola and best scripted comedy program. Muster Dogs took best structured reality program, The Assembly won best factual program, Australian Story won best current affairs program and Play School won best children’s program.
RFDS won best drama program for the second time, beating the likes of Heartbreak High and Mystery Road: Origin.
In an unexpected turn, Bruce McAvaney lost the inaugural Bruce McAvaney award for most popular sports presenter to the former tennis player Jelena Dokic, who won for her work presenting at the Australian Open, Melbourne Cup, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, US Open and Cross Court.
A Current Affair presenter Ally Langdon won the Ray Martin award for most popular news or public affairs presenter, for the second year in the row. Karl Stefanovic, who was nominated for the category for his role on Today, was not present, having told the Daily Telegraph that attending would be a “tad awkward” after being dumped from his $۲.۸m contract at Nine for embracing far-right activist Tommy Robinson on his podcast. Stefanovic was a popular, recurring topic onstage, with Irwin joking that an empty chair had been left for him “on the far right”.
Actor Deborah Mailman became the first ever Indigenous Australian nominated into the Logies Hall of Fame. Mailman, who has won six Logies in her career, paid tribute to her parents, who “met my dream with nothing but love and encouragement” when she was a would-be actor growing up in Mt Isa.
“Every time I made that ۲۴ and half hour bus trip back to Mt Isa from Brisbane, my mum and dad were always there waiting for me, so this is for them,” she said in an emotional speech.
In addition to Mailman, broadcaster and producer Andrew Denton and the show A Country Practice were also inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame.
Logie awards ۲۰۲۶: the full list of winners
Gold Logie for most popular personality: Sam Pang
Bert Newton award for most popular presenter: Robert Irwin, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Network ۱۰
Graham Kennedy award for most popular new talent: Lila McGuire, Goolagong, ABC
Ray Martin award for most popular news or public affairs presenter: Ally Langdon, A Current Affair, The Great Debate and Election ۲۰۲۵: Australia Decides; Nine Network
Bruce McAvaney award for most popular sports presenter: Jelena Dokic, ۲۰۲۶ Australian Open, ۲۰۲۵ Melbourne Cup, Wimbledon ۲۰۲۵, Roland Garros ۲۰۲۵, US Open ۲۰۲۵ and Cross Court ۲۰۲۵; Nine Network
Best lead actor in a drama: Sam Neill, The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer, Binge/Foxtel
Best lead actress in a drama: Brooke Satchwell, Dear Life, Stan
Best supporting actor in a drama: Simon Baker, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Prime Video
Best supporting actress in a drama: Claudia Karvan, Homebodies, SBS
Best actor in a comedy: Steve Bisley, Deadloch, Prime Video
Best actress in a comedy: Celia Pacquola, Dog Park, ABC
Best drama program: RFDS, Seven Network
Best miniseries or telemovie: Goolagong, ABC
Best entertainment program: Tipping Point Australia, Nine Network
Best current affairs program: Australian Story, ABC
Best scripted comedy program: Dog Park, ABC
Best comedy entertainment program: Have You Been Paying Attention?, Network ۱۰
Best competition reality program: MasterChef Australia, Network ۱۰
Best structured reality program: Muster Dogs, ABC
Best lifestyle program: Travel Guides, Nine Network
Best news coverage or public affairs report: Bondi Terror Attack, ۷NEWS and Sunrise, Seven Network
Best factual or documentary program: The Assembly, ABC
Best sports coverage: Australian Open ۲۰۲۶, Nine Network
Best children’s program: Play School, ABC
