One of the Brentwood-based stars of the Only Way is Essex said that he is “delighted” that the show picked up a Bafta last weekend.

The ITV2 show won the People’s Choice Award, beating programmes like Downton Abbey to the gong.

Sugar Hut owner Michael Norcross, who has featured in the show since March, spoke to the Recorder after hearing the news.

He said: “It’s fantastic, to be honest with you really it’s nice to be honoured with something like that I didn’t think for one moment we’d get anywhere it, and it was something that was voted for by the public.”

The High Street club-owner added: “All the sort of people that were there were a bit put out, I think, that something like The Only Way is Essex won. And all credit goes to Lime Pictures for the job they’ve done on it.”

His sentiments echoed Alan Sugar, who congratulated the show on Twitter, saying: “Brilliant, the Only Way is Essex won a Bafta, u have no idea what a smack in face this is for the intellectual snobs lovies in TV production.

“[I] Loved looking on the faces of the audience at the Bafta when Essex won. Voted by the public, not by a self gratifying industry panel. Brill!”

Michael said that “it is back to business-as-usual” at the club, but that “it’s not back to reality because now I spend all my nights here taking photos with people who’ve come to see us because they’ve seen the show and I’m more than pleased to do that especially since the Bafta win.”

Filming for the third series of the show is expected to begin in August, for a September re-launch.