David Walliams has admitted that he is feeling “a bit nervous” about hosting the National Television Awards.

The comedian, who has also been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, is hosting the awards for the first time after taking over from Dermot O’Leary.

Walliams said: “I am a bit nervous.

“I haven’t got cold sweats or anything but I understand it is a tough gig.

“The biggest challenge is you are hosting at the O2, which is very hard.

“You have to play to the 10,000 people in the audience, the millions of people watching at home in their armchairs and then on top of that you have the whole of the television industry there too.

“So anyone and everyone you would want to impress to give you a job in the future will be sat there watching.”

National Television Awards 2015 – Show – London
Dermot O’Leary has previously hosted the awards (Ian West/PA)

Walliams said that the challenge is to stop the “long ceremony” from “getting boring”.

He added that former hosts O’Leary and Sir Trevor McDonald were “brilliant” at the role.

“You will obviously get compared which can be nerve-racking,” he said.

The former Little Britain star said that he would be “coming up with some silly and funny things to do just to try and change it up again”.

He added: “I’m sure there will be a few people in the audience who should be a little bit worried.

“But I’ve not worked out who yet.”

Walliams added that he didn’t want to turn the ceremony into a “roast” because “it can set a negative tone for the night and that’s not what the NTAs is about”.

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Walliams said that Cowell is “in line for some abuse” (Matt Crossick/PA)

However, he added that if his fellow Britain’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell attends the awards “he will definitely be in for some abuse”, saying: “I’ve won best judge three times and he’s never won it.

“I keep telling Simon that he should win best judge as that’s all he actually does, which really winds him up.

“It is just a little hobby for me. I write books and TV shows and comedy.”

The 25th annual NTAs will take place on January 28.