The IFTAs have been shamed again after it emerged that a phoney documentary maker managed to walk off with an award.
And the fraud even delivered an on-stage acceptance speech for Best TV Documentary Category at Saturday’s award ceremony.
However Eoghan McDermott and Sinead Kennedy – who were hosting the awards that aren’t shown on TV – only realised the fraud when the actual winner showed up on stage.
Confused: Eoghan and Sinead left confused when the actual winner turned up
Baffled Eoghan said: “This guy turned up on the podium, picked up his IFTA and was waving it around while he made this acceptance speech, thanking everybody and talking about urban life.
“Colin Farrell, Miriam O’Callaghan, the whole Irish TV and film industry was listening to him. But he was a chancer.”
Staff were then forced to chase through the Double Tree Hilton venue to nab back the award and give it to Weird Yesterday, who produced RTE series John Lonergan’s Circus.
Winner: John Lonergan’s Circus won the IFTA
But Independent Pictures producer Anna Rodgers admitted the whole thing was “so weird”.
She told the Irish Sun: “We just played along. Someone chased the guy and got our award off him.
“The whole thing was so weird but we all had a great night at the IFTAs.”
It comes after the IFTAs have already admitted there were massive problems with the sound at the ceremony, which saw viewers unable to hear.
Organisers declined to comment on the latest gaffe to hit the awards.
