Lee Mack responds to criticism over Jill Scott joke at NTAs

Lee Mack has responded to criticism over a joke he made after former England midfielder Jill Scott presented him with an award at the National Television Awards.

Mack was victorious at the yearly awards ceremony, staged on Tuesday, picking up the Quiz Game Show award for The 1% Club.

The comedian fended off fierce competition from The Chase, Richard Osman's House Of Games and Michael McIntyre's The Wheel to scoop the top prize.

Other award winners on the night included Newcastle fans Ant & Dec, who lifted the TV Presenter award, as well as EastEnders star Bobby Brazier - the son of TNT Sports presenter Jeff - who won the Rising Star award.

Mack's award was presented by his fellow comedian Mo Gilligan and former Lioness Scott.

In his acceptance speech, the Not Going Out star made a joke after being presented with the award that received a mixed response from some on social media.

He said, in reference to the appearance of the trophy: "To receive a sex toy like this off Jill Scott is an absolute pleasure."

You can watch the full clip below.

Now, Mack has responded with a blunt statement about comedy in general, and how the joke was received.

Speaking to The Sun, he explained: "My job as a stand-up comedian is to take the mickey out of them [the audience].

"I decided never to be too cheesy with it, just try and have a bit of a laugh with them.

"It's just a gig, you know. Especially to 100 people. That was most of my Edinburgh shows in the early day, were to 100 people.

"It's quite an intimate laugh. The one thing is, the audience really can take it. You can take the mickey out of them. It's the people that are watching that get offended, not the audience. They're always okay about it."