Red Carpets and Blue Films

As the stretch limos disgorged their minor celebrity cargo onto the red carpet outside Troxy's nightclub, in the heart of Limehouse, a couple of shabbily dressed hardcore fans rushed forward for hasty autographs. They were watched by a restive queue of guests, waiting in turn to have their evening suits frisked by a brigade of bouncers big enough to reach to nearby Canary wharf, if laid end to end. The UK Adult Film and TV Awards certainly reflect the changes in the industry that are happening around us.

Canny pre-publicity, through making Billie Piper's Diary of a Call Girl a nominee, raised the awards' profile and the £1,000 a table ticket price put off most of the paying public. Indeed, waiting on the pavement at 2am for my night bus home (thank you, Mayor Ken), a group of four twentysomething punters bemoaned the lack of naughtiness. That's not to say the girls hadn't come underdressed for the night. There was plenty of bare flesh on show but little more than the venue's usual nightclub clientele. This was in contrast to the men who, apart from some of the more flamboyant producers, were uniformly in black. But the girls occasionally found enough time, before one of the ubiquitous bouncers arrived, to get them out for the lads. Even at the after party, where some couples had enjoyed a little light copulation in the past, the girls had to repress their urges. Just occasionally a scrummage of mobile phone cameras captured a brief flash of titty or pussy.

The table plan reflected the changing nature of the business. Whole tables were booked by the big websites, TV channels and production companies. And none were grander than the three taken by Paul Chaplin's Bluebird Productions. Surrounded by a bunch of personal minders, to remind the rest just how important these people are, Paul had brought a clutch of contract girls whom he insisted on bringing onto the stage whenever his yet-to-be-launched company won an award.

Many producers have expressed their disquiet about the nomination of yet-to-be-released material. After initial self-nominations, the category shortlists were passed to an independent panel of six judges from outside the industry. Few people I spoke to had any idea how the two male, two female and two gay judges chose the winners. And with just two of the nearly forty categories specifically gay, the panel looked decidedly unbalanced. Like politicians seeking funding, the organisers need to be more transparent.

With dinner set to be served at 8.15 and the presentation show due to start at nine, I was still on the red carpet with Tas and the UK Nymphos when the clock passed eight. So inevitably, it wasn't until around ten o'clock when Ben Dover and Kirsten Halborg finally stepped on to the stage as hosts for the evening. Starting with the technical awards, Ben and Kirsten got some momentum going despite Kenny Rye returning to the stage several times as his film Bondage Thoughts picked up the lion's share of these categories.

Between batches of awards, a decent Britney Spears tribute act entertained with a few numbers and a gag about poor Britney putting her pussy out for free while you girls... But this wasn't a night for entertainment, for as Britney sang from the edge of the stage, she was obscured by a gang of photographers shooting Cathy Barry and her Lifetime Achievement Award. Several other looky-likeys were hired for the evening to present awards. An idea that was not 100% successful as a bemused audience watched uncle Ben introduced Ronaldo, Snoop Doggy Dog and Will Smith among others.

Most of the winners were present to collect their awards, including Carmella Bing for Best Overseas Performer, but it was a huge disappointment not to see Carmel Moore in person for Best Actress. Kyle Price, winner of Best Actor In A Gay Film, also missed out (he was 'up in Glasgow' at the time). Isabel Ice, who has matured into a very erotic performer, picked up the Best Actress Award as voted for by knowledgeable members of the British Girls Adult Film Database - probably the evening's most democratic award.

Vince Velvet (now back in Australia and possibly out of the business) picked up the award for Best Newcomer, in Anna Span's Hug a Hoodie. Which meant another trip to the stage for Anna as she picked up Best Director and Best Softcore for her certificate 18 cut of the film. Ben, having changed into dark pinstripe for the second half, could restrain himself no longer and commented on the suitability of Anna's shapeless black top and leggings for receiving such prestigious awards.

Like the Oscars, some titles garner many awards. Hug a Hoodie supplied Best Actress, Newcomer and Director. While Bondage Thoughts, with Great Technical Merit, ran out best film. But big budgets and technical expertise don't count for everything. Halifax-based David Gray, aka (Fat) Freddie, collected Most Outrageous Scene for Knob the Builder. While wife Tracey Lain collected Best Performance In An Amateur Film for the same production. As David was careful to point out in his acceptance speech, he does not work for Bluebird.

At the end of the presentations Rob Stone appeared above the stage, alongside the DJ and belted out a couple of numbers while the staff cleared tables from the dance area so that the afterparty could begin. The bass volume set the auditorium's brasswork vibrating and I got my biggest tingle of the night pressed against a handrail on the stairs.

While a few souls braved the volume on the dance floor, most guests held back nearer the bottles of wine, cases of lager, and ice buckets of champagne and Smirnoff that had built up on the corporate tables to the rear. While idly photographing one such booze mountain, I was bundled over by a Playboy TV exec for allegedly shooting his wife. I'm not sure whether the nearby bouncer intended to protect me or throw me out.

The point of these awards is to recognise the talent in the industry - none more so than the men and women who appear in front of the camera. And the talent was out in force at the Troxy. Altogether, too many to list but everyone seemed pleased at the success of others. So, it seems a shame some producers and production companies chose not to nominate or attend. Particularly where they have their own exclusive talent. As the Awards become more established - as they deserve to be - I expect that all of the people in the industry will see the benefits.

As the last of the guests headed for the Commercial Road, much to the relief of organisers Redzone Pictures, I found some immediate feedback from a group of young guys waiting for a bus. They had expected more nudity I think. I explained that the industry was growing-up, getting more responsible, like some of its performers. I cast my mind back to an earlier conversation about babysitters for the evening. Why, I said, many performers have families and I reeled off Cathy Barry, Wendy Taylor, Faye Rampton as examples. The boys looked aghast! It clearly had not occurred to them that the act, that they so enjoyed watching, does, occasionally, have consequences.