Last night’s Ugly Betty, “A Thousand Words by Friday,” was the saddest episode yet. And I don’t mean because anything particularly sad happened. I’m singing the Betty blues because it’s looking to be the last new episode we’re going to get in a long while.

It’s particularly painful because the show’s been on a real creative high lately. This week was filled with reminders of everything that makes this such a wonderful, totally unique series, and why our TV options will feel so paltry now that it’s gone:

1) It’s still the gayest show in town. At the start of the episode, a beautiful stranger played by Gabrielle Union approaches Daniel in a bar. She asks him to dance, claiming she’s trying to make her thug of a boyfriend jealous, and then wonders why Daniel’s not at all worried about getting pummeled.

Daniel: Your boyfriend’s making out with another dude.

And just like that, the camera cuts to two tattooed bikers going at it, hot and heavy, a gay kiss in the first minutes of a “family hour” primetime show. It was a funny surprise, but also a reminder of how Betty routinely manages to feature gay and gay-friendly characters within its world.

A similar moment came when Alexis casually referenced her transgender support group to Daniel. We’ve moved past the family conflicts that Alexis’ surgery had initially ignited; it’s simply a part of who she is now, not the central drama in her life. (At the same time, mention of a support group, the first we’ve heard of it, emphasized that even for someone as seemingly self-possessed as Alexis, it’s not always a walk on the catwalk.)

But what makes this not just a show with gay characters but a gay old time is the exhilarating way every detail – the set decoration, camerawork, costumes, music, campy dialogue – brings out a gay sensibility in the show’s look and feel unlike anything else on TV right now. It’s like watching an early Almodóvar movie unfold on your TV screen week after week.

Television award ceremonies can be two a penny. And, quite frankly, rather boring! But that’s rarely the case when it comes to ITV1’s National TV Awards. Hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald, this star-studded ceremony, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, pays tribute to the best of the best of British television.

Throughout the summer months, over 1.5 million votes were cast from a long list, which was eventually whittled down to a short list of just four contenders in eleven different categories.

Whilst Hollyoaks and Eastenders face off against Emmerdale and Coronation Street for the title of Most Popular Serial Drama, it gets much more personal in the Most Popular Actor category, which sees the likes of James Sutton (John Paul McQueen in Hollyoaks) and Antony Cotton (Sean Tully in Coronation Street) vying for the crown. And both Graham Norton and Paul O’Grady have been shortlisted in the Most Popular Entertainment Presenter category.

Other TV shows hoping to scoop an award include Shipwrecked: Battle of the Islands and Big Brother for Most Popular Reality Programme; Ugly Betty for Most Popular Comedy and Doctor Who for Most Popular Drama.

Speaking of Ugly Betty, the adorable Mark Indelicato (aka Justin) has just been confirmed as a special guest. He will be flying in to present the award for the Most Popular Actress. Now, if that doesn’t make the NTA must-see viewing, we don’t know what else will!

To find out who the lucky winners are, tune in to ITV1 tomorrow night, Wednesday 31st October, between 8:30pm and 10:30pm.

In the meantime, there’s still a little bit of time left to vote for your favorite – although all votes must be in by midday tomorrow. Just visit the link below to register your votes.

So, come on all you James Sutton and Hollyoaks fans. What are you waiting for? Get voting!