BANFF — Ricky Gervais cracked ’em up while William Shatner left the audience visibly moved as the Banff World Television Festival wrapped up its awards with the best in show gala on Tuesday night.

Gervais, on hand to receive the Sir Peter Ustinov comedy prize from Canuck funnyman Peter Keleghan, said he didn’t know why he was chosen for the prestigious award.

‘I could think of two reasons,’ he began. ‘One, because I make brilliant TV, and two, because I was the only one they could get to come to the ceremony,’ Gervais joked. The British comedian — who co-wrote and starred in the original The Office – had the audience in stitches when he said he was not going to thank partner Jane Fallon (as is customary in recipient speeches) because ‘she did fuck all.’

Toronto-native McCormack, best known for his role as a Will Truman in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, picked up the award of distinction for his body of work and thanked the festival for including him with ‘two remarkable men,’ referring to Shatner and Gervais.

Shatner was honored with the lifetime achievement award for his 60-year career on stage and screen that included memorable roles such as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, and egotistical lawyer Denny Crane in the ABC comedy drama Boston Legal.

He reminisced about his early days as a boy doing plays in parks in Montreal and as a stage actor in Stratford, then turned emotional as he dedicated his award to wife Elizabeth.

‘Sustaining a marriage is the achievement of a lifetime,’ he said.

Meanwhile, the drama London River — about a terrorist attack in London that unites two strangers looking for their children — netted the grand jury and drama prizes for prodco ARTE France.

Canuck winners included Force Four Entertainment for the organ donation doc 65 Red Roses (broadcast on CBC), and kids program Molly in Springtime, co-produced by the NFB. Radio-Canada’s drama Aveux was was named best Francophone program.

Other winners included Bang Goes the Theory: The Human Power Station (U.K.), nature doc Life (U.K.), and Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra (U.K.), while director Louis Psihoyos was feted for his environmentally conscious doc The Cove.