BAFTAs Loom As TV Awards 'Shock' Fry

Actor and TV presenter, Stephen Fry was "shocked" when he was presented with a special recognition award at the National Television Awards.

Shortly after he also received the Most Popular Star Travel Documentary accolade, he said: "I really am completely staggered by this, I had no idea it was going to happen and I feel so unworthy of the most remarkable tribute I've ever seen.

"I really don't know what else to say except that I have had the good fortune to work with some of the most talented, but above all, some of the kindest and best-natured people that you could ever hope to meet and I feel completely staggered that I have this award."

Meanwhile, as the British Academy Film and TV Awards loom, it looks likely that Avatar, An Education and The Hurt Locker are to slog it out for top billing.

They have each received eight nominations for this year's film Baftas.

District 9 has seven nominations, Inglourious Basterds and Up In The Air have six nominations and Coco Before Chanel, Nowhere Boy, Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire and Up each received four nods at the Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Avatar, which stars Sigourney Weaver, is up for Best Film, while James Cameron has a nod in the Director category.

Cameron will battle it out on the director shortlist with his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker, the acclaimed Iraq war drama about an elite team of bomb disposal experts.

Also competing for a director gong are Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, Lone Scherfig for An Education, and Neill Blomkamp for alien film District 9.

The other Best Film nominees are An Education, The Hurt Locker, Precious and Up In The Air.

The Leading Actor category sees Hollywood heartthrob and Up In The Air star George Clooney pitted against Colin Firth for A Single Man, Andy Serkis for Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll, Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker and Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart.

The Leading Actress category will be fought out between Carey Mulligan for An Education, Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones, Gabourey Sidibe for Precious, Meryl Streep for Julie And Julia and Audrey Tautou for Coco Before Chanel.

(BMcC/GK)