The meat of the story is that dreamy singleton Bridget must choose between the dashing bounder, Daniel, played by Hugh Grant, and the seemingly crashingly dull Mark Darcy (a cheeky piece of casting with King of the Darcys, Colin Firth).

BBC: Bridget Jones's Diary: Press reviews

The same was not true in film categories when compared with last year when Colin Firth won best actor in a drama for The King's Speech - a precursor to his Oscar success.

BBC: Golden Globes: Ricky Gervais 'subdued', say critics

In 2010, he also lent his intonation to the Italian version of The King's Speech, doubling up for Colin Firth's Oscar-winning turn as George VI.

BBC: Magazine

After the 2011 ceremony, pre-orders for The King's Speech from Lovefilm were up 281% and other Colin Firth titles also saw renewed interest, including 2005's football movie Fever Pitch, which saw a 340% rise in rentals.

BBC: Consider this: How film-makers court the Oscar voters