'Homeland,' 'Girls' Nominated for U.K.'s Royal Television Society Award

LONDON -- HBO's Golden Globe-winning comedy Girls, created by and starring Lena Dunham, is among the Royal Television Society program award nominees announced Thursday.

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The show is up for this year's RTS international program award but faces strong competition for the nod from another multi-Golden Globe winner,  spy thriller Homeland (season one), and the BAFTA TV-winning Danish political drama Borgen.

Britain's annual RTS program awards aim to recognize the work of exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as celebrating the programs themselves.

This year's best drama categories are ruled by programs made for the BBC.

Call the Midwife, Line of Duty and Sherlock will go head to head for the best drama series prize, while Good Cop, Parade's End and Room at the Top will challenge for best drama serial.

In the best entertainment show category, Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent for commercial web ITV will go up against Celebrity Juice for ITV 2 and Dynamo: Magician Impossible (Series 2) which airs on UKTV, the multi-channel operator owned by BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive.

The best actor nod will be contested for by actors whose turns all feature in BBC shows, with Sean Bean (Accused II), Lennie James (Line of Duty) and Oliver Lansley (Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story) all looking to take home the prize.

The best actress award will go to Olivia Colman or Anne Marie Duff for their respective turns in BBC One's Accused II or Sheridan Smith for her turn in ITV's Mrs Biggs.

The group is the oldest TV society in the world and is chaired by David Liddiment.

The awards will be handed out March 19 at a shindig hosted by comedian-writer-actress Jo Brand in central London.

Here is the complete list of nominations:

Actor (Female)

Olivia Colman - Accused II RSJ Films for BBC One

Anne Marie Duff - Accused II RSJ Films for BBC One

Sheridan Smith - Mrs Biggs ITV Studios for ITV

Actor (Male)

Sean Bean - Accused II RSJ Films for BBC One

Lennie James - Line of Duty World Productions for BBC Two

Oliver Lansley - Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story Mammoth Screen for BBC Wales for BBC One

Arts

All In the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry Seneca Productions for Channel 4

Lucian Freud: Painted Life Blakeway for BBC Two

The South Bank Show: Grime, Bow & How UK  Hip Hop Found Its Voice Director's Cut for Sky Arts HD

Children's Drama

Mr Stink BBC Productions in association with Bert Productions for BBC One

Teulu Ty Crwn (The 'Ty Crwn' Family) Apollo/Fflic Co-Production, Part of Boom Pictures CYMRU, for S4C

Wolfblood CBBC Productions for CBBC

Children's Program

Horrible Histories Lion TV in association with Citrus TV for CBBC

Newsround  Up and Away CBBC Productions for CBBC

Room on the Broom Magic Lights Pictures for BBC Two

Comedy Performance

Jessica Hynes - Twenty Twelve (Series 2) BBC Productions for BBC Two

Ruth Jones - Stella Tidy Productions for Sky 1 HD

Jack Whitehall - Fresh Meat Objective Productions for Channel 4

Daytime Program

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals Fresh One Productions for Channel 4

Remembrance Week Fever Media for BBC One

The Chase ITV Studios for ITV

Documentary Series

Our War BBC Productions for BBC Three

Protecting Our Children BBC Productions for BBC Two

The Year the Town Hall Shrank Blast for BBC Four

Drama Serial

Good Cop BBC Productions for BBC One

Parade's End Mammoth Screen for BBC Two

Room At The Top Great Meadow Productions for BBC Four and BBC Worldwide

Drama Series

Call the Midwife Neal Street Productions for BBC One

Line of Duty World Productions for BBC Two

Sherlock Hartswood Films for BBC Wales in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One

Entertainment

Britain's Got Talent Thames/Syco TV for ITV

CelebrityJuice Talkback Production Company for ITV2

Dynamo:Magician Impossible (Series 2) Phil McIntyre Entertainments/Inner Circle Films for Watch

Entertainment Performance

Charlie Brooker - 10 O'Clock Live Zeppotron Productions for Channel 4

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! ITV Studios for ITV

will.i.am - The Voice UK A Wall to Wall Media & Talpa Production for BBC One

History

The Plot To Bring Down Britain's Planes Raw Television for Channel 4

The Secret History of Our Streets Century  Films and Halcyons Heart Films for BBC Two

Words of Captain Scott ITV Studios for ITV

International

Borgen DR for BBC Four

Girls HBO for Sky Atlantic HD

Homeland (Series 1) Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21 acquired by Channel 4

Live Event

London Paralympics 2012 Sunset+Vine/IMG Sports Media for Channel 4

Olympics 2012 BBC Productions for BBC

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert BBC Productions for BBC One

Nations and Regions Program

Born to Lose STV for the STV Appeal

The Bank Of Dave (Episode 1) Finestripe Productions for Channel 4

The Story Of Wales Green Bay Media for BBC One Wales

Popular Factual and Features

Long Lost Family (Series 2) Wall to Wall Media for ITV

Make Bradford British Love Productions for Channel 4

The Great British Bake Off Love West for BBC Two

Presenter

Clare Balding - The Olympics BBC Productions for BBC

Dr James Fox - History of Art in Three Colours BBC Productions for BBC Four

Grayson Perry - All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry Seneca Productions for Channel 4

Science and Natural History

Earthflight John Downer Productions for BBC One

Operation Iceberg BBC Productions for BBC Two

The Plane Crash Dragonfly Film and Television for Channel 4

Scripted Comedy

Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of my Life Baby Cow for Sky Atlantic HD

Fresh Meat Objective Productions for Channel 4

Twenty Twelve (Series 2) BBC Productions for BBC Two

Single Documentary

7/7: One Day in London Minnow Films for BBC Two

Fy Chwaer A Fi (My Sister and I) Bulb Films, Part of Boom Pictures CYMRU, for S4C

Lifers Century Films for Channel 4

Single Drama

Everyday Revolution Films for Channel 4

My Murder BBC Productions for BBC Three

The Hollow Crown: Richard II Neal Street Productions for BBC Two

Soap and Continuing Drama

Coronation Street ITV Studios for ITV

EastEnders BBC Productions for BBC One

Hollyoaks Lime Pictures for Channel 4

Writer – Comedy

Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine & Joanna Scanlan - Getting On Vera Productions for BBC Four

John Morton - Twenty Twelve (Series 2) BBC Productions for BBC One

Writing Team - The Thick of It (Series 4) BBC Productions for BBC Two

Writer – Drama

Robert Jones - Murder Touchpaper TV for BBC Two

Jed Mercurio - Line of Duty World Productions for BBC Two

Steven Moffat - Sherlock Hartswood Films for BBC Wales in co-production with Masterpiece for BBC One