The nominations have been announced for this year's BAFTA TV Awards, which will be held on Sunday 18th May. After an outstanding year in television, this year's awards will make for gripping viewing with nominations covering all categories of TV talent. Channel 4's comedy series, The IT Crowd, leads the way with four nominations alongside the broadcaster's chilling crime drama, Southcliffe, according to BAFTA.

Richard Ayoade
Actor Richard Ayoade & Comedy 'The IT Crowd' Could Clean Up At The 2014 TV BAFTAs.

The IT Crowd dominates the best performance in a comedy categories as Richard Ayoade and Chris O'Dowd are each nominated whilst their co-star Katherine Parkinson has been nominated for best female in a comedy and the show's final episode is up for best sitcom.

Four-part crime drama Southcliffe has been shortlisted for best mini-drama and its lead Sean Harris is up for best leading actor while his co-stars Rory Kinnear and Shirley Henderson are hopefuls in the best supporting actor and actress categories.

Olivia Colman
Last Year's BAFTAs Superstar, Olivia Colman, Could Enjoy More Awards Success In 2014.

It's not only these two shows that are hogging the limelight: Broadchurch, another dark crime thriller set in a small town, is up for three BAFTAs with a further honour for the public-voted Radio Times Audience Award. Last year's double BAFTA winner Olivia Colman is yet again nominated for Best Actress whilst David Bradley is up for Best Supporting Actor and the entire production is up for Best Drama Series.

Colman's co-star David Tennant is a surprising omission from the Best Actor shortlist. Instead, The Fall's Jamie Dornan, In The Flesh's Luke Newberry and Burton and Taylor's Dominic West join Southcliffe's Sean Harris.

Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter Is Well-Placed To Win Best Actress For Her Portrayal Of Elizabeth Taylor.

Burton and Taylor's Helena Bonham Carter echoes her co-star's acting nod with a nomination in the corresponding female category alongside Colman, The Mill's Kerrie Hayes, and The Village's Maxine Peake. Peter Moffat's BBC historical drama, The Village, also has a shot at taking home trophies for Nico Mirallegro's supporting role and Best Drama Series.

The always fiercely fought Drama category includes The Village and Broadchurch alongside teen comedy My Mad Fat Diary and Jane Campion's Elisabeth Moss-starring mystery series, Top of the Lake.

Kevin Spacey
Thanks To The Inclusion Of Online-Only Content, Kevin Spacey's 'House Of Cards' Could Win A BAFTA.

Talent contest Strictly Come Dancing has received its first Bafta nomination in six years for best entertainment programme, alongside Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery and Dynamo: Magician Impossible. Meanwhile, The Great British Bake Off hopes to score a hat trick in the Best Feature category and will face competition from The Choir: Sing While You Work, Grand Designs and Long Lost Family.

This is the first year that programmes shown exclusively online in the UK have been allowed to compete, which meant Breaking Bad and House of Cards were eligible in the International category alongside Danish political drama Borgen and French zombie series, The Returned.

This year's BAFTA TV Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday 18 May.

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