"The King's Speech," in which Colin Firth plays the stammering King George VI, won 14 BAFTA nominations on Tuesday, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" which garnered 12.

"Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was the next most popular movie at Britain's top film honors with nine nominations, ahead of climbing story "127 Hours" and Western remake "True Grit" with eight apiece.

"The Social Network," one of the films most widely tipped for Oscars glory this year, won six nominations.

The BAFTAs are followed closely as the awards season gets into full swing, although they have only a patchy record in identifying future Oscar winners.

Firth, who recently won a Golden Globe, was shortlisted for a BAFTA best actor prize. His co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- were nominated for best supporting actress and actor, respectively.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards winners are announced on February 13.