Colin Firth was crowned the country's Leading Actor as The King's Speech swept the board at the Baftas.

The tale of stuttering monarch King George VI scooped seven awards on the night at the Royal Opera House in London.

Speaking as he picked up the Leading Actor award for the second year running, he joked: "I like coming here, thank you Bafta."

Referring to his role in the Abba-inspired Mamma Mia!, Colin thanked his family for "remaining so steady whether they are dealing with a dancing queen or a sometime king".

His co-stars, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, won awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively.

In her acceptance speech, Helena warned her children "It's not about the winning" and told Firth: "King Colin you're deserving everything you're getting."

The film also picked up awards for Best Film, Original Music, Outstanding British Film and Original Screenplay for its writer, David Seidler.

There was disappointment for the film's director Tom Hooper, who lost out to David Fincher for The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin was given the Adapted Screenplay award for the Facebook film.

He said: "Under normal circumstances I would be very excited about this but sitting in the seat in front of me is one of The Beatles."

Natalie Portman won the Leading Actress award for her role as a ballet dancer in Black Swan. The film's director, Darren Aronofsky, accepted the award on her behalf, saying: "She is by far the most committed, dedicated, focused actor I have ever worked with."