THERE can’t be anyone that was surprised to learn that The King’s Speech received a string of Oscar nominations when they were revealed today.

The movie, based on the true story of how King George VI overcame his crippling stammer, collected 12 nominations – including best picture and best actor for Colin Firth, who won a Golden Globe for his performance earlier this month.

Helena Bonham Carter is nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the film, while Geoffrey Rush has a nod in the best supporting actor category.

Filmmaker Tom Hooper has been nominated for best director.

Also nominated for best picture are: psychological thriller Black Swan, boxing drama The Fighter, sci-fi blockbuster Inception, Danny Boyle's survival story 127 Hours, family dramedy The Kids Are All Right, Facebook morality tale The Social Network, animated smash Toy Story 3, Western True Grit and crime thriller Winter's Bone.

The King’s Speech looks like it will triumph at the ceremony, but after The Social Network’s surprising success at the Golden Globes, we’ll have to wait and see.

True Grit had 10 nominations, including acting honours for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.

The best-actress field includes Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right and Natalie Portman for Black Swan - both Golden Globe winners.

Christian Bale will compete with Rush for the supporting actor gong for his role in The Fighter.

Melissa Leo, who won the Globe for The Fighter, faces strong challenges in the supporting actress category from co-star Amy Adams and 14-year-old newcomer Steinfeld.

Birtish director Mike Leigh has a nomination for original screenplay for Another Year, while Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy are up for adapted screenplay for 127 Hours.

The Oscars take place on February 27. We'll be watching, will you?