HAMPSHIRE-born film star Colin Firth has tasted BAFTA glory for the second consecutive year.

Firth, who was educated at Kings' School in Winchester and Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, was named best actor for his role in smash hit royal drama The King's Speech.

The movie tells the story of King George VI's attempt to overcome his stutter.

Last year Firth, 50, won the best actor BAFTA for his portrayal of a gay academic in A Single Man.

Accepting the award he joked: "I like coming here."

He also thanked director Tom Hooper, praising his "thorough, surprising and effective" ways of working and his family for "remaining so steady whether they are dealing with a dancing queen or a sometime king".

He is the first star to win the best actor BAFTA two years in a row since Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker in 1967 and In The Heat Of The Night in 1968.

Firth has already claimed the best actor award at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood and is nominated for the same prize at the Oscars later this month.

The King's Speech won BAFTA film awards in a number of other categories. Helena Bonham Carter was named best supporting actress for her role as the Queen Mother, Geoffrey Rush won best supporting actor for his portrayal of speech therapist Lionel Logue, while the film was also a winner in the best original music, best original screenplay and outstanding British film sections.