The Oscars ceremony is the most aggressively glamorous night of the year, serving up the cream of Hollywood, spectacular gowns and Californian sunshine to a global television audience.

The Baftas ceremony has a covered red carpet in case of rain and was last hosted by Jonathan Ross.

But with the screenwriters’ strike threatening the Oscars, their British counterparts may be about to graduate from a supporting role to become the unlikely star of the 2008 film awards season.

After the cancellation of the Golden Globes on Sunday, film stars are vying to present the awards in London next month, according to a film industry in-sider. “The talent booker’s telephones at Bafta have not stopped ringing,” she said. “The agents are determined to make sure that their star gets a spot.”

The nominees for the awards, which will be held at the Royal Opera House on February 10, will be announced at 7.45am tomorrow.

George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Tim Burton and the Coen Brothers are among those tipped for nominations alongside British talent such as Keira Knightley and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Most of them will make the trip to London for the awards, according to Liz Miller, an associate director of Premier PR, who has advised the studios on their awards ceremony strategies for the past 11 years. “The studios will make more effort for the Baftas because they didn’t get the Globes this year,” she said.

Awards ceremonies are a vital part of the marketing strategy for many of the year’s best films.

When the impact on other industries, including fashion, hospitality and tourism, is factored in, the Los An-geles County Economic Development Corporation estimates that the Globes generate $80 million (£40 million). The Oscars are worth $130 million.

Michael Gubbins, editor of Screen International, the industry newspaper, remains convinced that the Oscars will go ahead but believes that Bafta could benefit from the turmoil.

He said: “Bafta has been pushing hard to take on a higher profile and this is an opportunity to grab some of the Globes’ limelight. There are powerful influences in Hollywood that resent the Globes influence and Bafta may now become the de facto second ceremony. It all depends on how the Globes recover.”

The Baftas were moved from April to February in 2001 to reposition them as a key Oscar form guide.

Amanda Berry, chief executive of Bafta, said: “We’re definitely on an upward trend. Years ago you often used to hear that so-and-so could not be here tonight. I hope to hear that less.”

Britons scooped three of the top awards at the Golden Globes, which were announced at a 30-minute news conference.

Atonement was a surprise winner in the Best Picture (drama) category and is now seen as a real contender for Best Picture at the Oscars, if the event goes ahead, alongside Sweeney Todd, which won Best Picture (comedy or musical) on Sunday .

Julie Christie, the star of Doctor Zhivago who previously won an Oscar for Darling in 1965, is the clear favourite in the Best Actress category after winning with her portrait of an Alzhe-imer’s sufferer in Away from Her.

Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor in a drama for his role as a misanthropic oilman in There Will Be Blood, a film loosely based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil.

The Golden Globe winners

FILM

Best Picture (drama) Atonement
Best Actress (drama) Julie Christie Away from Her
Best Actor (drama) Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood
Best Director Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Picture (musical or comedy) Sweeney Todd
Best Actress (musical or comedy) Marion Cotillard La Vie En Rose
Best Actor (musical or comedy) Johnny Depp Sweeney Todd
Best Supporting Actress Cate Blanchett I’m Not There
Best Supporting Actor Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men
Best Screenplay Ethan Coen and Joel Coen No Country for Old Men
Best Animated Feature Film Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France, United States)
Best Original Score Dario Marianelli Atonement
Best Original Song Guaranteed (Into the Wild)

TELEVISION

Best Drama Series Mad Men
Best Actress (drama) Glenn Close Damages
Best Actor (drama) Jon Hamm Mad Men
Best Series (musical or comedy) Extras
Best Actress (musical or comedy) Tina Fey 30 Rock
Best Actor (musical or comedy) David Duchovny Californication
Best mini-series or movie Longford
Best Actress (mini- series or movie) Queen Latifah Life Support
Best Actor (mini-series or movie) Jim Broadbent Longford
Best Supporting Actress Samantha Morton Longford
Best Supporting Actor Jeremy Piven Entourage

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