Eddie Redmayne is leading the way for the Brits after getting his second Bafta nod for his performance in transgender movie The Danish Girl.

The actor, who won the best actor gong last year for his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, will he hoping history will repeat itself.

He has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for playing Lili Elbe, one of the first people to ever undergo a sex change.

And he is being touted as an early favourite to secure an Oscar nomination for the same role.

Other Brits who were nominated include Dame Maggie Smith for best actress in The Lady In The Van.

Kate Winslet and Julie Walters got best supporting actress nods for their performances in Steve Jobs and Brooklyn.

While Mark Rylance and Idris Elba will battle it out in the best supporting actor category for their roles in Bridge of Spies and Beast of No Nation.

Bridge of Spies and Carol were top of the nominations with nine each, while The Revenant scored eight nods.

This was followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with seven nominations and Brooklyn and The Martian with six.

The Danish Girl, The Big Short and Ex Machina each received five.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - which has become the highest ever grossing film in the US - received four nominations, but none of them were in the best film or acting categories.

And the latest James Bond film Spectre was not nominated at all.

Films with the most nominations

The nominations were announced at Bafta's central London headquarters by actors Stephen Fry and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Fry will present the awards at a star-studded ceremony at London's Royal Opera House on 14 February.

The full list of nominations:

Leading Actor

Leading Actress

Supporting Actress

Supporting Actor

Best Film

Director

Outstanding British Film

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Best Animated Film

The EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)

Speaking after the nominations were announced, Gugu Mbatha-Raw said it had been a "booming" year for the British film industry.

She said she couldn't think who was going to win, but Fry said he would be especially pleased if animation Inside Out won Best Original Screenplay.

Asked what people should look for when the Baftas air next month, he added: "Look at the date.

"When is the Bafta award ceremony taking place? It's the 14th of February, so look for love."