GAME OF THRONES wins a BAFTA

Game of Thrones has won a BAFTA Award. The show won the Radio Times Audience Award, the only one of the awards to be voted for by the general public. The result was a surprise, with most watchers expecting the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony to walk off with the award, but clearly GoT's motivated fanbase was able to mobilise. However, GoT did miss out on the other award it was nominated for, Best International Programme, which instead went to its HBO sister show Girls (itself surprisingly trouncing the widely-expected winner, Homeland).

Tywin Lannister finds this victory approaching his bare minimum standards of adequacy.

GoT's trophy cabinet is rather full, with the show having already notched up multiple Golden Globes, Emmies and Hugo Awards, amongst others. Congratulations to the team for their success.

GAME OF THRONES nominated for two BAFTAs

Game of Thrones has been nominated for two BAFTA television awards.

The show has been nominated in the category of Best International Series, where it faces stiff competition from The Bridge, Homeland and Girls. It has also been nominated for the Radio Times Audience Award, where it will face Call the Midwife, The Great British Bake-Off, Strictly Come Dancing, Homeland (again) and - the almost certain victor - the Olympic Games 2012 Opening Ceremony.

The Audience Award is open for voting by the general public. You can vote here, but the vote is only open to UK residents.

The awards will be handed out on 12 May. It remains to be seen if the show can bring home some BAFTAs to add to its eight Emmy Awards (six Creative Arts, two 'normal'), one Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, one Peabody, one Hugo and two Television Critics Association Awards.

Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin has confirmed that the fan-favourite character of Strong Belwas from the novels has been cut from the TV series. Changes made for the third season, most notably at the end of the first episode, rendered the reasons for him being in the show moot. Sad news, but cast compression on a project this size is unavoidable (and I very much doubt it's the last time it'll happen).