Lord of the Rings victorious at Golden Globes

The Return of the King was the big winner at this year's Golden Globes.

The third instalment in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy scooped a total of four gongs, including best film and best director.

The film is now looking like a serious contender to clean up at this year's Oscars ceremony in February. The Academy Awards nominations are announced on Tuesday.

The Globes, awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, also honoured British comedy The Office with two awards for best actor - Ricky Gervais - and best comedy. Gervais made history by becoming the first British actor to win a TV comedy acting award at the Globes and The Office was the first British sitcom to win the best comedy prize.

"I'm not from these parts... I'm from a little place called England. We used to run the world before you," Gervais joked as he collected the award.

The spoof documentary triumphed over US comedy shows Sex and the City and Will and Grace, while Gervais beat Friends star Matt LeBlanc to the best comedy actor prize. Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker was named best comedy actress.

Peter Jackson won the best director prize over Clint Eastwood (Mystic River), Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain) and Peter Weir (Master and Commander).

Receiving the award, Jackson said: "I want to accept this award and pay tribute to Professor (JRR) Tolkien for his incredible book."

The Return of the King also beat Mystic River, Lost in Translation, Master and Commando and Cold Mountain to win the coveted best film award.

Comedy Lost in Translation won three awards, including best original screenplay for writer/director Sofia Coppola, best musical or comedy film and best comedy actor for Bill Murray's critically acclaimed performance as a faded star.

Sean Penn won the best actor gong for his performance of a bereaved father in Mystic River, beating off stiff competition from Jude Law (Cold Mountain) and Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai).

Charlize Theron won best actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, beating Nicole Kidman (Cold Mountain) and rising star Scarlett Johansson (Girl With a Pearl Earring).

Anthony Minghella's Civil War drama Cold Mountain had been nominated for eight awards but lost out on the night in the best director, film, actor and actress categories. However, Renee Zellweger, who plays Nicole Kidman's quirky friend in the film, took the best supporting actress prize.

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