Colin Firth and Ricky Gervais shine at the Globes

Colin Firth took home a Best Actor award in a great night for British talent at the Golden Globe Awards in LA.

Firth won for his performance as King George VI in The King's Speech, although the seven-time nominated historical drama failed to win any other awards.

Colin Firth's victory puts him in pole position for an Oscar, but the 50-year-old actor seemed more grateful the award would help stave off a mid-life crisis.

"Right now this is all that stands between me and a Harley Davidson", he joked in his acceptance speech.

The biggest winner on the night was The Social Network, David Fincher's film about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, which won four awards including Best Film Drama.

Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan, Toy Story 3 won Best Animated Feature and Glee won best comedy or musical TV series.

Host Ricky Gervais lived up to his controversial reputation, taking swipes at a range of celebrity targets including Charlie Sheen and Hugh Hefner.