TV Baftas set for Olympic battle between Opening Ceremony, Strictly and Great British Bake

Judge Paul Hollywood from the BBC's Great British Bake Off (PA)

The Olympic Opening Ceremony will go head-to-head with Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off at the TV Baftas.

All three shows have been nominated for a major gong, the Radio Times Audience Award, to be presented at the awards ceremony in May.

They also compete against hit BBC1 period drama Call The Midwife, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, US Sky Atlantic fantasy series Game Of Thrones and Channel 4 thriller Homeland, starring British actor Damian Lewis and Claire Danes.

Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle created the spectacular opening ceremony for London 2012, referencing everything from the NHS and the industrial revolution to the British countryside.

The four-hour show, which featured the Queen meeting James Bond, attracted nearly 27 million viewers at its peak on BBC1.

The tenth series of BBC1 hit Strictly, which saw Olympic gymnast Louis Smith lift the Glitterball Trophy, featured new judge Darcey Bussell replacing Alesha Dixon and dealt a blow to ITV's X Factor in the ratings.

The Great British Bake Off, starring Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, has been an unlikely hit on BBC2, sparking a craze in baking.

Viewers can vote for the winner before the award is announced at a BBC1 ceremony hosted by Graham Norton.

Bafta chief executive Amanda Berry said: "The variety of programmes nominated for this year's Radio Times Audience Award reflects the increasing diversity of tastes among British viewers."

Radio Times editor Ben Preston added: "It's a shortlist which perfectly captures a simply sensational television year - from Danny Boyle's Olympic Opening night extravaganza to a vintage Strictly and a monster hit like Call The Midwife, there's something for everyone.

"This is a shortlist to savour and squabble over - and now it is up to the viewers to decide the winner."

The gong, awarded from a shortlist compiled by entertainment and media journalists, will be presented at the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall in London, on May 12.

Vote for the Radio Times Audience Award at www.RadioTimes.com/bafta

The shortlist:

Call The Midwife (BBC1)

Game Of Thrones (Sky Atlantic)

The Great British Bake Off (BBC2)

Homeland (Channel 4)

Olympic Opening Ceremony (BBC1)

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1)

PA