I really feel for the judges in this years British Comedy Awards, which take place Friday, 16 December, at Wembley’s Fountain Studios. Not only have there been some great comedies nominated this past year which, ultimately, are all competing against other, but there is a stellar group of comedic actors and actresses pitted against each other for the likes of Best Comedy Actor and Actress, Best Male and Female TV Comic andBest Comedy Entertainment Personality. No envy here trying to determine a winner in the Best Sitcom category when you have Miranda up against Twenty Twelve, starring Hugh Bonneville or in the Best New Comedy category which pits Twenty Twelve against Spy, starring Darren Boyd and Robert Lindsay.

Hosted by Jonathan Ross, the annual ceremony will be telecast live on Channel 4 in the UK at 9:00pm. Should you attempt to play along at home with the judges, wherever you are, here is a full list of nominees in all 17 categories.

In addition to the announced awards, the public will, again, have the opportunity to be a part of the festivities this year by voting for the King or Queen of Comedy Award via an American Idol-ish public telephone poll with nominees selected by the British Comedy Academy. To register your vote before Friday, here is a list of this years nominees with instructions of how to vote.

FYI, a programming update  for those playing along in the United States. Miranda will premiere on a number of public television stations (including KERA, Dallas/Fort Worth) beginning in January 2012. Hopefully, Twenty Twelve and Spy aren’t too far behind.