Comedy show Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams

The UK has 17 of the 36 shortlisted programmes - the most of any country - including parenting series Supernanny and documentary John Peel's Record Box.

Imelda Staunton is in the running for best actress for her role in the BBC adaptation My Family and Other Animals.

Steven Spielberg will receive a special award at the ceremony on 20 November.

It will recognise "his long and distinguished career in television", the organisers have said.

Record nominations

Little Britain is listed in the comedy category, with Channel 4's The IT Crowd also nominated, alongside German series Paare and The Amateurs, from Brazil.

Germany and Brazil each received five nominations - a record for both countries.

Brazilian series Little Missy and Mandrake are up for best drama, a category which also features the BBC's Life on Mars and ITV1's Vincent.

INTERNATIONAL EMMY NOMINEES 17: UK 5: Brazil, Germany 3: France 2: Norway 1: China, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden

The country's sixth series of Big Brother is nominated in the non-scripted entertainment section, alongside Ramsay's show Kitchen Nightmares, Supernanny and German programme The Strict School of the Fifties.

German arts documentary Knowledge is the Beginning is shortlisted for best arts programme. BBC co-production Hiroshima is included in the documentary category alongside the UK's 9/11 The Falling Man and France's How Putin Came to Power.

Heike Makatsch will compete with Staunton, Maryam Hassouni from the Netherlands and Britain's Lucy Cohu for best actress.

Winstone - nominated for his role as a private investigator in Vincent - must beat Frenchman Bernard Farcy, Bernard Hill of Britain and China's Shen Lin to win best actor.