Back in October 2007 when BioShock was crowned as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' game of the year, few thought that they would have to wait until March 10, 2009 to don their tuxedos and head back to see the industry gathered to celebrate at the UK's preeminent gaming awards, but wait they have had to. Thankfully that wait is almost up, with the 2009 ceremony now just less than two months away, and the Academy announced today that the ceremony will be hosted by TV comic Dara O'Briain.

　　Announcing the news, BAFTA chairman David Parfitt said, "We are thrilled that Dara is hosting the Awards this year because he ticks all the boxes--he is a real gamer and also incredibly funny. It will be a great night with Dara at the helm!" Dara himself, best known for his hosting of topical panel show Mock the Week on BBC2, unsurprisingly expressed his excitement at hosting the awards, describing the current time as "probably the greatest era in video game history."

　　There are 13 awards up for grabs on the night, including genre categories, a handheld gong--open to any game published on any handheld device--and trophies for best gameplay, artistic achievement, score, and more. Unlike many similar awards, the BAFTA Video Games Awards have no platform-specific categories, but the Academy will present a Gift of the Academy for "games or gaming technology worthy of special recognition," as well as its annual fellowship and the Ones to Watch award, which is the culmination of a search for top indie talent that kicked off at last year's Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment festival.

　　The news of O'Briain's hosting follows the announcement earlier this week that specialist retailer Game was to be the title sponsor, which gives the store the right to run the voting for the People's Choice Game of the Year award, the shortlist for which will be announced alongside the main nominations on February 10.