Up for an Oscar: decorator who set scene for The King's Speech

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Set decorator Judy Farr is content to remain in the shadows while fellow nominees Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter soak up the limelight for the critically acclaimed film.

Mrs Farr, 49, who was nominated for best art direction with production designer Eve Stewart, today said she was "amazed" when she heard the news while working on the set for the second series of Downton Abbey at Ealing Studios.

"The people I'm working with made me put the computer on so we could all watch the nominations," she said. "You know when you're a little kid with the best party dress on? It was like that, it was amazing."

But while she is excited about buying a new outfit for the ceremony next month, the Oscar nominee admitted: "I'm very happy to be behind the scenes." Mrs Farr, who lives in Warwickshire with her furniture-designer husband Hilary Birkbeck, 56, has worked in set decorating for nearly 30 years on films including Bright Young Things, The Brothers Grimm and Eastern Promises.

She had "no idea" that The King's Speech, which led the pack with a dozen Academy Award nominations, would do so well. "We were all like: 'What? Really?' The film just seems to have run away. Everyone's so happy, it's amazing. People keep ringing me and saying they think I've got a chance of winning, but I don't know. A lot of the other films were more designer-y, this was more about period and locations."

Also nominated in Mrs Farr's category are Alice in Wonderland, Inception, True Grit and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony takes place on February 27.