David Tennant, Tom Hollander and Chris Chibnall praise Olivia Colman ahead of Oscars 2021

The former Peep Show star kept us entertained in comedy roles for years before her dramatic prowess was spotted. But success in TV dramas like Broadchurch was just a stepping stone to international acclaim, and her role opposite Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz in The Favourite earned her an Oscar in 2019.

Now, just two years later, she is nominated again for The Father, the film that sees her share the screen with legend Anthony Hopkins. But will she have the opportunity to make another of her famous acceptance speeches?

Some of Colman's showbiz friends have been speaking to Radio Times magazine about the possibility of her bringing home a second Academy Award in amongst chatter about the Oscars 2021 winner predictions.

Tom Hollander, who worked with Colman on Rev and The Night Manager, is full of praise for her talents. "It comes very easily to her," he says. "She’s so talented and there’s no process - she just has a go and most of the time it’s brilliant. I remember thinking, ‘This is the best actor I’ve ever performed with.’

"Her face can communicate comedy and tragedy equally strongly, which is unusual. The Favourite was the perfect tone for her because the world it creates is very contemporary and irreverent, yet it’s a high-stakes drama with kings and queens.”

Meanwhile, Chris Chibnall, who wrote Broadchurch before working on Doctor Who, always thought she should clear a space for another Oscar. “I don’t think any of us were surprised at the second nomination,” he says. “Look at what she’s done, and the characters she’s played. I was blown away by watching her in The Father – the precision, the heartbreak, the ambiguity.'

David Tennant, who starred opposite Colman in Broadchurch, says she's likely to celebrate with a couple of bevvies if she wins... "She’s a devil," he says. "On Broadchurch she was always trying to get us to go out and get drunk while I was always keen to get home early and make a cup of tea!"

Colman is once again up against Glenn Close (for Hillbilly Elegy), who she beat in 2019 before apologising as part of her acceptance speech. The other performers in this year's Supporting Actress category are Amanda Seyfried for Mank, Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and Youn Yuh-jung for Minari.

For full analysis of Colman's chances at this year's Oscars, check out the latest issue of Radio Times magazine, available tomorrow.

Coverage of this year's Academy Awards starts at midnight on Monday morning on Sky Cinema Oscars. If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.