Golden Globes: Kate Winslet and Idris Elba among winners

High-class costume drama Downton Abbey was among a clutch of British winners at this year’s Golden Globes, scooping the award for best television mini series.

Titanic star Kate Winslet and London-born actor Idris Elba also bagged gongs.

Meryl Streep won best dramatic actress for her portrayal of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the film The Iron Lady.

And black-and-white silent film The Artist was the big winner of the night, winning best musical or comedy and best actor in a musical or comedy for Jean Dujardin.

Michelle Williams took the trophy for best actress in a comedy or musical with her role as Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn.

Family drama The Descendants claimed two awards, as best drama and dramatic actor for George Clooney. Clooney called the movie “a coming-of-age film for a 50-year-old and a lot of us have dealt with people like that.”

Woody Allen was given a Golden Globe for his screenplay Midnight in Paris and Steven Spielberg won best animated film with The Adventures of Tintin.

Ricky Gervais hosted the prestigious ceremony for a third consecutive year despite ruffling feathers at past shows with controversial gibes aimed at Hollywood’s elite. He seemed to tone down his close-to-the-knuckle jokes for the 69th annual Globes ceremony.

Downton Abbey has proved a huge success in the UK and its latest achievement showed it had also captivated audiences across the Atlantic.

Accepting the award, the show’s creator, Oscar winner Julian Fellowes, said: “The whole Downton adventure has been an extraordinary one. Like spotting a promising child and waking up to find they’ve have won the Olympics.”

Berkshire-born Winslet took best actress in a mini series for her performance in HBO’s Mildred Pierce, while Elba triumphed in the male version of the category, scooping best actor for his role in BBC One’s Luther.

Streep’s prize was her eighth win at the Globes. She had a difficult time reading her acceptance speech when she forgot her glasses. She said: “I gotta thank everybody in England that let me come and trample over their history.”

The awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are seen as a pointer for possible Oscar success.