So just what is a "rising star"? Probably last year McAvoy genuinely fitted the bill. Best known for TV's Shameless, he had just appeared in The Chronicles of Narnia and was about to film Starter for Ten, The Last King Of Scotland and Penelope. Murphy, however, had already established himself as a Hollywood name, following up his 2002 breakthrough appearance in 28 Days Later with impressive performances in Cold Mountain, Girl With A Pearl Earring and Red Eye, and a Golden Globe nomination for Breakfast On Pluto.

Last year's Batman Begins and The Wind That Shakes The Barleymerely confirmed his near A-list status.

Murphy's fellow nominees are hardly newcomers either. Naomie Harris co-starred with him in 28 Days Later and with McAvoy in TV's White Teeth, before hitting it big time with Miami Vice, After The Sunset and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

It could be argued that 2006 was a breakthrough year for Ben Wilshaw, playing the lead in Perfume but better known before that for stage work, and also for Eva Green, who made her debut in Bertolucci's 2005 The Dreamers and Kingdom Of Heaven but became a marquee name with Casino Royale. Emily Blunt has also confirmed the promise of My Summer of Love with an eye-catching supporting role in The Devil Wears Prada. But they could hardly be regarded as unknowns.

McAvoy argues that the award is "not best newcomer, this is for a body of work and for an actor who has managed to start creating a relationship with an audience". The fact that the award is the only Bafta voted for by the public is perhaps its problem.

To evoke a significant popular response the names of the nominees must necessarily be familiar to multiplex audiences. Yet the sort of emerging actor most likely to benefit from Bafta recognition is unlikely to have achieved such name recognition.

Like the Jameson Audience Awards at the annual European Academy Awards, the Orange Rising Star Award appeals to sponsors because it involves a public vote, but perhaps it would better serve upcoming actors by being voted for - as with all the other Bafta awards - from within the industry. Not that Cillian Murphy or this year's other nominees are likely to complain. A Bafta nomination of any kind is always welcome.

The Baftas are on 11 February. James McAvoy is interviewed on pages 12 and 13