You won’t believe which film just won Best Picture at the 2023 Baftas – All Quiet on the Western Front shocks audiences!”
SEVEN AWARDS WERE AWARDED TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVIE, WITH CATE BLANCHETT AND AUSTIN BUTLER WINNING FOR THEIR LEAD PERFORMANCES.
The German-language All Quiet on the Western Front went into the ceremony with the most Bafta nominations (14), and it duly delivered, winning not only Best Film but also six other awards, including Best Director – a surprise result that saw several big names snubbed. Given the current conflict in Ukraine, its sentiment clearly resonated with voters.
Martin McDonagh’s Irish fable The Banshees of Inisherin won four awards (including Best Supporting Actor and Actress), as did Baz Luhrmann’s eye-popping biopic Elvis, which won Leading Actor for star Austin Butler. Cate Blanchett won the Leading Actress award for her powerful performance in Tár, beating out Michelle Yeoh in Everything, Everything, Everywhere.
Charlotte Wells received the Outstanding Debut Award for her stunning film Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal, while Emma Mackey received the Rising Star Award and Sandy Powell became the first costume designer to receive the Bafta Fellowship.
Richard E Grant hosted the ceremony, with Alison Hammond providing odd interview interludes. Ariana DeBose and Little Simz performed, and Helen Mirren paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. For the first time in three years, the Prince and Princess of Wales were present.
Here are the winners as they were announced.
9:01PM
And the award for Best Film goes to…All Quiet on the Western Front!
In the end, it wasn’t Banshees’ night.
According to Malte Grunert, the film‘s producer, “tells the story of young men who, influenced by right-wing nationalist propaganda, believe that going to war is an adventure. And war is not an exciting experience. When we decided to make this film, that seemed like a timely message 100 years after the book was published.”
Robbie states: “Wow! That record-breaking slate of nominations didn’t lie: Bafta adores All Quiet on the Western Front, and that love didn’t fade even in the final round of voting. Bafta has traditionally favoured foreign-language winners, but with six other wins, this feels like a landmark result – and, best of all, it throws the Oscar race into disarray.”
Malte Grunert, producer of All Quiet on the Western Front, and director Edward Berger accept one of several Baftas.
Malte Grunert, producer of All Quiet on the Western Front, and director Edward Berger accept one of several Baftas. CREDIT: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:52PM
Cate Blanchett is the winner. Blanchett wins another award for her outstanding performance as a leading conductor whose past actions catch up with her in the film Tár.
She calls this a “very dangerous, potentially career-ending undertaking” and hails it as “an extraordinary year for women.” She thanks her family, becoming emotional, and says that this film took her away “an enormous-alot,” laughing at her rare verbal slip. Finally, she expresses gratitude to director Todd Field, saying, “You have changed my life.”
Robbie states: “Much less tension in Best Actress, where Blanchett’s win was always a foregone conclusion – and rightly so, because her work in Tár is among the best in a career not short on high points. Michelle Yeoh, her only real competitor, has a better chance of winning the Oscars in three weeks.”
Cate Blanchet has won the Bafta for Best Leading Actress.
Cate Blanchet has won the Bafta for Best Leading Actress. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:46PM
Austin Butler is the winner. Leading Man
Julianne Moore bestows the Leading Actor Award on Elvis impersonator Austin Butler, who went so deep that he STILL speaks with that distinct drawl. “This is incredible. I’m trying to soak it all in and be fully present “Butler explains. Among many others, he thanks movement coach Polly Bennett (who also assisted Emma Corrin in her transformation into Princess Diana – read more about that here) and director Baz Luhrmann for his vision and dedication. Finally, he expresses gratitude to the Presley family, saying, “I hope I’ve made you proud.”
Robbie states: “Well! As much as I admired Butler’s performance in Elvis, I didn’t see that coming. It was an extremely competitive category, but the outpouring of support for Colin Farrell in recent days seemed to have sealed the deal. Is this the final crack in Banshees’ Best Picture hopes?”
Austin Butler wins the Bafta for Best Actor.
Austin Butler wins the Bafta for Best Actor. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:44PM
Emma Mackey is the recipient of the Rising Star Award.
True, she’s “a star in the making,” according to Robbie’s review of her Bronte film Emily.
Mackey, visibly stunned, delivers a mercifully brief speech: this live experiment will be fascinating, given that we’re only 15 minutes away from the end of the broadcast.
Robbie states: “Rising Star winners typically have a younger fanbase to thank – they’re the ones who cast the most votes for the night’s only audience-decided award – so perhaps Emma Mackey’s Sex Education fanbase got her through? Anyway, it’s a fantastic result for a young actress who feels like a big thing is about to happen: if you’re still not convinced, her outstanding lead performance in Frances O’Connor’s speculative Bront-sister biopic Emily should clear any doubts.”
Emma Mackey takes home the Rising Star Bafta.
Emma Mackey takes home the Rising Star Bafta. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:40PM
“Exciting news!” yelps Grant after an awkward pause as we return to the hall – and to live coverage. These next four awards will be given out in real time, so let’s hope no one swears…
8:36PM
All Quiet is a world record.
“Whether or not All Quiet goes on to win Best Film – and at this rate, it really could happen – its six awards this evening have already made it the most successful foreign-language film in Bafta history,” Robbie points out.
Of course, tracking this sweep is difficult because some of the film’s awards were not shown earlier and are now crammed into a confusing montage.
Check out our winners page if you want to know who won what (but beware of spoilers!).
8:35PM
And now…Little Simz takes the stage.
This entire evening has given me major whiplash. We’ve barely had time to digest that Best Director knockout before it’s over to rapper Little Simz for an entirely unrelated performance backed by Joan Armatrading.
Why? Have we been thrown into the multiverse of Everything Everywhere All At Once? Is Alison Hammond going to develop sausage fingers?
And, more seriously, does all of this come at the expense of multiple Bafta categories being cut from broadcast so Hammond can chirrup nonsense and Little Simz can…make us think we’re back at the Brits last week?
Yes, it appears that Hammond is introducing a recap of one of those snipped awards. Oh, and Geri Horner is on the couch to, what, offer her considered opinions on film? Thank you, God. There’s dumbing down and then there’s this complete inanity.
Little Simz gives a performance.
Little Simz gives a performance. PHOTO: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA
8:29PM
All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger is named Best Director.
Well! That’s the night’s first major surprise.
Robbie summarises: “Edward Berger winning Best Director is an extraordinary result in a category featuring such masters as Todd Field and Park Chan-wook – and, of course, Banshees’ McDonagh – and in which Steven Spielberg didn’t even make the cut. Could that mean it’s going to be All Quiet’s night in the end?”
Winner of the Baftas Berger, Edward
Edward Berger, a Bafta winner Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:23PM
The Banshees of Inisherin triumph. Excellent British Film
As Grant points out, Patrick Stewart has the ability to make science fiction sound like Shakespeare. He also manages to make a deeply boring intro sound almost insightful – true genius! He’s not so good with cues, however. “Is it me?” he asks at the end of the lengthy intro montage, perhaps transfixed by the end clip of Emma Thompson yelling, “It’s in my knickers!” (courtesy of Matilda the Musical).
In any case, Stewart bestows the Outstanding British Film award on The Banshees of Inisherin. It would have been nice to spread the love a little more (Banshees is cleaning up elsewhere), but this is unquestionably a triumph.
Martin McDonagh jokes that his Irish cast and crew members exclaimed, “Best WHAT Award?” when they learned it was up for a British award. His replacement donkey, Rosie, came from Stoke-on-Trent. Phew!
Patrick Stewart and Martin McDonagh
Patrick Stewart and Martin McDonagh 8:10PM CREDIT: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty
The fellowship has returned.
After the 2021 recipient, Noel Clarke, was accused of sexual harassment, the Baftas cancelled their fellowship last year. But now it’s back: Sandy Powell, a wonderful British costume designer, has already won three Oscars (from 15 nominations) for her work on Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, and The Young Victoria, as well as three Baftas (from 15 nominations again) for Velvet Goldmine, The Aviator, and The Favourite.
Cate Blanchett introduces a montage of her amazing work, with Martin Scorsese and Julianne Moore appearing to praise her. As she mentions in her gracious speech, she is the first costume designer to receive this honour, which she accepts on behalf of “my community.”
Sandy Powell and Cate Blanchett
Sandy Powell and Cate Blanchett TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock CREDIT
8:09PM
Best Visual Effects goes to Avatar: The Way of Water.
It’s fair to say Robbie wasn’t a fan of the film – “like being waterboarded with turquoise cement”.
What were your thoughts? Please let us know in the comments!
8:03PM
‘It was difficult not to cry,’ says Helen Mirren, when asked about paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. “I’m an Elizabethan – she was there my whole life,” Mirren says.
“There hadn’t been that kind of film about her and her life before,” Mirren recalls of The Queen. “It was risky because we didn’t know how the public would react. I believe it stems from a desire not to let her down.”
Helen Mirren converses with Alison Hammond
Helen Mirren converses with Alison Hammond Antony Jones/BAFTA/Getty Images
8:01PM
The Banshees of Inisherin triumph. Screenplay written by the author
Brian Cox and Hayley Atwell play good presenter/bad presenter, with the Succession star playing it nice. They also include a Method actor joke (presumably at the expense of his fellow Succession actor Jeremy Strong).
In any case, they award a screenplay award to Banshees writer Martin McDonagh, who jokes that Barry Keoghan told him he was on his list of the top 50 directors he wanted to work with.
7:57PM
Pinocchio, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, is named Best Animated Film.
The director thanks the Baftas for allowing the film to compete in other categories, emphasising that animation isn’t just for kids: it’s art for everyone.
Robbie states: “Guillermo Del Toro and his collaborators are overjoyed, because their stop-motion Pinocchio is clearly a film that takes the deep artistic potential of animation very seriously, which cannot be said for all of its fellow contenders (COUGHPussinBootsCOUGH). When it comes to voting against Disney/Pixar hegemony, Bafta often has more guts than Oscar, but with the behemoth’s two big 2022 theatrical releases, Lightyear and Strange World, both (rightly) absent from the nominations list, its path to victory felt pretty smooth.”
Guillermo del Toro receives a Bafta nomination.
Guillermo del Toro receives a Bafta nomination. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
7:53PM
Returning to This Morning With Alison Hammond.
I can’t emphasise how bizarre this is. When we walk over to Hammond’s airless sofa pod, we lose all of the atmosphere and tension of a live ceremony.
Robbie complains: “Once again, Hammond! Getting Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan to reminisce about when they both won Baftas four minutes ago.”
7:49PM
Aftersun wins Best British Debut.
“Everyone in show business has the same Netflix account,” Jamie Lee Curtis jokes before pretending to hand out the password. Unfortunately, the best jokes have come from the award presenters rather than Grant.
Charlotte Wells receives the well-deserved award for Outstanding British Debut for her stunning film Aftersun. She describes it as a eulogy to her father and adds that the award is for her mother – “literally because I overpacked.”
Robbie states: “And one of the evening’s few dead certs lands with that. Everyone adores Aftersun, and for good reason: it’s endlessly charming, critically acclaimed, and a serious commercial success (£1 million for an independent debut is enormous). After all of this praise, you have to wonder how Scottish writer-director Charlotte Wells will follow it up.”
Charlotte Wells is a Bafta winner.
Charlotte Wells is a Bafta winner. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
7:45PM
Best Cinematography goes to All Quiet on the Western Front.
Cynthia Erivo and Eugene Levy provided some amusing schtick.
Robbie is perplexed: “Will there be a joint sweep? All Quiet on the Western Front Best Film Best Cinematography and Barry Keoghan Best Supporting Actor keep the tally at two all.”
7:39PM
Now it’s over to Alison.
The BBC interrupts the live ceremony to present a bizarre chat show-style double interview with Emma Thompson and Elvis impersonator Austin Butler. It’s…fine, but it’s pure breakfast television fluff. Is this truly intended to add value for viewers? Strange to say the least.
7:36PM
Barry Keoghan takes home the award for Best Supporting Actor.
Another victory for Inisherin’s Banshees! He rattles through his list of gratitude, which includes his young son, and dedicates the award to the children with dreams from the area he came from.
Barry Keoghan receives his Bafta.
Barry Keoghan receives his Bafta. CREDIT: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
7:33PM
Helen Mirren honours Queen Elizabeth II
Helen Mirren’s tribute to the late Queen Queen Elizabeth II was beautiful. “At its best, cinema does what Her Majesty did so effortlessly: it brings us together.” “On behalf of Bafta, thank you for all you have done for our film and television industry,” she adds.
It was also moving to see a clip of the Queen accepting her honorary Bafta from Elton John. But did we really need gloopy piano music to drown out everything?
Helen Mirren attended the Baftas.
Helen Mirren attended the Baftas. Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
7:29PM
Kerry Condon takes home the award for Best Supporting Actress.
Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, winner of the 2022 Bafta for CODA, pulls off a rather brilliant sausage finger joke that references both Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Banshees of Inisherin – while causing Bafta producers to panic for a moment as it appears to drift into risqué territory.
For the latter, he bestows the Best Supporting Actress Award on Kerry Condon. She expresses gratitude to Martin McDonagh and says the film makes her proud to be an Irishwoman.
“Kerry Condon winning Best Supporting Actress bodes well for the previously mentioned Banshees sweep: it’s one for one so far, with nine results yet to be announced,” Robbie says.
Kerry Condon wins the Bafta for Best Supporting Actress.
Kerry Condon wins the Bafta for Best Supporting Actress. CREDIT: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images
7:21PM
All Quiet on the Western Front is the EGOT winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. Viola Davis is our first presenter, bestowing the screenplay award on the critically acclaimed anti-war film.
Robbie states: “The night’s first award surprised me, but it confirms the overwhelming support for Edward Berger’s film from the Bafta membership. Other than Banshees, it’s the only other contender capable of pulling off a sweep tonight, so this is exactly the start to the evening Netflix will have been hoping for.”
7:16PM
Alison Hammond has landed \s”I feel like a competition winner!” crows the This Morning presenter. Er, quite.
Robbie says: “And there’s the one time we were guaranteed to hear from Empire of Light tonight: a clip from Toby Jones’s magic-of-cinema monologue at the start of the opening montage.”
7:14PM
Ariana DeBose raps the nominees
Who look…distinctly underwhelmed. The West Side Story star is a phenomenal musical performer; unfortunately, this performance (which includes random blasts of We Are Family) is a bizarre waste of her. It’s more like hen party karaoke than primetime awards. Bring back Bassey, I say…
Ariana DeBose at the Baftas 2023
Ariana DeBose at the Baftas 2023 CREDIT: Kate Green/BAFTA
7:12PM
Grant makes a Will Smith joke
The host begins by thanking Daniel Day-Lewis, who turned down his role in Withnail and I. “A real Sliding Doors moment,” quips Grant, who then whips out his resumé. His favourite film tonight? “Whichever one you made, which touched me more than all the rest.” Ha, that’s more like it: we could use a touch of luvvie-skewering; the tone otherwise is rather sweetly earnest, which might begin to grate.
Grant then makes the requisite Will Smith joke. “Nobody on my watch gets slapped tonight!” he proclaims, before playfully slapping his own cheeks.
7:08PM
And we’re off!
Richard E Grant’s hosting stint begins with a pre-recorded skit in which he seeks advice from veteran Steve Martin – which rather falls flat. Much more successful is his fabulous entrance in a flowy cape: somewhere between a Jedi and the Phantom of the Opera.
Richard E Grant at the Baftas
Richard E Grant at the Baftas CREDIT: Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty \s7:01PM
Stars of tomorrow
There’s some seriously exciting talent in the Rising Star category, including Emma Mackey of raunchy Netflix series Sex Education, now taking to the big screen as the luminous star of Brontë biopic Emily. Read our interview with Mackey here.
There’s also Sheila Atim, renowned for her stage roles (she’s already racked up two Olivier Awards), and impressive in The Woman King; Naomi Ackie, star of the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody; Daryl McCormack, charming scene partner to Emma Thompson in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; and Aimee Lou Wood, also of Sex Education, and now co-starring with Bill Nighy in Living (plus she’s the new Sally Bowles in the West End’s Cabaret).
Emma Mackey on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Emma Mackey on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty
6:54PM
The puppet versus the shell
It’s a rather peculiar field for Best Animated Film this year. Pixar is in the mix, for Turning Red, but not expected to win; nor is Dreamworks for sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Instead, there’s a groundswell of support for whimsical stop-motion animation Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – originally a web series, and now, improbably, featuring the voice of Isabella Rossellini (read our interview with her here) (read our interview with her here).
But the probable winner is another stop-motion movie, Pinocchio, from Bafta and Oscar-garlanded filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. As he explained to Robbie, there’s nothing cuddly about his version – it’s actually about difficult father-son relationships and the rise of fascism. Read more of their fascinating chat here.
Guillermo del Toro with Kim Morgan – and Pinocchio – on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Guillermo del Toro with Kim Morgan – and Pinocchio – on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
6:49PM
The sound of music
As well as presenting an award, Ariana DeBose will be performing at the ceremony – as will rapper Little Simz. Her 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert won numerous awards, including the Mercury Prize. It’s a very different choice to 2022’s musical guest Shirley Bassey, and suggests the Baftas are once again (fruitlessly, one imagines) chasing younger viewers.
Mind, Bassey belting out Diamonds Are Forever was easily one of the highlights of last year’s ceremony. That’s a big act to follow…
Ariana DeBose on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Ariana DeBose on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty
6:45PM
Want to follow the awards live?
Just a reminder that we’re sticking with the BBC broadcast timings on the blog – which means a slight delay. But they’ve started handing out gongs in the Festival Hall: if you want to see who’s already won a trophy, head over to our winners page, which has all the live updates.
6:44PM
Celebrity spotting
As well as all nominees, who else is strutting their stuff on the red carpet? Well, category presenters include Anya Taylor-Joy, Taron Egerton, Rami Malek, Regé-Jean Page, Brian Cox, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jamie Dornan, Cynthia Erivo, Julianne Moore, Lily James, Sophie Turner, Eugene Levy, Lashana Lynch, and Sir Patrick Stewart.
We’ll also see last year’s Best Supporting Actor and Actress winners – Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose, for, respectively, CODA and West Side Story – return to present awards to the 2023 recipients.
Here’s Taylor-Joy rocking a cape. I don’t know why, but I’m suddenly craving Ferrero Rocher…
Anya Taylor-Joy on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Anya Taylor-Joy on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty
6:36PM
Best of British
And what about the contenders for Outstanding British Film? Leading the pack is surely Charlotte Wells for her gorgeously crafted Aftersun (read all about how she made the film here) (read all about how she made the film here). Banshees is also nominated, as are Sam Mendes’s semi-autobiographical Empire of Light, Bill Nighy vehicle Living, stage-to-screen adaptation Matilda the Musical, gentle sex comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, quirky robot yarn Brian and Charles, murder mystery romp See How They Run, astonishing real-life tale The Swimmers, and rich period drama The Wonder. Talk about variety.
A couple of those (Aftersun and Good Luck…) also crop up in the outstanding British debut category, along with LGBTQ+ drama Blue Jean, Extinction Rebellion documentary Rebellion, and Electric Malady, about a man with electrosensitivity. If Aftersun misses out in the former category, it should by rights triumph here.
Paul Mescal, star of Aftersun, on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Paul Mescal, star of Aftersun, on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
6:30PM
Strong support
Banshees might well score in the supporting categories too, with Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon all in the running, while Everything… has Ke Huy Quan (another great comeback story) and Jamie Lee Curtis in contention.
Eddie Redmayne is also in the mix for The Good Nurse, as is Carey Mulligan for Harvey Weinstein takedown She Said, and Dolly de Leon for the scorching satire Triangle of Sadness. Or might Angela Bassett make history for Marvel by becoming the first to win a major acting award, for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Who’s your favourite? Please let us know in the comments!
Angela Bassett on the Baftas 2023 red carpet
Angela Bassett on the Baftas 2023 red carpet CREDIT: Iona Wolff/BAFTA via Getty
6:26PM
Who’s bagging those acting trophies?
Best Actor could really go anywhere. Colin Farrell probably has the edge for his endearing turn in Banshees, but don’t discount Brendan Fraser’s transformational comeback in The Whale (which he discusses with Robbie here) or Austin Butler’s uncanny Elvis. We could even see star-on-the-rise Paul Mescal sneak in with Aftersun, or a veteran win for Bill Nighy in Living. Interestingly, all of them are first-time nominees.
Best Actress is likely more of a two-horse race, between Cate Blanchett (Tár) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything…) – or conducting versus kung fu. But there was fine work too from Emma Thompson in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Danielle Deadwyler in Till, Viola Davis in The Woman King, and Ana de Arnas in the otherwise derided Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde.
Cate Blanchett on the Baftas red carpet
Cate Blanchett on the Baftas red carpet CREDIT: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
6:19PM
All bets are off this year
Our esteemed film critic Robbie Collin muses: “This is an especially exciting year for the Baftas because they’ve been unusually tricky to predict. At the last few ceremonies, solid frontrunners had emerged in most categories by now, but while I’ve suspected for a few weeks that a Banshees of Inisherin sweep is in store (it’s widely loved, commercially successful, and feels more local and Britishly level-headed than the current, more manic Oscar favourite, Everything Everywhere All at Once), almost none of the prizes feel like foregone conclusions.”
Michelle Yeoh, nominated for Everything Everywhere All At Once, on the Baftas red carpet
Michelle Yeoh, nominated for Everything Everywhere All At Once, on the Baftas red carpet CREDIT: ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty
6:16PM
So, who’s up for Best Film?
The Baftas have nominated 45 films in total this year – and it’s an eclectic quintet in the running for that climactic trophy. We’ve got the German-language All Quiet on the Western Front, which leads the pack with a surprising 14 nominations (tying the record, set by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for the most-nominated non-English-language film in Bafta history) (tying the record, set by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for the most-nominated non-English-language film in Bafta history). Parallels with the war in Ukraine may have boosted its chances, as Colin Freeman explains here.
There’s also Baz Luhrmann’s liberty-taking biopic Elvis (9 nominations), and Todd Field’s cerebral psychodrama Tár (5 nominations) – but their chances lie more in the lead performances by Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett respectively. We could see the brilliant multiverse immigrant family drama Everything Everywhere All At Once (10 nominations) sneak through, but most likely, says the Telegraph’s film critic Robbie Collin, is that this will be a big night for Martin McDonagh’s tragicomic gem The Banshees of Inisherin (also 10 nominations) (also 10 nominations).
You can read all of Robbie’s predictions here. And let us know in the comments who has your vote!
Brendan Gleeson, Martin McDonagh, Kerry Condon, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan, of The Banshees of Inisherin, on the Baftas red carpet
Brendan Gleeson, Martin McDonagh, Kerry Condon, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan, of The Banshees of Inisherin, on the Baftas red carpet CREDIT: Dave Benett/Getty
6:10PM
By royal appointment
Let’s hope everyone is on their best behaviour. The Prince and Princess of Wales are in attendance tonight, after missing the past couple of years. Prince William is of course president of Bafta. We understand the royal couple will be in the audience for the ceremony, and will then then congratulate the winners afterwards.
Plus Helen Mirren will be leading the Baftas’ tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. Mirren famously played the monarch in movie The Queen, for which she won a Bafta and an Oscar for Best Actress, and also on stage in The Audience, netting her Tony and Olivier Awards. The late Queen was a tireless supporter of the Baftas, and received an honorary Bafta herself in 2013.
The Prince and Princess of Wales on the Baftas red carpet
The Prince and Princess of Wales on the Baftas red carpet CREDIT: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
6:04PM
Unleash Alison Hammond
Well this could be a recipe for chaos. For the 2023 broadcast, the Baftas are also introducing a so-called “Strictly-style” interview area, hosted live by This Morning’s Alison Hammond. Does that mean Colin Farrell will be questioned about his fake tan regimen or asked to perform a Couple’s Choice routine with Jenny the donkey? Will Steven Spielberg be made to do his serious tango face? We can but hope.
6:02PM
We’ve gone on holiday by mistake
Yes, Withnail and I’s Richard E Grant is this year’s master of ceremonies – and has promised to set a “celebratory” tone. Grant was up for a Bafta himself in 2019 for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and has most recently played a drag queen in musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and preening snob Sir Walter Elliott in the irritating fourth-wall-breaking Netflix version of Persuasion. No Fleabagging tonight, please.
Read more about how Grant went from Hollywood traitor to national treasure here.
Richard E Grant at the 2023 Baftas
Richard E Grant at the 2023 Baftas CREDIT: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
5:57PM
We’ve moved to the South Bank
This year, the celebrity-packed ceremony is coming to us not from the Royal Albert Hall, but from the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre – so expect some lovely river views and copious shots of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Basically, the version of London you get in every Hollywood movie.
