The highly anticipated BAFTA Awards, known for showcasing exceptional talent in the world of film, will be approaching us soon. However, this year, there's a twist. The final four categories of the BAFTA Awards will not be streamed live. As confirmed by the producers, the star-studded ceremony will be broadcast as-live on the BBC but with a two-hour delay. This means that audiences at home will have to wait a bit before witnessing the winners in these prestigious categories.
Hosted by former Doctor Who actor David Tennant, the BAFTA Awards will be condensed into a 120-minute runtime. The footage will be edited down by an hour to ensure a seamless and captivating viewing experience for the audience. For those unable to catch the live broadcast, the ceremony will also be available for streaming on the BBC's iPlayer and internationally on BritBox.
It's worth noting that last year, the BAFTA Awards took a different approach. The show ran with the expected two-hour delay, but the final four categories were broadcast live. Viewers were able to witness the excitement in real time as deserving winners were revealed. Austin Butler was honored as the best actor for his role in 'Elvis,' Cate Blanchett received the best actress award for 'Tar,' Emma Mackey won the Rising Star award, and 'All Quiet on the Western Front' was crowned as the best film.
When asked about the decision to change the format, BAFTA Awards director Emma Baehr explained, 'Every year we look at the show differently. We've tried lots of different things. Last year we went live… We're not going to be doing that this year. We tried it. It was good at the time, but it didn't add any more than what we needed.'
Despite the delay in streaming, last year's BAFTA ceremony witnessed record-high ratings, with an average of nearly 4 million viewers, the highest since 2019. It also had its fair share of viral moments, including a mix-up announcement of the best supporting actress award and a rap by Ariana DeBose that quickly went viral. Furthermore, the decision to cut a politically charged statement by best comedy actress winner Siobhan McSweeney from the BBC's broadcast caused some controversy online.
Lee Connolly, the creative director of production company Penny Lane Entertainment, who is responsible for producing the awards show, highlighted the uniqueness of the live experience within the venue. 'In effect it is live,' he said. 'Just because we're a couple of hours ahead of time, you can't change anything, you can't stop, you can't reset. And we would never do that anyway because you don't want anybody in the room, in the audience, to feel as though they're making a TV show. They're not, they're there to enjoy an awards ceremony. And it's our job to then take that and make that feel that it's for the viewer.'
Mark your calendars for February 18th, when the BAFTA Film Awards will take place at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall in London. While the final four categories may not be streamed live, rest assured that the prestigious awards and the celebration of exceptional talent in the world of film will be a captivating experience for all those who tune in.
