Richard Ayoade is set to host the BAFTAs on Sunday, May 8 from the Royal Festival Hall in London. With a galaxy of stars anticipated to attend, the talents of some of the British television industry's biggest names will be celebrated throughout the glitzy ceremony.
Since the first BAFTAs took place back in 1948, scores of memorable moments have taken place both on the red carpet and on stage. Various generations of stars have been cheered on by audiences watching along at home as they collect their star-studded accolades, but not everything goes to plan.
Sometimes, those watching from the audience in London and viewers at home are treated to slip-ups from stars who mess up their speeches, unexpected guests and general iconic moments. Here are just some fan favourite moments from both the film and television awards that have graced our screens over the years.
Babe the Pig attends the 1996 BAFTAs
The 1995 family favourite film Babe was up for four BAFTAs at the 1996 ceremony. And, just like any other star of the hour should, Babe the pig showed up at the ceremony to collect her awards herself.
Sadly, the film and its stars were left empty handed, but audiences at home were certainly delighted to see a pig sat amongst a sea of stars. Although, it is not known which Babe attended the award ceremony, as 48 purebred Large White Yorkshire pigs were cast to play the lead role. You can see Babe at the ceremony in the clip down below.
Meryl Streep's tongue slip in 2003
On behalf of Charlie Kaufman and his fictional brother Donald, acclaimed actress Meryl Streep took to the stage at the 2003 BAFTAs to pick up the award for Adapted Screenplay for Adaption. As she read Kaufman's speech out to the tickled crowd, Meryl unfortunately suffered a slip up, as she accidentally declared, 'I would like to spank' rather than 'I would like to thank' on his behalf, causing the audience to erupt with even more laughter.
Prince William calls Dame Helen Mirren 'granny'
In 2014, President of BAFTA Prince William had the duty of awarding Dame Helen Mirren an academy fellowship alongside actor Jeremy Irons. Back in 2006, Mirren had famously won a BAFTA for her performance as William's grandmother in The Queen, which is something William touched on when awarding the Dame.
The then-31 year old Prince quipped that Mirren 'should probably be called Granny', before going on to praise her for her 'outstanding, exceptional contribution to the film'. The pair had not met prior to this, with Mirren later saying that 'it was a great honour' to receive the award from William, who she described as 'really very sweet and very charming'.
Meryl Streep has a Cinderella moment on stage
Thankfully for Meryl, her unfortunate speech blunder is not the BAFTAs moment a lot of people remember her for. In 2012, shortly after receiving her second BAFTA for her performance in The Iron Lady, Meryl stepped up onto the podium - but not without having her very own Cinderella moment first.
After losing it on her way to collect her award, Colin Firth rushed to retrieve Meryl's black stiletto to slip it back onto her foot before being rewarded with a kiss from his Mamma Mia! co-star for his chivalry.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's matching tuxedos
Angelina Jolie has pulled off some iconic red carpet looks over the years, and could arguably wear a bin bag and still look amazing. But her decision in 2014 to wear a black tuxedo to the BAFTAs certainly wowed her peers and those watching the red carpet activity from home.
Matching with her then-husband Brad Pitt, it was argued that Angelina actually wore her unisex Saint Laurent ensemble better than her partner wore his Valentino suit. It is considered one of the most popular red carpet looks the BAFTAs has seen to date.
Daisy May Cooper wears a bin bag
Speaking of bin bags, one star did wear a literal bin bag to the 2019 ceremony. This Country star Daisy May Cooper donned a rubbish dress, made by her mother and her friends with black bin liners, complete with a trail of discarded items - a Screwfix catalogue, Pepsi cans, and the cardboard box from a fajita kit - and an equally rubbish hat.
Daisy's reasoning for wearing such an unexpected yet iconic dress was simple yet inspiring. She said at the time: "If I wore a normal dress, that would have cost a lot of money and I thought I’d donate that money to a local food bank and wear bin bags instead."
Leonardo DiCaprio and Dame Maggie Smith share a kiss
In celebration of the 2016 event taking place on Valentine's Day, Stephen Fry, who fronted the BAFTAs for a number of years, decided to incorporate a kiss cam into the event. For those who are not clued up, kiss cams are popular at American sporting events: a camera pans through the audience and if it lands on two people, then they have to kiss.
Whilst some celebrities declined to participate in the fun, others were happy to get involved. Perhaps the most entertaining moment of the evening was when the camera landed on Dame Maggie Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio, who shared a kiss twice that night.
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