Is Bafta going Strictly Come Dancing? It may not be such a far-fetched idea, as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts gears up for its annual film awards on Sunday, when a portion of the show will be shown live on BBC One for the first time in a prime time early-evening slot. The awards show will have a new set of producers, a marketable host (actor Richard E Grant), a real-time celebrity interview studio hosted by This Morning’s Alison Hammond, and performances from popular music acts Ariana DeBose and Little Simz. The ceremony will also pack in plenty of big names, including Cate Blanchett, Cynthia Erivo, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rami Malek and Colin Farrell, while the Prince and Princess of Wales are to attend, after missing the 2022 edition, with Helen Mirren due to lead a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
The new format for the TV broadcast of the ceremony marks a significant change for Bafta, putting it on a par with its US counterparts the Oscars and the Golden Globes, which both boast moneyspinning live TV events which have long played a key role in the months-long “awards season” that is designed to boost interest in cinema’s creative and artistic aspects.
