It’s honestly so easy to forget the BAFTAs are even on when you’re in Australia. They start at what feels like 4am (they start at 6am), they clash with breakfast TV, and by the time anyone’s fully awake, Emma Stone’s already crying, Prince William’s shaking hands, and Twitter’s arguing about who got snubbed.
But this year’s ceremony was worth a double‑take because Alan Cumming turned the whole thing into a weirdly wholesome fever dream, complete with audience snacks, celebrity heckles, and a bear on the red carpet.
Here’s all the moments you may have missed from the 2026 BAFTAs.
Alan Cumming’s opening monologue had everyone screaming (literally)
Cumming’s opening speech was interesting to say the least, but his heart was in the right place. “Watching the films this year was like taking part in a collective nervous breakdown,” he said, before rattling through the bleak but brilliant nominees: Hamnet, Sinners, and Marty Supreme.
Then he pivoted to Zootropolis 2 of all things. “Do you know the plot of Zootropolis 2?” he asked the crowd.
“Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race. Too soon, Disney. Come on, people. Cut us some slack here. Whatever happened to escapism? I’m exhausted. It’s almost as though, I don’t know, there are events going on in the real world that are influencing filmmakers. Anyone know what I’m talking about? No? Ring any bells for you Americans in particular?”
He finished by asking the crowd for “one big collective primal scream”. I’m not going to lie, hardly anyone screamed and it was a little awkward. I honestly expected better from a bunch of theatre kids.
Alan Cumming addressed the shouting in the room at the BAFTAs
Things got unexpectedly serious early on when Cumming addressed the room after some strong language was heard coming from the audience. The sounds came from John Davidson, the Scottish campaigner whose life with Tourette’s syndrome inspired the film I Swear, starring Robert Aramayo.
According to Variety, Davidson shouted “shut the fuck up”and “fuck you” during an introductory speech and then later the n-word when Michael B, Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash.
“You may have heard some strong offensive language tonight,” Cumming told the crowd. “But if you’ve seen the film I Swear, it’s about the experience of a person with Tourette’s syndrome. It is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary — that means the person who has Tourette’s syndrome has no control over their language, and we apologise if it has caused offence.”
Davidson was in the audience as Aramayo, who plays him on screen, picked up the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Paul Mescal caught red-handed
Then things inevitably swerved back to chaos. At one point, Cumming spotted Paul Mescal on his phone mid-ceremony and called him out on the spot
He later called Mescal out for being “younger” than him and brought the whole bit back again many times throughout the show.
(Image: BBC)
Timothée Chalamet also got caught on his phone with his own meme
Paul wasn’t the only one glued to his screen. Timothée Chalamet star was sent multiple messages by a friend according to the Daily Mail and even received a meme of himself wearing the bold orange suit he donned at the premiere of his film Marty Supreme in Los Angeles in December. Timothée later scrolled through his iMessages while chatting to his partner Kylie Jenner, who wowed in a black gown with silver jewelled detailing on the front.
The billionaire make-up mogul decided to skip the BAFTAs red carpet and let Timothée bask in the spotlight by walking it alone, joining him inside instead.
The royals made a quiet comeback
Something that didn’t go unnoticed was Prince William and Kate Middleton making their first joint public appearance since former Prince Andrew’s investigation linked to Jeffrey Epstein hit headlines last week. They arrived right before the ceremony, unannounced, which is rare, and William presented the BAFTA Fellowship.
He told reporters he needed to be in “a calm state” before watching Hamnet, adding: “I’m not at the moment”.
Kate, on the other hand, had already seen it. She called it “really very very powerful”, praised its “fantastic” and “raw” score, and admitted it was “a very bad idea actually… ended up with very puffy eyes”.
It’s their first BAFTA appearance together since 2023, after Kate’s surgery and cancer treatment kept her away in previous years.
Paddington Bear ate up the red carpet (not literally)
The Paddington Bear showed up for the red carpet looking sharper than ever in his classic blue duffle coat and red felt hat. His claws were gleaming and his IRL eyes were incredibly unsettling. Genuinely can’t fault the look.
The icon graced the stage to present the Best Children’s & Family Film award which went to the Manipuri-language film, Boong.
“Mrs Brown says me giving this award is something of a first for BAFTA, the first bear to present a Bafta,” the bear said.
“I’m also the first presenter to get marmalade all over a BAFTA.
“I was going to lick it off, but apparently that is not very good manners.”
What can’t he do!!!
Snack sesh
Later, Cumming wandered through the stalls handing out snacks like a Scottish school mum: Emma Stone got Hula Hoops, Stormzy scored Skips, Timothée Chalamet got Scampi Fries, and Leonardo DiCaprio smiled through a flapjack. As someone who ALWAYS wonders about the food situation at awards shows, this tickled me and also concerned me that this was all the food they were getting at this shindig.
BAFTA wins and major losses
When it came time for the trophies, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another fought its way to six wins, including Best Film. Hamnet and Sinners also took home some major gongs.
Meanwhile, Marty Supreme made BAFTA history by tying the record for most losses ever, missing out on 11 awards, putting it in the company of Women in Love (1969) and Finding Neverland (2004). At this point, Timmy C might want to borrow Paddington’s lucky hat before the Oscars.
If you want to really delve back into all the madness, you can still watch the 2026 BAFTAs on HBO Max.
Image: Getty / BBC
The post Why Was There Shouting At The 2026 BAFTAs? 8 Moments You May Have Missed From The Show appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
