The BAFTAs this year may have belonged to “One Battle After Another,” which won the prize for best film. But there were plenty of other notable moments during the ceremony on Sunday: The host Alan Cumming introduced Hollywood celebrities to British snacks, one of the major awards had a shock winner, and Prince William was in the audience just days after his uncle’s arrest on charges relating to the Epstein files. There was also an involuntary curse word controversy and a talking bear.
Here are the highs — and lows — of this year’s BAFTAs, as we saw them.
Best Bear
When BAFTA announced that one of the awards presenters at this year’s ceremony would be Paddington Bear — well, one of the performers portraying him in a West End musical — it was clear that the moment would be a highlight. He didn’t disappoint. Standing behind a tiny lectern, Paddington said that he was proud to be not only “the first ever bear to present an award” at the BAFTAs, but also the first “to get marmalade all over” the trophy he was about to hand out.
“I was going to lick it off, but apparently that’s not very good manners,” Paddington added.
The bear then struggled to open the envelop containing the winner of the best children’s and family film. “It’s not easy with paws,” he said.
Lakshmipriya Devi, the director of winner “Boong,” a coming-of-age drama set in India, then gave a serious speech about ethnic conflict in India. Paddington stood at her side, listening attentively and nodding away. — ALEX MARSHALL
Best Speech
Jessie Buckley must be getting used to giving award speeches for playing Agnes Shakespeare, the playwright’s wife, in “Hamnet.” She won the best actress prize at this year’s Golden Globes, and when she won the best actress BAFTA on Sunday, she came onstage without any prepared comments and instead gave the night’s most emotional and twisty speech, laughing at times and fighting back tears at others.
“This is nuts,” Buckley said with a wide smile before dedicating the award to “the women past, present and future that have taught me, and continue to teach me, how to do it differently.” That included the other nominated actresses, she said, though she almost forgot some of the names and had to ask the audience to remind her.
At one point, Buckley chastised herself for not bringing a written speech, and the audience shouted back in support. Compared to some of the winners reading from a sheet of paper, Buckley’s in-the-moment musings were strikingly passionate. — ELEANOR STANFORD
Most Persistent Interruptions
“I Swear,” a British movie based on the life of John Davidson, a campaigner for greater understanding around Tourette’s syndrome, was one of the big winners at this year’s BAFTAs. Davidson was in attendance on Sunday, and the host Alan Cumming warned near the beginning of the ceremony that this might lead to some interruptions.
It did indeed, with Davidson involuntarily shouting out a curse word immediately after a pre-broadcast warning that asked winning actors to please not swear during their speeches. Then, Davidson peppered the first part of the ceremony with other curse words and a racial slur.
Later in the ceremony, Cumming addressed Davidson’s interruptions again, explaining that Tourette’s is a disability and that Davidson’s tics were involuntary. “We apologize if you are offended tonight,” the host added.
The room greeted these interruptions with laughter or, occasionally, slightly stunned silence — especially when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage presenting an award and Davidson shouted the N-word. But it did underscore the significance of “I Swear” and its message to meet people with Tourette’s syndrome with empathy and understanding. — STANFORD
Biggest Award Shock
Although “One Battle After Another” won best film — echoing similar honors at this year’s Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice and Directors Guild of America awards — and Buckley was the preshow favorite for best actress, the best acting category winner was a complete surprise.
The nominees included Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”), Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”) and Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”), but the prize went to 33-year-old Robert Aramayo, the British star of “I Swear,” which is coming to U.S. theaters in April.
“Absolute madness,” Aramayo said onstage as his parents stood and roared their approval at his surprise win. Aramayo then told the audience that Ethan Hawke, another nominee in the category, for “Blue Moon,” had once visited his drama class. “So to be in this category with you tonight is incredible,” he said to Hawke, who covered his face with his hand and struggled not to cry. — MARSHALL
Best Snacks
Cumming, the Scottish star of the U.S. version of “The Traitors,” took awhile to warm up to his role as host, but he had one perfect moment while handing out snacks to hungry stars during the ceremony.
These were “very British snacks,” Cumming explained. To Timothée Chalamet, he handed scampi fries (a crunchy, fishy bite sold behind the bar at many British pubs) and to Rose Byrne he gave a packet of Twiglets (a yeasty British delicacy that looks like a knobbly stick).
When Cumming asked Kylie Jenner if she’d “ever had your gums around a giant Jammy Dodger” (a British sandwich biscuit) she looked a little concerned. DiCaprio, though, accepted an “Oaty Hobnob flapjack” with apparent enthusiasm: “Sounds fantastic,” he said on being offered the treat. The broadcast cameras didn’t show us whether he actually ate it. — MARSHALL
Worst Seating Plan
Pity the person tasked with figuring out the seating plan for the ceremony, which was held at the Royal Festival Hall on the banks of the Thames River in London. The best acting and directing nominees were seated close to the front for easy access to the stage (and roving cameras), but many of the less-recognizable winners were in the higher rows of the auditorium’s orchestra level and had to descend many steps to collect their trophies.
As a result, the applause for the winners of categories like best special visual effects, best short film and best costume design became a little lackluster in the intervening moments (though this was trimmed from the broadcast).
At the after-party, Dean Atta, the co-writer of “Two Black Boys in Paradise” — which won the award for best British short animation — said he didn’t mind being “in the double letter” seats. “It was a fun run to the stage,” he said, although he admitted that he started his speech before his co-winners had time to get onstage. — STANFORD
Most Awkward Royal Presence
Prince William, who is the president of BAFTA, the organization that runs the awards, won this one hands down.
Just days after the British police arrested his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over accusations of sharing government information with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, William was onstage to present an award. Cumming avoided making any jokes about William’s uncle during the ceremony, but at one moment did highlight the royal presence. “Yes, I have had a costume change,” Cumming said after returning to the stage in a glittering white tuxedo: “Thank you for noticing, Prince William.”
It was far from the best joke of the night. That perhaps went to Warwick Davis, a British actor who is 3-foot-6, and who presented an award behind a small lectern. “I’m guessing Tom Cruise wasn’t available,” Davis said, alluding to the American actor’s height. “Don’t worry, we’re friends,” Davis added: “He’s actually my stunt double.” — MARSHALL
Best Performance From a Film With No Nominations
If you love the Netflix movie “KPop Demon Hunters” (or your children do), you probably know its breakout song, “Golden.” “KPop Demon Hunters” was not eligible for the BAFTAs because the movie wasn’t released in British theaters, but the pop juggernaut was still inescapable on Sunday night when Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the real singers behind the film’s band HUNTR/X, took the stage to perform “Golden,” complete with backing dancers and shooting fire.
At one point, Nuna sang in the crowd surrounded by celebrities including DiCaprio, who stared away stoically as if concealing his thoughts on K-pop music. Chase Infiniti, his co-star in “One Battle After Another,” had no such qualms, bopping and singing along as Nuna’s voice soared up, up, up. — STANFORD
Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London.
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