Bafta Page 3

Period drama 'Wolf Hall' was the big winner at 2016's House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards, with the show taking home Best Drama Series and star Mark Rylance landing the Leading Actor accolade. Despite the happy news though, director Peter Kosminsky had something very serious to say about the BBC.

Wolf Hall wins big at the BAFTA Television Awards

Unsurprisingly, 'Wolf Hall' - the recipient of the Best Miniseries Golden Globe earlier this year - has nailed the BAFTAs with two prizes, as Mark Rylance himself adds another shiny trophy to his collection, the latest of which include a BAFTA Film Award and an Oscar for 'Bridge Of Spies'. But it was Peter Kosminsky who got the biggest applause of the night.

Continue reading: BAFTA Television Awards 2016: 'Wolf Hall' Wins And Director Defends The BBC

'Wolf Hall' vies against 'This is England '90' and 'Doctor Foster' in the 2016 BAFTA TV Award nominations with four nominations. The Mark Rylance drama series has kept audiences gripped since it hit the small screen, but is it enough to impress at this year's award ceremony?

Wolf Hall leads nominations

Unsurprisingly, it has landed the most categories in total alongside 'Peter Kay's Car Share'. Leading Actress nominee Claire Foy faces off against the likes of Suranne Jones from 'Doctor Foster' Sheridan Smith in 'The C-Word' and 'Ruth Madeley' in 'Don't Take My Baby'; the latter two shows of which also compete in for Single Drama with 'Cyberbully' and 'The Go-Between'. 'Wolf Hall' also has an excellent contender for Leading Actor, but how will Mark Rylance fare alongside Ben Whishaw from 'London Spy', Stephen Graham from 'This is England '90' and Idris Elba from 'Luther'?

Continue reading: 'Wolf Hall' Starring Mark Rylance Is The Biggest BAFTA TV 2016 Contender

Rebel Wilson provided one of the more controversial moments at this year’s BAFTAs by making jokes about the ongoing debate over the lack of diversity in the movie industry, and then shocking some viewers by mentioning that she was practicing her “transgender face”.

Taking to the stage to present the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor to Mark Rylance (for Bridge of Spies) at the Royal Opera House in London, the How To Be Single star took aim at the #OscarsSoWhite controversy in her own inimitable style.

“It's so great to be here at this really serious event,” the Australian actress said. “I have never been invited to the Oscars, because as you know they are racists, but the BAFTAs have diverse members and that's what we all want to see in life. Diverse members.”

Continue reading: Rebel Wilson Sparks Controversy With "Transgender Face" Comments At BAFTAs

'Downton Abbey' star Maggie Smith became the luckiest woman at the BAFTAS (and possibly in Britain) this weekend when she received a great big Valentine's kiss off none other than Oscar favourite Leonardo Dicaprio, following his Best Leading Actor win for 'The Revenant'. 

Maggie Smith is one lucky lady

With the BAFTAs landing on Valentine's Day this year, organisers decided to set up a Kiss Cam to celebrate, like they have at sporting events. And to Maggie's surprise, the camera landed on her and Leo who was seated behind her, prompting him to lean forwards and plant a tender peck on her blushing cheek as host Stephen Fry announced their names. Adorably, the actress promptly appeared to return the kiss.

Continue reading: Leonardo DiCaprio Is Maggie Smith's BAFTA Valentine

When it comes to racial inequality in the film industry, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen wasn't afraid to put his point across as he arrived at the 69th BAFTA awards at the weekend. With the Academy Awards still causing a lively diversity debate, he insists that the problem goes much deeper than the Oscars.

Sacha Baron Cohen talks diversity at the BAFTAs

Cohen was at the BAFTAs to present the award for Best Leading Actress, and he acknowledged that the British award ceremony was also at risk of being condemned for its under-representation of black actors, actresses and filmmakers. 'I'm here to give the award for the best white actress', he joked to reporters on the red carpet, according to the Guardian. 'I hear many Caucasians were nominated.'

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Jokes About 'Best White Actress' Award At BAFTAs

Stephen Fry has deleted his twitter account after coming under fire for a joke he made while hosting the BAFTA awards on Sunday evening (February 14th). Fry, who has hosted the awards ceremony for 10 years, had hit back at the online critics before removing his twitter account completely.

Stephen Fry has deleted his twitter account.

After costume designer Jenny Beavan won the Best Costume Design award for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road, Fry joked: “Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to an awards ceremony dressed as a bag lady.”

Continue reading: Stephen Fry Leaves Twitter After Backlash Over BAFTAs 'Bag Lady' Joke

Leonardo Dicaprio took home his first ever BAFTA on Sunday night (February 14th), during the star-studded ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House. DiCaprio picked up the Best Leading Actor award for his portrayal of 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant, which also scooped Best Picture.

Leonardo DiCaprio has won Best Actor at this year’s BAFTAs.

Accepting the award DiCaprio said: “I'm absolutely humbled and I'm absolutely honoured by this award tonight. I have to say as an actor I have been inspired by so many British actors throughout the years.”

Continue reading: Leonardo DiCaprio Wins Best Actor BAFTA, As Oscars Glory Is In Sight

This is the point where the industry weighs in on the conversation that has been limited mainly to critics so far. Unsurprisingly, Carol and The Revenant feature heavily in the BAFTA race. But unlike the awards season to date, genre films like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian were virtually locked out of the major categories. (The Martian managed nods for actor Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott.)

Also unexpected for Bafta was the absence of local favourites like Tom Hardy, Charlotte Rampling and Carey Mulligan, and not even one craft nomination for Spectre. Bafta voters also failed to nominate two other current favourites: Creed and Joy.

Continue reading: Awards Season Shifts Up A Gear With BAFTA Nominations

Last year’s Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne has received his second BAFTA nod in as many years for his star turn in The Danish Girl, with Bridge of Spies and Carol leading the 2016 BAFTA nominations with appearances in nine categories each.

Todd Haynes’ 1950s-set lesbian romance Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, is jockeying with Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama that features Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in the most categories. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who missed out on the Best Film last year for Birdman, is back in contention with The Revenant which has eight nominations.

Mad Max: Fury Road, which saw director George Miller return after a lengthy absence, has seven nominations, while Ridley Scott’s The Martian and British film Brooklyn received six. All with five nods were The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex-Machina. Alicia Vikander, who features in both of the latter two movies, is up for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her respective roles.

Continue reading: Eddie Redmayne, 'Carol' And 'Bridge Of Spies' Lead 2016 BAFTA Nominations

Friday morning's British Academy Film Awards nominations show the predicted BAFTA love for home-grown movies like 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Theory of Everything', but were even more notable for who was missing from the shortlists.

Timothy Spall - snubbed by the academy?

The most obvious snub was for Mike Leigh's acclaimed biographical drama 'Mr Turner', for which Timothy Spall won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. But the film only has a handful of technical nods (for cinematography, production design, costumes and make-up/hair), with nothing for Spall or Leigh, and most surprisingly no British Film nomination.

Continue reading: Bafta 2015 Nominations Reveal Secrets Of Awards Season

At last year’s Television BAFTAs comedienne Sarah Millican chose to wear a perfectly nice dress from John Lewis, one which she felt comfortable and happy in for her big night. But who cares what she wore right? Sarah Millican is a talented, funny woman who was being recognised at Britain’s most prestigious awards ceremony. Sadly, some mean spirited folks didn't see it that way and decided to lay into Sarah on social media, criticising her appearance and outfit choice and effectively sticking a pin in her “excitable BAFTA balloon.” But hey trolls, if you think that’s enough to keep a funny woman down, then you clearly need another introduction to Sarah Millican.

Sarah on the BAFTA's red carpet last year

Last week Sarah decided to open up about her experiences after last year’s BAFTA’s in an essay in the Radio Times. Delivering an open, smart, funny and thoroughly kick-ass response to those trolls who ruined her evening, Sarah emphasised what you'd think would be a very clear fact, she is a comedian and not a model. Why should we know this? Well she’s on television all the time making us laugh, plus she was nominated for best entertainment performance at the ceremony, so really it should have been clear. But it seems it wasn't to those who decided to focus more on, what they thought, was a bad choice of outfit for the night (it wasn't btw) than her talent.

Continue reading: Hey Trolls, Sarah Millican Wore Her Bafta's Dress Again. Why? Because She's Awesome

ITV crime-drama Broadchurch won three television BAFTAS on Sunday, for best drama, best actress for Olivia Colman and best supporting actor for David Bradley. Colman, who won two Baftas in 2013, cried on-stage and was unable to fully deliver her speech. However, she did manage to thank co-star David Tennant for being "a joy and a treat."

Olivia Colman Won Best Actess at the BAFTAs

Elsewhere, Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd took two awards for actors Richard Ayoade and Katherine Parkinson. 

Continue reading: ITV's Broadchurch Cleans Up At Television BAFTAs [Pictures]

There were some pretty nasty accusations flying round on what was otherwise a cordial affair at the Baftas last night; when Emma Thompson read out Barkhad Abdi’s name for the Best Supporting Actor award, the camera fixed on Bradley Cooper and his apparent, “who’s that?” snub.

Barkhad Abdi picked up the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor

Of course, as a supporting actor in one of 2013’s biggest films, acting alongside Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass, it’s pretty obvious who Abdi is to anyone in the industry, let alone anyone with even a fleeting interest in film. And that’s something Cooper sought to reiterate. He told The Independent: “I can’t even tell you how insulting this is not only to me but to Barkhad."

Continue reading: Hey Internet, Of Course Bradley Cooper Knew Who Barkhad Abdi Was

As the last big awards show before the Academy Awards in March the BAFTA’s has always been regarded as a solid barometer for the Oscars. Last night (February 16, 2014) however was full of surprises, so with the race for the Oscars well and truly on, here's 10 things the BAFTA’s told us about the biggest night on the movie calendar. 

'Gravity' director Alfonso Cuaron and producer David Heyman

'Gravity' could cause an upset

Continue reading: 10 Things The BAFTA's Told Us About The Oscars

This is getting a bit ridiculous: Jennifer Lawrence could just about win the Ballon d’Or right now. Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAS ahead of Sally Hawking and Lupita Nyong’o? Come on, really? We get that that Laurence is adorable, both in front of and behind the camera.

Jennifer Lawrence won big for her role in American Hustle

We also get that she’s a positive role model for young women with her organic approach to media and ‘normal’ appearance (her appearance is not normal, though is it). And while we get all that, it doesn’t mean she should just get all the awards.

Continue reading: Baftas 2014: Is Jennifer Lawrence Just Going To Win Everything, All The Time?

Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh had a nightmare from start to finish during her BAFTA's red-carpet arrival on Sunday evening (May 12, 2013). The 23-year-old reality star wore a pretty stunning looking Sass & Bide black dress, though the waist-high slits proved problematic as the wind and rain battered the Royal Festival Hall in London.

"I'm wearing Sass & Bide, first time I've worn a Sass & Bide dress. I'm a little bit worried about walking in it because it's slit up to here. But I love the dress, and it's quite a different look from what I did last year," she told The Sun on the red-carpet. Millie, who is engaged to rapper Professor Green, was attending the show to support her E4 show which was nominated for Best Reality and Constructed Factual Programme. And guess what. It won!

The result was a little controversial, though Alan Carr beat Ant and Dec to best entertainment performance for Chatty Man, so anything's possible at the BAFTAs. Elsewhere, James Bond actor Ben Whishaw won leading actor for his performance in Richard II (The Hollow Crown), beating out Sean Bean and theatre legend Derek Jacobi, while Sheridan Smith won lead actress for Mrs Biggs ahead of Sienna Miller and Rebecca Hall. However, the night belonged to revered actress Olivia Colman, who won the BAFTA for both supporting actress (Accused) and female performance in a comedy programme (Twenty Twelve).

Continue reading: Millie Mackintosh Has Dress Nightmare On BAFTA's Red Carpet [Pictures]

The TV-leg of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards was held last night (May 12), offering thrills, spill, tears and laughs as always, as well as indicating who the United Kingdom's next national treasure in waiting might very well be. Peep Show actress Olivia Coleman picked up two awards on the night, finally earning plaudits on the back of decades spent working on TV.

The actress, who won two BAFTA awards for Best Supporting Actress (Mo's Story) and Best Female Comedy Performance (Twenty Twelve), was clearly overwhelmed with her first win, and by the time her name was called out for a second time she could barely keep things together - but managed to get through without breaking down, a quality that will no doubt endear her to the British public all the more. This morning, whilst speaking to ITV's Daybreak, the actress explained her disbelief and how the wins compare with having children and getting married. She said, "I haven't come up with a good answer yet, it feels amazing, feels amazing. So I've lost the ability to be eloquent!"

Olivia Coleman's stock is on the up

Continue reading: Olivia Coleman, A Nation's Sweetheart In The Making Following BAFTA Success?

This year's BAFTA nominations is a pretty well rounded list, favouring Jimmy McGovern's superb 'Accused' series, the Sienna Miller starring 'The Girl' and 'Last Tango In Halifax,' a drama about elderly sweethearts reuniting through the internet. Notable by its absence though was Downton Abbey, which rightfully failed to secure a single nomination after a dreadful season that, at best, got lukewarm reviews and at worse was ridiculed by critics.

Instead it was the Derek Jacobi starring 'Last Tango' and Jimmy McGovern's Accused that led the way, while comedy Twenty Twelve and the Olympics coverage received four nominations each. In the acting categories, Sean Bean was nominated for his excellent turn as transvestite Tracie in Accused, while Jacobi got a nod for Tango. Sienna Miller, as Tippi Hedren, and Anne Reid were both nominated for Best Actress, while the Best Supporting Actress gong should go to either Imelda Staunton or Sarah Lancashire.

Though American audiences are seemingly all too happy to eat up whatever Julian Fellowes scribbles down for Downton Abbey, many critics were unhappy with the storytelling and farfetched shockers in season three, including when popular character Matthew died in a car crash. Fellowes took the opportunity to defend his work when speaking with the New York Times. "Most of the soap operas always use the Christmas special to kill huge quantities of their characters. So they have trams coming off their rails, or cars slamming into each other or burning buildings. It's a general clear-out," he said.

Continue reading: BAFTA Rightly Snubs Downton Abbey In Favour Of Accused, The Girl, Last Tango

Sienna Miller, Imelda Staunton, Peter Capaldi and Sarah Lancashire are among the nominees for the 2013 television BAFTAs. London based actress Miller - a star on both sides of the Atlantic - gets the nod for her role as Tipi Hedren in the BBC's Alfred Hitchcock drama The Girl, which scooped four nominations in total. Staunton received a best supporting actress nomination, also for The Girl, while Lancashire was rewarded for her performance in the romantic-drama Last Tango in Halifax.

Peter Capaldi is up for best actor for BBC Two's recently-axed 1950's drama The Hour, though also for his role as the foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in political comedy The Thick Of It. The latter nomination - for best male performance in a comedy programme - will see Capaldi pitted against Steve Coogan's return as Alan Partridge in Welcome To The Place Of My Life, as well as Inbetweeners star Greg Davies. 

Elsewhere in the acting categories, Sheridan Smith received her first BAFTA nomination for her portrayal as Mrs Biggs, in the true story of the wife of the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, and Rebecca Hall was nominated for Parade's End. Sean Bean is nominated for his performance as transvestite Tracie in Accused, the BBC drama series which follows people accused of crimes as they await the verdict. Bean's performance was clearly one of the stand-out turns of the year and he won best actor for the role at the Royal Television Society Awards in March. 

Continue reading: Sienna Miller, Sean Bean (and Alan Partridge) Amongst BAFTA Nominees

Film awards outcomes are difficult to predict. Year on year the judging panel changes and the tastes of both the public and the film critique elite evolve. Sometimes winners will be a curve ball, and sometimes movies that seem to be a dead cert get completely ignored from nominations.

This year, The Master had been tipped to be a firm favourite among critics, but has been largely ignored by many awards. In contrast, the underdog movie Beasts of the Southern Wild, starring two completely novice actors and the feature film directorial debut from Benh Zeitlin, has snapped up three nods from the Oscars. The BAFTAS doesn't quite have the same notoriety for its unpredictable nominations or winners, but for this year's Best Film Award, with 5 unusually strong contenders, the floor is still entirely open. 

This year's nominations are; Ben Affleck's Argo, Tom Hooper's all star Les Miserables, Ang Lee's stunning adaptation of Life of Pi, American historical drama Lincoln from Steven Spielberg, and Kathryn Bigelow's controversial search for Osama Bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty. 

Continue reading: Are The 2013 BAFTAs Unpredictable? Strong Contenders Make It Tough To Judge

Most of the British talent on show at the BAFTAs on Sunday will have to sit firmly in their seats and watch one American in particular pick up a slew of awards in London. Daniel Day-Lewis will take the award for Best Actor for his sterling performance in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, though Ben Affleck will be the name on everyone's lips following the ceremony at the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden.

Argo - a drama directed by and starring Affleck - is likely to take Best Picture at the British ceremony, with the 40-year-old the big favourite to win for his directorial work too. The movie, about the rescue of American hostages from Iran in 1979, has beaten Lincoln to just about every award in America, establishing itself as the massive favourite to win Best Picture at the Oscars on February 24, 2013. Argo has seven BAFTA nominations in total and although Lincoln, Les Miserables, Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty also contest the major prizes, it's likely to be Affleck's tense drama that comes up trumps. 

British star Daniel Day-Lewis was hailed as "the world's greatest actor," by Time magazine last year and is the safe bet to add to his trophy cabinet on Sunday. Should he scoop the same prize at the Academy Awards, it would be his third Oscar for Best Actor, an unprecedented feat in the world of Hollywood. There could be wins for the Oscar-snubbed James Bond movie Skyfall, nominated in eight categories including Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), though the bookmakers predict the film will miss out on the Outstanding British Film prize to Les Miserables, starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. 

Continue reading: Daniel Day-Lewis Is British BAFTAs Hope, But It's Ben Affleck's Year

The bright lights of Hollywood and the awards that come with it can warp good people into wild-child tearaways with no grip on reality or morality. Just look at Lindsay Lohan. Just kidding, she's never won any awards, has she?

For Juno Temple - recent nominee for BAFTA's rising star award - this is a plight she's not willing to surrender to. "I'm not a Barbie doll and I never will be. I'm not really into that scene, I've partied in LA but it's not really my thing at all,' she told Metro. "I'd much rather go to dinner and a dive bar to be honest, that's more my vibe. And honestly I don't really want to be someone like that." Juno is one of a quintet of nominees, comprising four females and one male; a stark comparison to last years award which was dominated by males. "I look up to people like Cate Blanchett, 43, and Michelle Williams, 32, and you don't know anything about them apart from what movies they've got coming out and I love that," she explained. "That's what it used to be like with all the amazing greats like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and all these people. You knew them as the person on screen and you didn't know their private life."

Also nominated for the gong to be announced at the Baftas on February 10, were US star Elizabeth Olsen, Indian star Suraj Sharma, 19, Swedish star Alicia Vikander, 24, and 31-year-old Brit star Andrea Riseborough.