Baftas 2025: how to watch, predictions and timetable

The Guardian

16-02-2025

With each passing year the attention paid to the Bafta film awards turns up a notch, as campaigns jostle and reposition themselves in the quest for the real prize: an Academy Award. The Oscar race is pretty open this year, even more so after the Emilia Pérez debacle, but with its British centre of gravity and slightly differing nominations list, the Baftas have their own dynamic. Hence the Baftas can sometimes seem to be a fairground-mirror reflection of the American contest, or (looked at the other way) an assertion of a similar but separate cultural identity.
The most obvious example of this is the strong showing for Belfast rap comedy Kneecap, which could walk off with a fistful of Baftas, but failed to even get on the Academy nomination sheet. Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste is the other big Oscar casualty, but she is in with a major shout for best actress here. And in a wider sense, the current Oscar frontrunners – The Brutalist, Anora, A Complete Unknown – may not resonate quite so strongly with British voters, so expect Conclave, a (largely) domestic effort, to put up a significant fight and follow through on its nominations lead.
There is still the usual irritating two-hour delay for the TV audience – why it's not broadcast live is bit of a mystery, especially as all the drama is leaked when the results pop up instantly on social media. (They appear to have abandoned the experiment of screening part of it live, which they tried a couple of years ago.)
In the UK: As is traditional, the Baftas are on BBC One from 7pm and streaming on iPlayer. The red-carpet show starts on Bafta's YouTube channel at 3pm (and finishes at 5pm, when the award ceremony starts in real life).
In the US: The ceremony will stream on BritBox International, starting at 2pm ET/11am PT, in line with the BBC's broadcast.
In Australia: BritBox is showing the ceremony on demand.
Here's some homework before the big kick-off:
Who's up for what
Why Conclave is blessed
Why Kneecap has already won
Set your faces to stun, it's Jeff Goldblum and Take That!
Background on MediCinema, winner of the outstanding British contribution to cinema award
Edible bucket, anyone? What's on the Bafta menu
The Guardian's chief critic Peter Bradshaw has already had his say, so here's a final stab in the dark. (Conclave and Kneecap, basically, with a bit of Wallace and Gromit on the side.)
Best film ConclaveOutstanding British film ConclaveOutstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt (director, writer)Best film not in the English language KneecapBest documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryBest animated film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlBest children's & family film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlBest director Edward Berger, ConclaveBest original screenplay KneecapBest adapted screenplay ConclaveBest actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard TruthsBest actor Ralph Fiennes, ConclaveBest supporting actress Ariana Grande, WickedBest supporting actor Kieran Culkin, A Real PainRising star award Mikey Madison