And here we go. The show begins, as you’d expect, with a long list of films accompanied by a Goldfrapp song. There’s a red carpet montage, full of people who have never been to the Baftas before, one of whom threatens to vomit.

Well, here we are. You’ve done very well to stick with things so far, but now it is time to repay your patience with the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 Bafta film awards. You are all welcome.

Just 20 minutes to go until the BBC coverage begins and we can stop pretending that the awards aren’t already happening. Go to the toilet while you still can.

Out of interest, does anyone happen to know what this Paddington’s voice sounds like? I’m toying with the idea of letting my kids watch him present an award, but they’ve only just got over Kermit the Frog’s new voice and I really don’t want to have to go through that again.

If you’re here already, it’s probably because you’re interested in the red carpet. If that’s the case, here’s a beautiful and comprehensive gallery for you to peruse at your pleasure. And here are Wale Davies and Akinola Davies looking seriously suave, for starters.

Also, it’s been reported that someone yelled “Is the monarchy in peril?” at Prince William during his red carpet walk. First, you always have to have plenty of respect for people willing to heckle in such a formal way. Second, on the basis on William’s film recommendations alone, it probably is a bit.

I was wrong about finding out the winners on social media, by the way. I just checked the official Bafta X feed and its most recent video was of Timothée Chalamet walking the red carpet. It seems as if the official line is to announce in time with the television coverage, which if nothing else makes me feel a bit less mad.

Even though we all know that Paul Mescal and the singer Gracie Abrams have been dating since about 2024, they’ve never made it red carpet official. Until now, that is. The couple – who, aside from some sneaky paparazzi shots and cryptic Instagram posts have managed to keep their relationship private – tonight decided to ditch the covert approach and instead hard launch at the Baftas, complete with a cheeky kiss. As previously mentioned, Mescal is wearing Prada while Abrams has gone for a beaded floral look from Chanel. A romantic dress for a romantic moment. Swoon!

One Battle After Another Star Teyana Taylor is making a case for the red carpet trench. The dramatic ruff is much cooler than a hood. Between her and Archie Madekwe, collars are really having a moment. You have been warned!

Quite frankly, Prince William needs all the help he can get. The BBC just posted a fragment of an interview from the red carpet. Highlights are that he thought One Battle After Another was “weird”, that he hadn’t seen Sinners on the basis that it’s a “bit dark” and that he liked F1.

The president of Bafta, there.

In the meantime, let’s assume that these Baftas will go down in history as The One That Paddington Went To, Even Though He Isn’t Even Nominated for Anything, The Attention-Seeking Git.

You might be surprised to learn that this is not the first time that Paddington has walked the red carpet. Eleven years ago, he appeared in Shanghai ahead of his first movie, although he was about 3ft taller than he is now, and most recently he was seen glad-handing everyone backstage at the Royal Variety Performance.

So that’s three high-profile appearances now, and you’ll notice that every single one of them has been with Prince William. It’s good to see that, in a time of unprecedented constitutional crisis, the royal family can at least count on the support of a fictional bear in a hat.

Yes, it is overcast in London. Yes, dusk is falling. But here is Joe Alwyn in a pair of statement sunglasses.

We now find ourselves entering Schrodinger’s Baftas; the two-hour lull where the awards simultaneously do and do not exist, depending on whether you’re in Royal Festival Hall or waiting for the TV coverage.

As such, updates here will slow to a trickle for a little while. Obviously, you could pass the time by looking on social media to see who wins what in real time, but surely it would be much more fun to put your head in the sand until 7pm, because then you’ll be able to see the glowers of barely concealed disappointment from all the losers. And isn’t that really what Bafta night is for?

It appears that the toyal family is really embracing the “keep calm and carry on£ mantra. Hours after the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday, the king popped up on the front row at the Tolu Coker show at London fashion week. Now William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are all smiles on the Bafta red carpet. Kate is wearing a lovely tulle gown in tonal shades of blush and mauve. William is in smart plum velvet tuxedo. It’s a nice nod to coordinated couples dressing without going full on matchy-matchy. William also seems to be sporting some new stubble in place of his standard clean-shaven, look while Kate has ditched an updo for loose hair. It’s all giving the illusion of Hey, look how relaxed we are’, even though it’s clearly been a tumultuous week for the royals, not to mention the country.

To follow all the joys – and disappointments – of this year’s ceremony, head here for live coverage of every prize as it happens

Archie Madekwe, who is nominated for the EE rising star award, has risen to the occasion in a Dior suit complete with sparkly ruff. Jonathan Anderson, Dior’s creative director, featured a similar collar on the invitations for his recent show, but this is the first time we have spotted one in the wild. Very much here for it.

Here comes the red carpet chameleon Timothée Chalamet. One awards ceremony the Marty Supreme star is embracing method dressing, opting for looks including a ping-pong orange leather co-ord. The next, he’s stripped it right back – here, he’s has gone for a head-to-toe charcoal look from Givenchy by Sarah Burton. I don’t hate it, but it’s a lot less memorable and, more importantly less meme-able, than previous looks.

Adolescence star Erin Doherty is giving us another red carpet optical illusion. The British actor is wearing a dress from Louis Vuitton featuring a dramatic scooped neckline and equally dramatic pleated skirt. I imagine in a crowded situation – such as wading your way through celebrities at the Baftas – the width of this dress is very useful, serving as a polite way of getting someone to move aside without having to shout at them over the din.

It’s a triple Irish threat. Now here’s Paul Mescal. The Hamnet star is wearing a look from Prada. The slightly crumpled shirt and threadbare cuffs are a signature of the brand that likes to toy with the definition of luxury. Bet Mescal was pleased that he didn’t have to bother with the ironing this Sunday.

Here comes another Irish star. Cillian Murphy, who takes a no-nonsense approach to red carpet etiquette and fashion, has gone for a classic black suit. The high lapels on the blazer are a nice touch, as is the white tie on white shirt.

The Hamnet star Jessie Buckley, who is hotly tipped to win best leading actress at this evening’s ceremony, has just arrived and is wearing a striking blue velvet dress. The Irish actor recently started working with the Hollywood stylist Danielle Goldberg. Goldberg also works with Ayo Edebiri and Greta Lee, and over the past couple of months she has been honing Buckley’s red carpet approach. They have been sticking to a pared-back colour palette, including black-and-white looks from McQueen and Valentino. This evening’s marine blue look is a surprise, but we do love a celebrity who keeps us on our toes.

On the red carpet, Glenn Close is telling Dazed magazine that the line “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan” from her role in Fatal Attraction is still stuck in her head. Close, who is presenting an award later, definitely isn’t being overlooked in this beautiful black coat with shimmering silver embroidery detailing. The 78-year-old has hot-footed it from the Erdem show at London fashion week, where she sat front row next to Helen Mirren.

We haven’t seen Stormzy on a red carpet in a little while. His last big appearance was at the 2025 Met Gala, where he wore an unbuttoned white dress shirt over a vest from Haider Ackermann’s debut collection for Tom Ford. Today, the rapper has gone for a traditional tuxedo and accessorised it with a little red rose brooch in place of a corsage. The look is smart, chic and shows why a tux is an all-time classic.

Kerry Washington, who is presenting an award later, has chosen a trailing gown from Prada for the occasion. The navy dress features some gorgeous floral applique detailing around the bustier. We wouldn’t like to be tackling any steps with a train that long, especially in front of an audience but, then again, we are not Hollywood stars.

A little light reading

For anyone who fancies some homework before we know the final results, here’s a primer:

The full list of nominations
Peter Bradshaw’s predictions
News on who’s nominated and who isn’t, plus more on the snubs
The identity crisis facing the Baftas
Why awards-show hosting is the worst job in the world, plus more on this year’s host, Alan Cumming
The best Bafta moments in history – ranked (features a fantastic photo of John Hurt)

All the best Hollywood stylists will tell you the trick to nailing red carpet style is to wear something you are comfortable in. Paddington Bear has taken this advice and ran with it. The bear from Peru has stuck to his signature blue wool duffel coat and red felt hat. We’ve recently seen duffel coats on the catwalks of designers including Coach and Simone Rocha, and the Oasis star Liam Gallagher, so Paddington is very on trend. He hasn’t overlooked the glam, either. Those claws look particularly shiny – perhaps the result of pre-carpet pawdicure?

Hello everyone, Chloe from the fashion desk here. For the next two hours I’ll be overseeing the good, the great and the downright bizarre looks on the red carpet. The first to arrive is this year’s host Alan Cumming. The presenter and host of The Traitors US is known for his love of a flamboyant look and he is not disappointing here. No doubt, Cummingwill change for his actual presenter duties, but for his arrival he has gone for a gradient coloured coat covered in tassels. Swishing along the red carpet, Cumming demands attention. Stand by for a closer look at his hair.

Here is Chase Infiniti, who is nominated for best leading actress for her role in One Battle After Another. The American has gone for strapless burgundy fluted gown which, thanks to a carpet’s similar colouring, gives the illusion that she is hovering above ground. To Infiniti and beyond!

As I said Cumming, loves a flamboyant look and nothing says theatrical like swirls of neon feathers glued to one’s scalp. It’s just the fun start we needed.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog of the 2026 Bafta film awards. This is exactly the place to be if you enjoy celebrating the best cinema of the last year. It is also the place to be if you like looking at pictures of famous people being visibly surprised by dour weather, but that’s probably less important.

As always, the Baftas need a little bit of explaining, so here we go. As we speak, the red carpet is already in full swing at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Two hours from now the ceremony will begin, where it will run for between two-and-a-half to three hours. However, that will mean nothing to television viewers, because the BBC’s broadcast of the ceremony doesn’t begin until 7pm. Clear?

So here’s how the next few hours will go. Any moment now, Chloe MacDonnell will start bringing you the best looks from the red carpet. Then, the show will start, and we’ll all pretend that we don’t know who the winners are. And then, at 7pm, I’ll cover the glorious two-hour BBC broadcast. After that, we’ll just keep dancing until we’re all exhausted.

Now that the housekeeping is over, we have a lot to look forward to tonight. More than most years, the Baftas are shaping up to be a pretty decent bellwether for the Oscars. One Battle After Another leads the way with 14 nominations, while Sinners follows with 13 and both Hamnet and Marty Supreme close behind on 11 each. It might also be the night that The Ballad of Wallis Island finally gets the awards it deserves, which would be very exciting.

But this is all to come. For now, kick back and enjoy yourself. It’s going to be a long night.