The Favourite Was The 2019 BAFTA Winner But Viewers Were The Losers

IMAGE VIA JAMES VEYSEY/REX

The BAFTA’s is my favourite film award as we celebrate not just all of cinema but British cinema. However, this year it just all felt a bit flat.

The speeches were overlong, the comedy which was lacking massively. It’s a shame as there should be fun banter to break the mood, poke fun at the Royals at the front row, at the nominees, it was all frankly boring.

After doing a decent job last year and was excited to see Joanna Lumley return, but I think for next year BATFA should look at getting a new presenter. For example, I’d love if the UK had an Andy Samberg type, comedic host.

I’m sure plenty will ask for Ricky Gervais, but I’m not sure BAFTA will give it to him. Then they’d be rumblings of James Corden and I think that’d annoy a lot of people. The first person that came to my mind was actually Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Her writing is fantastic, is loved within the industry because of Fleabag and Killing Eve, has done live stuff before performing at the Edinburgh Festival and I think she wouldn’t hold back on the nominees and poke fun at them.

Or another out their choice is Greg Davies. He’s one of the best comedians in the UK, incredibly funny and has hosted live TV before. Plus, if BAFTA awards go live (PLEASE GO LIVE) he could be a safer PG choice but he should be as R-rated as he wants similar to Waller-Bridge.

Speaking of going live, this is an issue that comes around every single year but nobody as BAFTA or BBC seems to want to do anything. It’s probably on the BBC as they don’t want to lose the 7pm and 8pm time slot, which is fair enough but you have the question of why not have it shown live at 9pm??

If you gave time to the other awards like you’re seriously living Best Animated in the recap? To get rid of all these issues is have the awards go live at 8:30pm and it would still finish by about 11. Additionally, throw away the pointless opening performance that wastes 10 minutes.

If anything, have a band open the show. For example, if Davies was to host bring in his Taskmaster co-star Alex Horne and his band The Horne Section as the awards house band for the night and make people laugh that way as well.

Furthermore, making it live will remove the pointlessness of watching a pre-recorded show as we can just look on Twitter as film websites and blogs revealing all the winners before they are announced after nine. It would make the show a little more exciting.

As for the awards themselves, nothing really surprising apart from Jessie Buckley not winning the Rising Star Award as Letitia Wright picking up the win no doubt due to the Marvel vote similar to Tom Holland a couple of years ago.

Not to say Wright didn’t deserve it, she’s an incredibly talented actress and gave a beautiful speech. I felt Buckley is a superstar and deserve to win something for her performance in Beast and coming up in Wild Rose.

The other surprise only because it’s the BAFTAs, and it would’ve been nice, was to see Richard E. Grant win the Supporting Actor award in his home country as Mahershala Ali has won everywhere (and deservedly so) will include an Oscar.

Full List of 2019 BAFTA Awards Winners

Best Film – Roma

Outstanding British Film – The Favourite

Director – Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Leading Actor – Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Leading Actress – Olivia Coleman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actress – Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor – Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Adapted Screenplay – BlackKklansman

Original Screenplay – The Favourite

Outstanding Debut By British Writer, Director Or Producer – Beast (Michael Peace – writer/director, Lauren Dark – producer)

Animated – Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Documentary – Free Solo

Film Not In The English Language – Roma

Cinematography – Roma

Costume Design – The Favourite

Production Design – The Favourite

Editing – Vice

Make-Up & Hair – The Favourite

Original Song – A Star Is Born

Sound – Bohemian Rhapsody

Special Visual Effects – Black Panther

British Short Animated – Roughhouse

British Short Film – 73 Cows

Rising Star Award – Letitia Wright

Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema – Number 9 Films (Elizabeth Karlsen & Stephen Woolley)

Fellowship Award – Thelma Schoonmaker