Lauren Cochrane

Lauren Cochrane here, reporting on the red carpet fashion. And what better way to start than Jeff Goldblum? Already a firm favourite in the industry, loved by labels such as Prada, he’s only going to gain more fans with this outfit. Combining the sheen of feathers with a classic tux and – of course – those shades, it’s a pro take on ‘classic with a twist’.

Catherine Shoard

Fancy some further reading? You can find out more about the recipient of this year’s special award for outstanding British contribution to cinema here – they’re a brilliant outfit which builds cinemas in hospitals. Whet your appetite further with titbits about this year’s menu, and study the full list of nominations, plus news on those nods and Peter Bradshaw’s take.

Speaking of Peter, his official predictions are here, Andrew’s here, and mine are below. Please note these are non-legally binding.

Best film Anora
Outstanding British film Conclave
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt (director, writer)
Best film not in the English language I’m Still Here
Best documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Best animated film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Best children’s & family film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Best director Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Best original screenplay A Real Pain
Best adapted screenplay Conclave
Best actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Best actor Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Best supporting actress Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Best supporting actor Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Rising star award Mikey Madison

Catherine Shoard

Andrew Pulver has already written out this handy timetable for the evening; consult that for full details, but we’ll be here until 11pm GMT. The ceremony happens in real time between 5-7pm GMT and then it’s on BBC One in the UK, BritBox International in the US and BritBox on demand in Australia between 7-9pm.

We’ll report the news as it happens, but unless something truly momentous happens, we will keep it discreet on this blog, where Gwilym Mumford will be watching the ceremony from 7pm and invites you to join him.

Before then, we’ll have all the frocks and faux pas from the red carpet with Lauren Cochrane as well as non-spoilerific updates from me and Nadia Khomami at the Southbank Centre in London.

It begins …

Catherine Shoard

The red carpet has been unrolled, the stars are having their hair done and alternative plans have been made for the Netflix afterparty after a fire broke out at their original venue, the Chiltern Firehouse, on Friday. The scene is set for the 78th British Academy Film Awards.

Why do they matter? Well, other than being important in their own right, they are last-gasp auditions for the Academy Awards in a fortnight. Final Oscars voting closes on Tuesday, and many voters will be keeping their powder dry until they see what happens tonight: who’s unfairly snubbed, who gives a corker of an acceptance speech and whether anybody falls over their frock.

Plus, a Venn diagram of Bafta and Oscar voters would reveal much more overlap than with most other awards bodies – certainly than the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards. Last weekend, two big guild bodies in the US – the directors’ and producers’ guilds – upended the race by bestowing their big prize not on previous frontrunner The Brutalist but rather on Sean Baker’s Anora.

Will Bafta voters follow suit? Might boomer nostalgia dominate and offer the gong instead to A Complete Unknown? Or could the home advantage mean we see white smoke for Conclave – in both the best film and outstanding British film categories?