While the BAFTAs may be one of the biggest events in the UK's showbiz calendar, last night's ceremony didn't prove a hit with viewers at home. Some of the industry's top names were on show at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday as film and television stars battled it out for the coveted gongs. The likes of Kylie Jenner were even in attendance as David Tennant hosted the ceremony. Huge names such as Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana were also on hand to present the awards. However, despite the glitz and glamour on show, the BAFTAs were trumped in the ratings by a repeat of a long-running show.
It turns out more viewers tuned in to a repeat edition of Antiques Roadshow an hour before the BAFTA Film Awards aired on BBC One. In figures shared with Mirror by TV analytics firm Digital i, it has been revealed that 3.2million viewers tunes in for the antiques repeat, while just over three million settled down for the BAFTAs. While the BAFTAs were a live showing, the Antiques Roadshow offering was in fact first aired in 2017, according to BBC iPlayer. The channel opted to air an entertainment special for EastEnders' 40th anniversary series.
The show, along with presenter Fiona Bruce arrived on the set of EastEnders for a special episode celebrating the history of film, music, theatre and television, set against the backdrop of Albert Square at the BBC’s Elstree studios in north London. However, the episode was in fact a repeat, first airing on December 31, 2017. The team appraised a selection of rare and unusual items of entertainment memorabilia owned by members of the public, including the axe that Jack Nicholson wielded in The Shining. There was also a script for the first episode of Doctor Who, and key props from the first Star Wars film and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
During the BAFTAs, viewers quickly slammed the event online. One Twitter/X user fumed: "Im Sorry David, not even you can keep me watching this s*** show #baftas". Another added: "#BAFTAS was pretty bland and boring, Conclave and the Brutalist. if I were an an actor I wouldn't bother turning up for it," while a third said: "How boring is this #BAFTAs.". David Tennant, who was on hosting duties for the BAFTA Film Award was hit with technical difficulties when his microphone played up as he kicked off the show. At the start of the awards, the former Doctor Who star stepped out to make his opening monologue when his microphone wire fell out of his kilt. "We'll cut that bit out," he told the audience.
Later in the show, viewers were moved to tears during an emotional tribute to Dame Maggie Smith. The British acting icon was best known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. She died in September aged 89. "Maggie Smith," one viewer wrote on Twitter/X alongside a number of crying emojis, while another tweeted: "Maggie Smith, watch me cry #BAFTAs.". It came as academy paid tribute to the stars we've lost over the last year while Wicked star Jeff Goldblum performed a rendition of As Time Goes By on the piano. Others getting a tribute included Lion King star James Earl Jones, who passed away in September aged 93, as well as director David Lynch after his death aged 78 last month. The Shining's Shelley Duvall appeared in BAFTA's In Memoriam tribute too after her death last year at the age of 75, alongside The Undoing's Donald Sutherland, Lone Star's Kris Kristofferson and theatre star Joan Plowright.
