Chloe Mac Donnell
Glenn Close is speaking to Dazed magazine on the red carpet and telling them that a memorable line from a role still stuck in her head is “I’m not going to be ignored Dan” from Fatal Attraction. 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.
Chloe Mac Donnell
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.
Chloe Mac Donnell
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.
Catherine Shoard
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 identify 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)
Chloe Mac Donnell
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?
Chloe Mac Donnell
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.
Chloe Mac Donnell
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!
Chloe Mac Donnell
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.
Stuart Heritage
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.