Connect with us

World

One actor won't be nervous at the BAFTA Film Awards. That's David Tennant, the host

Published

on

One actor won't be nervous at the BAFTA Film Awards. That's David Tennant, the host

LONDON (AP) — One actor won’t be nervous as the camera comes in for a close-up at the British Academy Film Awards.

David Tennant is hosting Sunday’s ceremony in London and says it’s more relaxing to be the master of ceremonies than a nominee.

“I reserve the right to get back to you on the night of Feb. 18, when I’m quivering at a corner having some sort of panic attack,” he says say. “It feels like a very privileged position to be in, but without the nervousness of wondering if you’ve won one or not. You don’t have to prepare a little hastily scribbled speech in the back of an envelope. What larks.”

And while comedians come under intense scrutiny when they host an awards ceremony, Tennant says there’s less pressure on actors.

“This not being my day job is something of an advantage,” he admits. “There’s not that much expectation because this is not what I do. So if I do it terribly, then what’s the harm?”

Advertisement

He won’t have to walk the fine line between insulting or amusing an A-list audience, while entertaining viewers at home.

“My stand-up career will not stand or fall on how this goes. Which, again, slightly takes the pressure off me. I’m just gonna have a really good time.”

Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Hannah Waddingham will also be on hand to help entertain the nominees with musical performances at the Royal Festival Hall.

Ellis-Bextor is singing “Murder on the Dancefloor,” the hit song invigorated 22 years after its release by its appearance in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” which is nominated for best British film.

“Award ceremonies are funny, aren’t they?” Tennant muses. “There’s so much nervous energy in the air. It’s terribly exciting to be around that. And then they go on and on and on and on forever.”

Advertisement

“Can we get everyone through to the other end of it, still feeling like we’re celebrating and not desperate for their dinner?” he wonders.

Atom-bomb epic “Oppenheimer” leads the race for the BAFTA trophies, with 13 nominations, including best film.

Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” received 11 nominations, while historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” have nine each.

Only two people know in advance that they will have to make a speech on the night: Samantha Morton, receiving the BAFTA Fellowship, and June Givanni — the founder of The June Givanni PanAfrican Archive, who is being honored for outstanding British contribution to cinema.

Being in the room where winning happens can be an odd experience, Tennant says.

Advertisement

“You’re surrounded by lots of ludicrously famous people who you wouldn’t otherwise get to be in a room with. So there’s something a little bit prickly and exciting about that. At the same time, it can be very overwhelming and a little bit intimidating,” he says.

Asked whether he’ll be using the opportunity, as an actor, to audition for BAFTA-nominated director Martin Scorsese, Tennant jokes he’s not ruling out a few lines from “Taxi Driver,” adding that “anything can happen.”

Back to the nervous acting nominees who will be sitting among their competitors, with a camera watching their reaction.

Fantasia Barrino, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan, Vivian Oparah, Margot Robbie and Emma Stone make up the best actress category and are all attending.

As is each leading actor nominee: Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, Paul Giamatti, Barry Keoghan, Teo Yoo and Cillian Murphy.

Advertisement

“That’s the sport of it and that’s the bit that is for the audience. And that’s the bit that as a nominee, you have to just suck up,” says Tennant. “You’re still a lot closer to winning it than the person that didn’t get nominated. So it’s an odd experience. It’s heady and giddy making and at the same time can be desperately soul-crushing.”

“But that’s why we tune in,” he laughs.

Advertisement

World

Two-train crash leaves at least 1 dead, 89 injured as emergency crews rush to chaotic scene

Published

on

Two-train crash leaves at least 1 dead, 89 injured as emergency crews rush to chaotic scene

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Authorities are responding after two passenger trains crashed into each other Friday near Bedford, England, killing at least one person and injuring nearly 90 others.

The East of England Ambulance Service said it was called to a collision involving two trains at Elstow, near Bedford, at about 5:15 p.m. local time and quickly declared a “major incident.”

One person died at the scene, 11 people suffered very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 people had minor injuries, officials said.

Bedford is roughly 60 miles north of London.

Advertisement

2 TRAINS COLLIDE IN DENMARK, LEAVING 5 PEOPLE CRITICALLY INJURED

Two passenger trains collided Friday in the United Kingdom. (Fox News)

All the patients with the most serious injuries have been taken from the scene to hospital.

The ambulance service said it sent numerous resources to the scene, including more than 20 ambulances, specialist hazardous area response teams and six air ambulances.

MULTIPLE STABBED IN UK TRAIN ATTACK NEAR CAMBRIDGE AS POLICE ARREST 2 SUSPECTS

Advertisement

Emergency crews were pictured working near the scene. (Fox News)

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we thank all emergency service colleagues for their swift response,” the ambulance service wrote in a statement.

The Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed its crews were also responding.

“Please avoid the area,” fire officials wrote in a statement on X.

Sources told The Telegraph the train driver was on the phone with maintenance staff discussing a safety issue at the time of the crash.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Continue Reading

World

Lebanese influencer organises World Cup event amid Israel’s attack on Leban

Published

on

Lebanese influencer organises World Cup event amid Israel’s attack on Leban
NewsFeed

As Israel’s war on Lebanon rages, hundreds gather in Rmeileh by Sidon Gate to watch the 2026 World Cup. Organised by influencer Bilal Haddad, the fan zone offers food trucks, shisha and family activities, giving people a rare chance to relax. Al Jazeera’s Justin Salhani went to check it out.

Continue Reading

World

On the South Lawn, a UFC fighter’s victory frames an unusual White House scene

Published

on

On the South Lawn, a UFC fighter’s victory frames an unusual White House scene

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mark Schiefelbein has been based in Washington, D.C., with AP for about three years, and before that spent a decade in Beijing at AP’s China bureau.

Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.

Why this photo?

This was an event that had never happened before in the 250-year history of the United States and may never happen again: a night of mixed martial-arts cage match brawls on the South Lawn of the White House, with bloodied competitors battling it out in front of the president, vice president, and other leaders of the country. AP had other photographers ringside at the event focusing more on the fights themselves. So I felt my role was to capture the context of the evening — the location, the people in attendance, the environment.

How I made this photo

A small group of other photographers and I, the White House press pool, had been allowed to photograph part of the evening from a position in the stands directly opposite the White House. I was carrying four cameras with a variety of lenses from 12 mm to 300 mm. This let me capture everything from ultra-wide views of the “claw” structure built for the fights, to close-ups of leaders and celebrities in attendance. I had been following Diego Lopes with my longest lens as he moved around the ring celebrating his win over Steve Garcia. When I saw him start to climb onto the cage, I immediately realized there might be a possibility of a picture like this and zoomed out to capture more of the scene.

Advertisement


Advertisement

Why this photo works

The White House is surely one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. The columns of the South Portico, the fighter standing with arms and legs spread wide in celebration, and the octagon padding of the UFC ring tell an entire story as your eyes move from top to bottom of the frame. With Lopes standing with his back to the camera, facing the White House, it becomes less a photo of him and more about the evening, the event, and the spectacle. It was fortunate that it was after nightfall, so things that might have been distracting, like the Marine Band and spectators seated behind the ring, are mostly in the dark. Only the key elements – the White House, Lopes, and the ring are lit up.

For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending