David Tennant has vowed to tone down his ‘roasts’ at the 2025 EE Bafta Awards as he prepares to take on hosting duties for a second year.

Last year, the actor admitted he ‘p***ed’ off Cate Blanchett as he made a joke at her expense during the ceremony which was attended by Prince William. 

David said he has ‘learned’ from last year and his goal is to try and make sure no one is left feeling ‘uncomfortable’ while he is attempting to be ‘witty’. 

Speaking to Radio Times, David said: ‘The BAFTAs are supposed to be kind, last year we weren’t trying to roast people, but there was a joke about Cate Blanchett, and she looked a little bit annoyed, a little bit p***ed off. 

‘And I remember going, “Oh God, no. I think you’re brilliant. I was just trying to be witty and make a point about how you’ve got lots of prizes, and we love you.” 

‘So, I think if I’ve learned anything, it’s probably that I’m not interested in picking fights or making anyone feel in any way uncomfortable. If I have a style, it’s only that.’

David Tennant has vowed to tone down his ‘roasts’ at the 2025 EE Bafta Awards as he prepares to take on hosting duties for a second year; pictured 2024

Last year, the actor has admitted he ‘p***ed’ off Cate Blanchett as he made a joke at her expense during the ceremony which was attended by Prince William

During last years ceremony, David made a joke about actress Cate leaving the audience and viewers in laughter.

He said: ‘I’ve only learned from hosting tonight, there are only two people in the world who know who’ve won. I always thought like the seat planner would know and they’d put winners at the front or the end of the aisle. 

‘No, they’ve got hidden cameras and they can pick you up anywhere, so if you’ve got to scramble and climb over Cate Blanchett to get your hands on an award, that is what you do.’

David took over hosting duties from Richard E Grant last year and will present the ceremony from the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in central London. The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer, Britbox in the US and Australia.  

During his first year of hosting the awards, more than 20 million viewers tuned in with many catching up on ceremony highlights on social media.

David, who has appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Good Omens, Broadchurch, and Doctor Who, most recently has captivated audiences in the television drama Rivals.

His acclaimed theatre work includes Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, Hamlet, and his recent portrayal of the тιтular role in Macbeth.

It comes after David’s West End production of Macbeth was cancelled on multiple occasions because the actor and cast caught swine flu, it has been revealed earlier this month. 

David said he has ‘learned’ from last year and his goal is to try and make sure no one is left feeling ‘uncomfortable’ while he is attempting to be ‘witty’

David said: ‘The BAFTAs are supposed to be kind, last year we weren’t trying to roast people, but there was a joke about Cate Blanchett, and she looked a little bit annoyed, a little bit p***ed off’

He added: ‘So, I think if I’ve learned anything, it’s probably that I’m not interested in picking fights or making anyone feel in any way uncomfortable. If I have a style, it’s only that’

Theatregoers hoping to see the Doctor Who actor as Shakespeare’s Scottish anti-hero were left disappointed at the end of last year when four performances were scrapped due to ‘company illness’. 

Now, actor Cal MacAninch, who played Banquo in the tragedy, has revealed the cast including Tennant were hit by a bout of swine flu. 

MacAninch – who starred in period dramas Downton Abbey and Mr Selfridge – said they should have been more ‘respectful’ about the infamous ‘curse of Macbeth’.  

According to the supersтιтion, saying the play’s name inside a theatre – other than when rehearsing or performing – is bad luck, so it is often nicknamed ‘the Scottish play’.

The curse is said to have caused all manner of toil and trouble for productions of Macbeth over the years – and at their peril, McAninch said they did not adhere to the curse’s supersтιтions. 

And with this one ravaged by a virus, it seems the cast could have done with taking Lady Macbeth’s famous words as she washes her hands, ‘Out, damned spot’, more literally. 

David, 53, starred as Macbeth alongside Olivier-nominated British actress Cush Jumbo, 39, as Lady Macbeth in the West End from October to December 2024. 

BAFTA 2025 NOMINATIONS

BEST FILM

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

 

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM 

Bird

Blitz

Conclave

Gladiator II

Hard Truths

Kneecap

Lee

Love Lies Bleeding

The Outrun

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

 

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER 

Hoard – Luna Carmoon (director, writer)

Kneecap – Rich Peppiatt (director, writer)

Monkey Man – Dev Patel (director)

Santosh – Sandhya Suri (director, writer), James Bowsher (producer), Balthazar De Ganay (producer) [also produced by Alan McAlex, Mike Goodridge]

Sister Midnight – Karan Kandhari (director, writer)

 

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

All We Imagine As Light

Emilia Pérez

I’m Still Here

Kneecap

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY 

Black Box Diaries

Daughters

No Other Land

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Will & Harper

 

BEST ANIMATED FILM 

Flow

Inside Out 2

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

 

BEST CHILDREN’S AND FAMILY FILM 

Flow

Kensuke’s Kingdom

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

 

BEST DIRECTOR 

Anora – Sean Baker

The Brutalist – Brady Corbet

Conclave – Edward Berger

Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve

Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard

The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 

Anora

The Brutalist

Kneecap

A Real Pain

The Substance

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY 

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

 

BEST LEADING ACTRESS 

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez

Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths

Mikey Madison – Anora

Demi Moore – The Substance

Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun

 

BEST LEADING ACTOR  

Adrien Brody – The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo – Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Hugh Grant – Heretic

Sebastian Stan – The ApprenticE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 

Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez

Ariana Grande – Wicked

Felicity Jones – The Brutalist

Jamie Lee Curtis – The Last Showgirl

Isabella Rossellini – Conclave

Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR  

Yura Borisov – Anora

Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing

Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce – The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

 

BEST CASTING 

Anora

The Apprentice

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Kneecap

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Nosferatu

 

BEST EDITING  

Anora

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Kneecap

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN 

Blitz

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Nosferatu

Wicked

 

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIR 

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

Nosferatu

The Substance

Wicked

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE 

The Brutalist

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Nosferatu

The Wild Robot

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN 

The Brutalist

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu

Wicked

 

BEST SOUND 

Blitz

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II

The Substance

Wicked

 

BEST VISUAL SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Better Man

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Wicked

 

BEST BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION 

Adiós

Mog’s Christmas

Wander to Wonder

 

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM  

The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing

Marion

Milk

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Stomach Bug

 

RISING STAR AWARD (VOTED FOR BY THE PUBLIC) 

Marisa Abela

Jharrel Jerome

David Jonsson

Mikey Madison

Nabhaan Rizwan