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
