Richard E. Grant opens BAFTAs 2023 with Will Smith slap joke

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Hugh Grant, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh have become the latest A-list names to join the star-studded list of presenters at this year’s Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The British household names will appear alongside fellow industry heavyweights including Antonio Banderas, Sigourney Weaver and Elizabeth Banks at the annual event on Sunday, as the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science rewards the best and brightest film talent to have emerged in the last twelve months.

Will Smith over his Oscars slap on Chris Rock.At the 2022 academy awards ceremony, Smith stormed the stage and hit Rock after the host made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.Now in a new interview Richard Williams, who Smith portrayed in the biopic film King Richard, which won him best actor, backed the actor.“I think he has done the best thing he needed to do, but I would never be disgusted with Mr Smith. Matter of fact, I appreciate Mr Smith,” he told Good Morning Britain.When asked if he saw any wrongdoing in what happened at the Oscars, Williams said: “I don’t see nothing wrong with that,” before adding: “It’s time for everyone to forgive Will Smith.”He also said Smith’s 10 year ban from the Oscars should be lifted.His comments come after Rock recently addressed getting slapped during a new Netflix comedy special.“Everybody knows it happened. I got smacked a year ago.

Richard Madeley has named and shamed an A-Lister that he claims is the 'rudest' celebrity he's ever interviewed in his 50-year-long career. The TV presenter was back at the helm of Good Morning Britain on Monday (March 6) after a two week hiatus.

Netflix special, “Selective Outrage,” the comedian finally let it rip in front of a surely huge at-home audience about the infamous 2022 Oscars at which Will Smith slapped him onstage. A brilliant Rock pummeled Smith harder than the movie star did to that alien in his hit 1996 action movie — and to, well, Rock himself at the Academy Awards.“Everybody called that man a b—h,” Rock, 58 years old and in top form, said about the media’s reaction to Smith’s well-reported marital problems in the lead-up to the Oscars.

The stars are stepping out for W Magazine‘s big party!

Organisers behind this year’s BAFTAs have addressed criticism over the absence of late actor Bernard Cribbins in its ‘in memoriam’ tribute section.

Carey Mulligan was mistakenly announced as a BAFTA award winner during Sunday night’s ceremony.

German language film All Quiet On The Western Front was the big winner at the EE BAFTAs, scooping a total of seven prizes.The Netflix anti-war epic, directed by German filmmaker Edward Berger and based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, scooped top gongs including best film and best director. It broke the record for the highest number of Baftas for a foreign language film previously held by Italian coming-of-age drama Cinema Paradiso, which claimed five in 1988.Taking to the stage at the climax of the event at London’s Royal Festival Hall, cinematographer James Friend said the film showed how a generation of young German men were “poisoned by right-wing nationalistic propaganda” and he stressed that the film’s message remains “relevant” nearly a century on.

BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday night with a record-breaking seven wins, including for Best Director, Best Film and Best Film Not in the English Language. The tally means the World War One epic now holds the record for a film not in the English language. The previous record was held by 1988 film “Cinema Paradiso,” which won five BAFTAs. Meanwhile Colin Farrell starrer “The Banshees Of Inisherin” won the second largest number of awards of the night, including both supporting actor categories with wins for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon (who emerged as the correct winner after fellow nominee Carey Mulligan’s name was initially called in error.) Writer and director Martin Mcdonagh also won for Original Screenplay and Outstanding British Film, although his swipe at the film’s producer Searchlight – when he quipped that he had landed an award for the script without any notes from the studio – prompted a mixed response from the audience, with some possibly perceiving the comment as arrogant. The director quickly made it clear he wasn’t being serious, saying “kidding, kidding.”

Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett have added another award to each of their collections!

EE BAFTAs viewers have called for Alison Hammond to host the Oscars after her huge success at Sunday night's ceremony. Bubbly TV presenter Alison, 48, hosted the new BAFTA Studio, chatting to stars including Austin Butler and Emma Thompson in between the on-stage presentations.

Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell fans have claimed the actors was “robbed” after losing out to Elvis star Austin Butler for the Leading Actor Award at the 2023 BAFTAs.The 76th BAFTAs took place earlier tonight (February 19) at London’s Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in a ceremony hosted by Richard E. Grant and Alison Hammond.All Quiet On The Western Front was the big winner of the night, taking away seven of the 14 awards it had been nominated for while The Banshees Of Inisherin won four awards.However Aftersun only won in one of the four categories it was nominated in, with Charlotte Wells picking up the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.Aftersun lost out in the Outstanding Film category to The Banshees Of Inisherin while both Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell were beaten in the Leading Actor category by Austin Butler – and fans aren’t happy.“I would have accepted losing to Colin Farrell but Paul Mescal losing to Elvis? No, just no” wrote one fan.

The Princess of Wales wowed in a white floor-length white gown at theThe BAFTA Film Awards 2023. A beaming Kate Middleton was the picture of elegance as she swept along the red carpet in her one-shoulder gown teamed with long black gloves.

76th annual EE British Academy Film Awards were announced live during a ceremony hosted by Richard E. Grant and Alison Hammond at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The cast of The Banshees of Inisherin is winning big at the 2023 BAFTAs!

You may be wondering why numerous stars are wearing blue ribbons on the red carpet at the 2023 EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday (February 19) at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

EE BAFTAs host Richard E Grant referenced Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s Oscars, as he opened the 2023 ceremony in London.The British actor told audiences that “on my watch no one gets slapped tonight” as he concluded his humorous remarks at the top of the show. It comes after Will Smith stormed onto the stage during the 94th annual Academy Awards in March and slapped the presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia.

Following in the footsteps of comedy stars such as Stephen Fry and Richard Ayoade, this year’s BAFTA film awards will be hosted by Hollywood actor Richard E Grant and This Morning presenter Alison Hammond. Dressed to the nines for one night only, the charismatic duo will be joining forces as the reveal the winners of this year’s closely run awards race, to see who will get to take home of of the iconic BAFTA mask trophies.

Brendan Fraser has been praised as a “class individual” while on the red carpet of the BAFTAs 2023.The 76th BAFTAs (British Academy Film Awards) are revealed tonight (February 19) in a ceremony hosted by Richard E. Grant and Alison Hammond at London’s Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre.Taking to the red carpet ahead of the event though, Fraser proved just how classy he could be.Speaking to red carpet host Ali Plumb, Fraser was given a bumper sticker that reads “Honk if you’d rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.”“I don’t know where this will fit, but maybe one of your many people…” started Plumb before Fraser took the stickers and put them inside his jacket pocket.