21.38 THIS IS THE END
Well, that's it ladies and gentlemen: the BAFTAs are over for another year. The great, the good and the gorgeous are making their way to the complimentary cars and coaches to go for dinner, and we are making our way to, er, public transport and bed. It was a great night for The Hurt Locker; a rather less great night for James Cameron (but he's still got the highest-grossing film ever, and his bessie mate won, so we reckon he'll be OK); and a predictably great night for British actors who may not be a shoo-in at the Oscars but who deserved recognition for their great performances here. Speech of the night: Colin Firth, with Jacques Audiard in close second place. Dress of the night: we're still saying Joely Richardson. Heartthrob of the night: it's a dead heat between Prince William and R.Pattz, or Clive Owen for the more discerning lady. Hottie of the night: Kate Winslet gets Phil and Ali's votes here. Jonathan Ross: not as funny as previous years, but still OK. Clip montages: excellent, nice editing work there.
And with that, we'll see you at the Oscars!
**21.22 FELLOWSHIP
**Lord Richard Attenborough can't be there due to illness, so the incoming BAFTA President Prince William is taking care of this one. He, however, almost immediately hands over to Uma Thurman. "Born into one of Britain's most acclaimed theatrical dynasties, her father was starring in Hamlet opposite Laurence Olivier on the night of her birth. Tennessee Williams would proclaim her the greatest living actress. Over the past 50 years, film audiences have been captivated by the power, grace and life that she brings to every performance. She has demonstrated extraordinary diversity - and that is not all she has done. Vanessa has championed millions of people throughout the world, especially victims of human rights abuse, sometimes at great cost to herself. She has fought fearlessly and with great compassion. It has been my privilege to have known her professionally and personally. She exudes the courage and openness of what it's like to be truly alive." There is tumultuous applause from the audience, all on their feet, as Redgrave herself makes for the stage, visibly moved and still utterly beautiful. "Thank you so much. Oh dear, I'm afraid you've done me in. Your Royal Highness, my dear, beautiful Uma and my dear BAFTA friends and colleagues, yes, you've done me in. Here I am on the stage at the Royal Opera House, and I lay on the pavement queuing so many times to get a seat way up there to see the prima ballerinas. In this house, I learned a great lesson from Maria Callas - she didn't know that she gave me a great lesson. She said you had to put the thoughts and feelings first, and the sound of your voice should and would come after. Now you've turned me into a Fellow. Well, 112 years ago my grandmother acted the role of a young woman in a play, written by my great-grandfather, who was turned into a young man. This happened through the transformation of the magical power of a recent scientific discovery called radium. I knew I must go on the stage because I went to a pantomime and saw 20 little girls tap-dancing on little trays, and I knew that that was what I had to do - if possible tap-dancing on this stage. I've always been jealous of Dame Eileen Atkins because she actually got to do that. The first film I saw was of a lot of black-and-white men kissing a lot of black-and-white women. I asked what it was, and was told that it was the end of the War. It's a wonderful medium we all work in, continually transforming itself. I'd like to end by just giving an example of one of the lessons I learned as an actress. My father taught me again and again to think and put yourself in the shoes of someone who is completely different from you. Don't assume that everybody else feels the same as you. I've had to remember that a lot of times. Last of all, since I've talked about my father, I'd like to say, Your Royal Highness, how much I admire your father for his intelligence, humility and kindness. If my mother were here, she'd tell me to blow you all a kiss. She did that once, at an awards in Paris. I just want to say, Thank you for giving me this award, it's so huge. Bless you and good night."
Click the image above for more pictures from the press room
**21.13 BEST FILM
**Dustin Hoffman is presenting this one, and wishing he were back at the Empire awards (we like to think). "I too am going to read off a teleprompter, but I'd like to say that I rewrote it. Before I do, I'd like to say that I was sitting out in the audience like all of you, and I found it a particularly moving and memorable evening. I don't know why, but I feel like all of you out there really saluted the films nominated. You acted as one, and it occurred to me that that's what happens when a film works: we act as one. The odds are highly against it working. Each of tonight's nominated films, nevertheless, have given audiences a memorable cinematic experience, and represent excellence in filmmaking." And the winner is...THE HURT LOCKER, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro. Boal says, "Thank you so much - I was uncharacteristically inarticulate last time I was up here and forgot all the people I was supposed to thank. I'd like to thank Optimum for all the work they did on this film. This is one of our producers Nicolas Chartier who put his house on the line to make this film, and Greg Shapiro, who risked his sanity in the summer heat. On behalf of all of us, I'd like to thank our cast, and our wonderful crew, and most of all Kathryn Bigelow for her guts, determination and singular vision. For all of us, there was an unspoken assumption on the set that, whatever work we were doing was a very pale imitation of the real soldiers who are fighting in this conflict, and we were also aware that our veteran's hospitals are too full and our funeral homes too busy, so I'd like to dedicate this to them, and say that the seeming endless nature of this war should not blind us to the hope that it can be ended." Chartier: "This is not about soldiers; it's about people defusing bombs and saving lives - they could be Iraqi lives, civilians, not just soldiers. This is about saving lives, so thank you." Bigelow: "We are just so humbled to be recognised for putting a spotlight on a very difficult situation. It's beyond our wildest dreams, thank you."
**21.08 ACTRESS
**Mickey Rourke is here - be afraid! He's having trouble with the autocue and has kinda scrunched up his eyes. Or that might just be his eyes. He also doesn't know the word "aplomb", plumping for "aplum" instead. And the BAFTA goes to... CAREY MULLIGAN (again, our finger was hovering there over the C) "I really didn't expect this at all, so I didn't think of anything to say. Thank you so much BAFTA. I was here a year ago and I never imagined in a million years - I wish I could be like Colin Firth and make a speech about fridges. I'd like to thank Nick Hornby, and our producers, and so many people, and Jess and Nicole, who you don't know but they've been brilliant. My mum and dad are there, and I love them, and thank you so much."
**21.03 ACTOR
**"The rather magnificent" Kate Winslet is presenting this one, after winning Best Actress last year. And the winner is...COLIN FIRTH! (Finger was hovering in preparation over the letter "C" before she even opened the envelope. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, or a better performance.) "Hello. What Tom Ford doesn't know is that I have the email in my outbox telling him that I couldn't possibly do this. I was about to send it when a man came to repair my fridge. I don't know what's best for me, so I would like to thank the fridge guy, and Tom, someone who does know what's best for me. An encounter with Tom Ford leaves one feeling more worldly, better groomed, more fragrant and more nominated than one has ever been before. I've worked with a lot of great directors and he's up there with the best. I'd like to thank him for putting me in a room with Julianne Moore, and Nicholas Hoult, and Matthew Goode, and now BAFTA. All I know is, don't ever press send until you've had your fridge repaired." He's SO charming.
**20.58 DIRECTOR
**After a quick look at Precious: Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire, we're on to the first of the big scary prizes: Best Director. Is it a Bigelow / Cameron showdown? Can she take it? Well, Clive Owen's presenting it (Ross describes him as "smoother than a waxed otter") so if she has any sense she's hoping especially hard on that basis. And the BAFTA goes to...KATHRYN BIGELOW, The Hurt Locker. Hooray! A woman! And an AWESOME woman! "What an honour. Especially to be in this room filled with so many incredibly talented people that I have admired and been inspired by for decades. I think the secret of directing is collaboration, and I was so, so lucky to have a wonderful cast and crew. Jeremy Renner is so incredibly talented, and a cinematographer who is a visual poet, and my incredible editors. This is really amazing and humbling and deeply moving, and I think we all felt a real responsibility to honour the men and women in the field and to honour a screenplay and a screenwriter who risked his life to capture the chaos and tragedy of war. I would like to dedicate this to never abandoning the resolution to find peace. Thank you" And she wells up.
**20.48 FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
**Carey Mulligan is presenting this one, and having a teensy bit of trouble with the autocue. And the BAFTA goes to...A PROPHET, Pascal Caucheteux, Marco Cherqui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard. "Merci infinement. Je vous adores! Vous etes tres bien habilliez!" (Thank you, I love you, you're all very well dressed.) Audiard thanks his producers, while one of those producers translates for him, and thanks Tahar Rahim. "I'm going to try to say this quickly. This is the second time that BAFTA has awarded me this prize. I'm afraid that you'll think I'm tired of it. I don't want that to be the case; I'd like you to keep giving it to me regularly. I want to thank Optimum; if I have another son I will call him Optimum. If I have a daughter, I'll call her Bafta." Best speech of the night so far!
20.44 ANIMATED FILM
"Here's a British actor who went one further than James Cameron; in In The Loop, he actually turned the air blue." It's Up Peter Up Capaldi, Up and Up the Up BAFTA Up goes Up to...UP, Pete Docter. The incredibly tall Docter takes to the stage. "Thank you very much. I am a lucky guy. Of course, I've been saying that for 17 years, because that's how long I've been married to my wife Amanda. That's what this film is about: Bob Peterson and I wanted to pay tribute to our families, the biggest adventure of all. Of course, then we added a floating house and a talking dog. Thank you to Pixar, the only studio that would make this film, and to you BAFTA for this honour." Huh. He forgot to thank us.
20.42 Obituaries
It's the teary bit, with tributes to Jack Cardiff, Betsy Blair, Budd Shulberg, Karl Malden, Ian Carmichael, Keith Waterhouse, Jennifer Jones, Maurice Jarre, Edward Woodward, Rodney Holland, David Bowen, Joseph Wiseman, John Hughes, Lionel Jeffries, David Carradine, Clive Parsons, Tom Smith, Peter Rogers, Eric Romer, Natasha Richardson, Britanny Murphy, Patrick Swayze.
**20.37 ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
**Guy Pearce is presenting this one, almost making the blurb listenable-to. And the BAFTA goes to...UP IN THE AIR, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. "Unexpected and fantastic, thank you BAFTA. Jason couldn't be here. He wanted me to thank his family, the producers and our editor who is here tonight. And we both owe a great debt to Walter Kirn, who wrote a great novel. Thank you."
Click the image above for more pictures from the press room
**20.31 RISING STAR
**Now it's time for the public-voted Orange Rising Star award, which is being presented by last year's winner Noel Clarke, looking as sharp as ever even in his reading specs. His blurb manages to mention films by all the nominees - we believe his claim that he wrote it himself given that it's not immediately forgettable. Given that this is voted for by the public, are we immediately discounting the ace-but-unknown (and foreign) Tahar Rahim for A Prophet, and betting that Twilight's Kristen Stewart will take it? We kinda are. But let's see: the BAFTA goes to...KRISTEN STEWART. What a shock. "Wow. Thank you. I guess first I have to thank all the fans of Twilight for proving again and again to be THE most devoted and attentive fans ever. Considering this is voted, credit is due to them so thank you. To the other actors nominated, I am so blown away by you that I can't even describe it. To be voted among you is just overwhelming. And I'd like to say hi to my family." That's rather a sweet speech, and one that shows awareness of the public vote; fair play.
**20.25 PRODUCTION DESIGN
**It's presented by Rebecca Hall (lovely, and very tall - although that may be her dress's incredibly pointy robo-shoulders) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (rather shorter). Surely this one's got to be Avatar? Let's see, as the BAFTA goes to...AVATAR, Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg and Kim Sinclair. "Thank you very much. Thank you for seeing and recognising Pandora, which really reflects our world too."; "I'd like to thank BAFTA, my wife and the hundreds of people in three art departments that it took to create this film, and James for allowing us to go on this journey."; "Thank you London! I'd like to thank Jon for another planet, Rick for being a great boss, and all the Kiwis that worked on the film." Now, a quick look at The Hurt Locker.
**20.22 ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
**We've just had a quick look at Up In The Air, another of the Best Picture nominees. "How many screenwriters does it take to change a lightbulb? None: that's a ridiculous note. The lightbulb is fine as it is and in fact the whole of Act Three depends on it." says Ross. And now it's, OMG (quick faint, quick revival) Robert Pattinson. "Hi. Can I first of all say congratulations to Jenny? She's a fabulous make-up artist." We'd transcribe the blurb but we're all too busy getting lost in his eyes. And the BAFTA goes to...THE HURT LOCKER and Mark Boal, which is way in the lead right now. "Thank you; this is really a wonderful honour. Of course, no screenwriter stands here alone; every screenplay stands on the talent that surrounds it. I was really fortunate to have great actors, and Kathryn Bigelow for believing in this story when it was more popular to believe in unicorns."
**20.14 OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
**"One of our foremost actresses, last seen playing a headmistress in St Trinians and Dame in waiting" Rupert Everett is presenting this one, and sounding none-more-British as he does so, of course. And the BAFTA goes to...FISH TANK. (That's a surprise; we thought An Education was in with a shout there). "This is really a great honour." Arnold adds, "Thank you to BAFTA and the jury; it really means a lot to be supported by your homies. I had this weird dream last night that I was on a campsite and trying to put a tent, and every time I found a nice place somebody else came and put up their tent and it felt really significant but I'm not sure why. Thank you to all the people who worked hard on this, and, er, God save the Queen and thank you."
**20.10 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
**Ross reckons she's "like the underwire to the decolletage of the movie". Matt Dillon is presenting, and appears to have lost his gum from earlier. And the winner is...MO'NIQUE for Precious (it HAD to be, frankly.) Mo'Nique couldn't be here this evening, so Lee Daniels collects instead. "I was like, Moan, I don't know how they're going to appreciate this overseas, but hopefully...we don't have any women in The Hurt Locker so hopefully...Thank you very much."
20.06 MAKE UP AND HAIR
It's Romola Garai and Matthew Goode presenting this one. And the winner is...THE YOUNG VICTORIA, Jenny Shircore. "I was backed by a wonderful, talented team of make-up artists, hairdressers and wig makers. I'd like to thank them all, but to also thank the cinematographer and director for making our work look so good and encouraging us all the way through."
**20.00 COSTUME DESIGN
**After a vogueish Lady Gaga quip, Ross hands over to Anil Kapoor and Claire Danes to present this one. And the winner is...THE YOUNG VICTORIA, Sandy Powell. Well, it was the only one with significant numbers of corsets and large skirts, really, so it had to be. She looks dramatic - as she should. "I'm surprised to be here. I want to dedicate this to the memory of Annie Hadley who cut the costumes for most of my films. The Young Victoria was her last one. Annie is irreplaceable and we will miss her." How dignified. As you'd expect of a film about Victoria really. And now, a featurette about An Education.
Click the image above for more pictures from the press room
**19.56 BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
**After a short interlude to take a look at the first of the Best Picture nominees, Avatar ("I only wish it had found an audience," sighs Ross), we're on to Best Supporting Actor ("the Pitta bread to the falafel of the leading man" says Ross), which Best Supporting Actress nominee Anna Kendrick is presenting. That really is a very pretty yellow. And a boring blurb. And the BAFTA goes to...CHRISTOPH WALTZ for Inglourious Basterds, of course. "Beautiful and terrific (we think he means the award, not Kendrick). Thank you so much. Supporting actor? SupportED actor. From the moment fate dropped me in front of Quentin Tarantino, everyone has supported me absolutely. What I have with Quentin Tarantino is summed up very quickly: no Quentin, no Inglourious Basterds; no Quentin, no Hans Landa; no Quentin, no Christoph at the BAFTAs or anywhere else."
**19.49 SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
**Nick Frost and Mackenzie Crook are presenting this one; Frost takes a moment to apologise for wearing a green suit with a red shirt. There's a tiny bit of banter between them, but really it's all about the award, and the winner is...AVATAR, Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones. "Thank you for this tremendous honour and to everyone who's watching, thanks for the tremendous response to our film. We had a great story and a great vision, and for that we have to thank our director James Cameron. I also have to thank Jon Landau our producer, who had an unshakeable vision of what this film could be." They thank ILM, Weta, Framestore and everyone on the Volume, as well as their spouses and children for putting up with them.
**19.46 CINEMATOGRAPHY
**Tom Hollander's presenting this one, with the usual blurb. And the BAFTA goes to...THE HURT LOCKER (that's a shock; no Avatar there?), Barry Ackroyd. "Amazing. Thanks to Kathryn of course for this great film, and Mark for a fantastic script. To come after Joe, as well; we just try to do our best. Sometimes it's a small film, sometimes a big film, but I'm very proud to receive this."
**19.36 OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
**This is being presented by Terry Gilliam who Ross says “has amazed and confused us in equal parts”. “Good evening. This is an award that I'm really happy to give, to the people I really admire in this business: the geniuses behind the scenes who do all the work who allow us glamorous, above-the-line people to take all the credit. The award goes to “a genius who has been working his magic for 40 years and has pioneered some of cinema's most important technical leaps”, JOE DUNTON. He invented video assist, so that people can see what the camera sees, as well as the heated eyepiece (very useful in sub-zero temperatures). “Joe's work has been truly important to so many people, and one of the great things is that, in terms of camera, one of the most difficult people to work with was Stanley Kubrick, and Stanley trusted Joe to push the limits of his equipment.” Says it all really. He worked on 2001, Oliver!, The Shining, Gladiator and loads more...“I'm fortunate, because I knew I was getting this so I had the chance to rehearse it under the script supervision of my daughter. When I heard I was getting this award, my daughter demanded that I buy her a new dress, my wife told me to write down my speech, and my son wanted to come with me. Everyone here strives to create magic, and tell stories that move a darkened room and images that nobody has seen before. The desire to find the new spans generations: I know this because my oldest son worked with Quentin Tarantino in Germany to find a new way to set a cinema on fire. (Pause for him to put his glasses on, massive applause. They're 3D!) These images (takes them off again). I ask everybody here to make it their responsibility to demand the high standards of cinema that have been met by the past. I want to thank BAFTA for honouring me. Not only me, but all the technicians who prep the equipment and all the artists who work behind the screen. I want to apologise to my wife for this speech and thank her for putting up with me, and I want to tell my youngest son who's here tonight, don't drink too much.” Huge applause.
19.30 EDITING
Still Marsan and Whitaker presenting. And the BAFTA goes to...THE HURT LOCKER, Bob Murawski and Chris Innis. “War is a drug but so is filmmaking, and for us, those who are addicted to filmmaking, this is one of the greatest honours.”
19.30 SOUND
It's Eddie Marsan and Jodie Whitaker presenting this one, with a big heap of sci-fi nominees. And the winner is... THE HURT LOCKER, the first of many this evening? Ray Beckett and Paul Ottosson are the winners. "What a fantastic honour. To be here tonight and receive this is unbelieveable."
**19.27 MUSIC
**It's Aaron Johnson presenting this one. His speech is dull. And the BAFTA goes to...UP! Michael Giacchino! Yay! “This is crazy, this is really crazy. To be able to travel to such an amazing city and get this - and I don't have to pay for the travel or ANYTHING, and to be able to travel with the friends with whom I made this, that is probably the best gift ever!"
19.19 SHORT FILM AND SHORT ANIMATION
It's James Corden and Olivia Williams presenting, an odd duo. "From behind that set, it actually looks like the MILF awards. That's my kind of awards show. Winslet, gotta be a frontrunner. You've got kids, right Olivia? You'd make the shortlist. I'm sorry, I've ruined it for everyone," says Corden. "This'll all be cut from the show anyway. Wow, this place goes miles up. Pointless - watch it from home. But I'm really going for it now. Seriously, I'd like this gig next year, because I doubt he'll be doing it (gestures at Ross)". He starts reading out the blurb, and then says, "Clearly, I didn't write this. I think it's important to acknowledge that I've already been very funny." SHORT FILM goes to...I DO AIR, James Bolton and Martina Armati. “Thank you BAFTA. This film is about going underwater and I am a free diver. Given that this is the highest award in this country for a short film I feel I have touched the bottom of the ocean.” SHORT ANIMATION goes to...MOTHER OF MANY, Sally Arthur and Emma Lazenby. “I really can't believe that, and I've forgotten my speech, but thank you so much. Thank you to all the women who let me record their pregnant bellies, and my wife who was a midwife for 33 and a half years.”
Click the image above for more pictures from the press room
**19.14 OUTSTANDING BRITISH DEBUT
**Colin Firth is presenting the Carl Foreman award to a writer, director or producer in their first film. "Yes, I have an award here that celebrates all that is new and fresh and courageous in British cinema. I am told that the appointment of myself as presenter was *not *ironic." And the BAFTA goes to...DUNCAN JONES FOR MOON! Hooray! "Waow. Thank you so much. I didn't actually realise how much this meant to me. It's taken me an awfully long time to know what I want to do with my life, and finally I think I've found what I love doing, and I want to thank everyone who helped me get there." He's all teared up - bless!
19.13 The Montage
It's all the best bits from this year's films. Weren't they good, those films? Remember that bit where it was good? Or the bit where something went boom / smooch / haha? Carl from Up got the last word. Or at least raspberry.
19.05 And we're...starting?
Yes! There's theme music and lights moving. It's here at last - and here's our host, Jonathan Ross. "...coming to you from James Cameron's motion-capture shed in Burbank in downtown Los Angeles...Look around: you can see why we come back to the Royal Opera House. The only other place you can find such baroque oppulence is Elton John's utility room. This set is what I imagine Quentin Tarantino's bathroom looks like. You've brought London to a standstill, and it usually takes 3cm of snow to do that. The great Dustin Hoffman is here, and as a method actor you can see him preparing for his next role: Man Pretending To Recognise Awards-Show Host, Even Though We've Met Three Or Four Times. And there's Kate WInslet, trying to come to terms with only having starred in the second biggest film of all time. We're here to celebrate films made with a breathless audacity rarely found outside an MP's expense form. The past year has seen the release of many films, including the groundbreaking Avatar. It was such an unstoppable juggernaut I assumed it had been made by Toyota. I went to see the 3D version and it was incredible. I turned to the bloke next to me to ask what he thought, and he said, "You can't talk to me; I'm in the film." I adored Up. For the first ten minutes, I cried tears of heartbreak; for the next hour I cried tears of laughter. By the end of the film I was so dehydrated they had to take me out in a dustpan. I also loved The Hangover, but I had to wonder if anyone has ever woken up with a tiger in the bathroom. Apart from half the cocktail waitresses in America, anyway - but he's apologised now so that's OK.
19.01 Aha!
Turns out the reason that Prince William is here is that outgoing BAFTA President Lord (Richard) Attenborough has asked Wills to become President of BAFTA, so that explains that. God bless him, William is not a natural public speaker. He claims to be intimidated, and we actually believe him. Apparently Mickey Rourke will wrestle him offstage if he goes on too long, so that's a comfort. His speech in summary: "British film is wonderful. The Royals aren't so bad either. I like films. I'm honoured."
18.54 Royal Opera House, Interior, Night
Well, we have a static shot of the ROH, looking pretty, but without much happening. Still, people are starting to take their seats, Kate Winslet's chatting to James Cameron (we assume she's forgiven him for Titanic) and we are hoping that there will be action in the near future. So far, we're half an hour behind the published schedule, so about on time then. Oh, and here's the Chairman of BAFTA to talk us through the boring bit. It's a welcome and a bit of housekeeping, so we won't even attempt to transcribe it.
18.40 There are wild screams; that must mean...
Wait! It's R.Pattz! People are swooning and crying and he's being smiley and charming and having his picture taken with them and his hair's all tousled and all around me, straight men are turning gay. Some old man in a woolly hat will NOT quit shouting his name. (The journalist in front of us just looked at all this mayhem and said, "Who?") He's officially bigger than Prince William. Pattinson, not the guy in front.
18.39 It's All Gone Quiet
Brace yourselves, people, for the start of the ceremony...
Click the image above for more pictures from the red carpet
18.33 Rourke The House
As everyone heads into the house, last year's Best Actor winner Mickey Rourke turns up rocking a man-bun in his hair and a grey suit. James Nesbit is still on the carpet; we're not sure why, and a few c'lebs are still getting their pictures taken, but basically everyone is now headed in. In better news, veggie coq au vin is as delicious as it is badly named.
18.26 His Royal WHAT?
Prince William has just shown up, in something of a turn-up for the books. Good news: he's lost the black hair dye he appeared to have for that magazine cover. The crowd are acting like R.Pattz himself has arrived. In other news, the by-now traditional Thai green chicken curry or gnocchi for the veggies in the press room has this year been replaced by coq au vin or "vegetarian coq au vin". Empire: bringing you all the news that matters...
18.21 Cameron And On And On
James Cameron has arrived and is amicably signing autographs, which somehow seems weird to us. Rather unfairly, we had visions of him shouting at the crowd. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is here, presumably nominated for his role in From Paris With Love. Or so we like to think.
18.16 Go Firth And Conquer
"Hello, Colin; we're live on E!", says Duncan-from-Blue (by whom we are increasingly fascinated). Not sure they should mention that live on air - it's still an illegal drug, people. Colin Firth seems rather bored with questions about playing gay men. But he's wearing Tom Ford, so he won't be in trouble with his director. Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson have finished signing separately and reunited, and actually make rather a cute couple. Jamie Winston is rocking a Marilyn Monroe style platinum bob. Kate Winslet is here, and levels of awesomeness have shot through the roof.She just looks better every year, even with lacy cutouts of her dress under her arms and round her back.
18.12 Tom Ford On The Carpet
Tom Ford, director of A Single Man and the sharpest designer around, is wearing himself ("I only wear myself!") and has set Phil to wondering how someone can have such designer-looking five-o'clock shadow. Guy Pearce is here with shaved head and dad glasses which somehow make him look like Brad Pitt. SPOILER FOLLOWS "So, obviously you're here for The Hurt Locker, but you're only in it for ten minutes and then you get blown up - what's that about?" asks Duncan-from-Blue, in psosibly his most insightful question to date. END SPOILER Claire Danes and Jonathan Ross anre now working the carpet behind them. Pearce hasn't seen Priscilla: The Musical.
18.08 Serkis Comes To Town
Best Actor nominee Andy Serkis is rocking an Ian Dury-appropriate teddy boy roll-quiff and taking pictures with everyone and their mum. The big news of the carpet so far: Audrey Tautou is NOT wearing Chanel! Quel horreur! And she's up for Coco Before Chanel too. Nick Frost is here, with longer hair than ever.
18.04 Andrew Stanton Of Mars
Pixar's Andrew Stanton is walking the carpet with Lynn Collins, who's currently starring for him in John Carter of Mars, which is currently shooting in London. As is appropriate for one of the red Martians, she's wearing a rather fab crimson dress, which still isn't quite as red as Jane Goldman's hair. Anne-Marie Duff is looking gorgeous, and let's just say that her dress is benefitting from her pregnancy. And we take it all back: Bonnie Wright is with Jamie Campbell Bower after all. Shhh, don't tell Harry.
Click the image above for more pictures from the red carpet
18.00
It's official: the big puffy sleeves on Audrey Tautou's dress are bigger than she is. Theories here: "She looks like she's wearing the inside of a swan" (Phil); "I think she fell through a curtain" (Ali). A bit of Bollywood glam here; Anil Kapoor, who of course starred in BAFTA winner Slumdog last year, is here. And there's Colin Firth. If there's a dapper shortage where you are, it's because he's stockpiled the lot of it.
17.56 Classy!
Terry Gilliam's sensibly wearing a nice woolly scarf; Jane Goldman, less sensibly but perhaps more fabulously, is wearing a va-va-voom green dress accesorised with SCARLET hair; Harvey Weinstein's appeared, looking as bullish as ever, while Peter Capaldi and Duncan Jones pose for pictures. Gabourey Sidibe is being being the feistiest, liveliest interview Duncan-from-Blue has had to date.
17.52 It's A Red-Carpet Feeding Frenzy!
Jamie Campbell-Bower is here, but apparently without Ginny Weasley in tow. Armando Ianucci is signing 'graphs by the handful, but we're most excited about the wonderful Stanley Tucci, nominated for The Lovely Bones but totally adorable in Julie & Julia as well. NIcholas Hoult, who appears in A Single Man, is here too; while Kristen Stewart is doing her best to put up with the stupid questions and general attention on the carpet - that girl is a very reluctant star.
17.49 Kick-Ass!
Aaron "Kick-Ass" Johnson is strutting the carpet like he owns it. Gabourey Sidibe was walking calmly and elegantly up the carpet until she suddenly screamed, "Oh my god that guy has a sign! I have to sign that sign!" and rushed off the beaten track to give an autograph. Clive Owen is walking the carpet, and women everywhere are swooning, just a little.
**17.44 Farmiga And Away
**Vera Farmiga just looked a bit bemused when Duncan-from-Blue started waxing lyrical about her stunning blue eyes. He appears to be making a serious move here. The screaming has reached a new pitch - has R.Pattz or someone arrived? OMG, Cilla Black is here! And Jason "we love him" Isaacs is on the carpet too, no doubt charming everyone within a 50ft radius as is his wont.
17.40 Carbeouf?
So according to a caption on E!, the romantic pairing of Carey Mulligan and Shia LaBeouf can be described as "Carbeouf". Not really, surely? I mean, seriously? Meanwhile, Kristen Stewart has turned up, in a rather awesome pearly dress. Good news: that Runaways mullet is finally, slowly, beginning to grow out.
Click the image above for more pictures from the red carpet
17.36 Family Affair
Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave are proving that some families have a quite unnatural amount of good genes. Richardson's dress may be our favourite so far - nifty jewelled shoulders. Peter Capaldi is signing autographs and hasn't called anyone anything unprintable (that we can tell), which is a bit disappointing. Saoirse Ronan has an adorably thick accent in real life, which we're currently enjoying on Duncan's watch.
17.33 Stumbling Into A Soul Patch
Jeremy Renner's looking great, apart from an unfortunate soul patch that takes him from a nine-and-three-quarters down to an eight-and-a-half. Vera Farmiga's in a one-shoulder white dress that appears to have an origami crane perched on the top. Takes much of her poise, but she's working it.
17.29 Cute!
Saoirse Ronan has turned up in a gorgeous little white frilly dress, in which she's managing to look age-appropriate but also awesome. Nice one, Ireland's finest! Christoph Waltz in his interview with Duncan-from- Blue, is being adorably modest and explaining that he still can't believe his success. Meanwhile, Alfred Molina (up for Best Supporting Actor) has something very close to a mohawk sort of a buzz cut and is lookking awesome. It has, however, started raining. We're still not loving Carey Mulligan's dress. It looks like it has a rash.
17.25 Cue Filler!
That swimmer from Strictly Come Dancing has arrived, so even if it starts raining again at least we know that someone can get away clean. Olivia Williams is in a black dress with some VERY risque cutouts. Daring! Amazing diamond cuff though, so if she gives us that we'll forgive her.
17.19 Clarkes
Noel Clarke's on the carpet; as last year's Rising Star winner he'll be presenting that award this year. Meanwhile, Tarantino walked straight past the 6 Music dude, while Duncan-from-Blue asks Anna Kendrick about her shoes and Matthew Goode about, well, nothing at all. Duncan Jones is also talking Moon, while Best Actress favbourite Carey Mulligan is signing autographs further down the carpet. She's looking elfin, which is of course the only officially approved descriptor for her. It's the pixie haircut. Not sure about the dress though - it's mostly black on top, mostly white on the bottom, and covered in black flowers.
17.16 Like, ZOMG!
According to Duncan-from-Blue on the E! feed, Robert Pattinson is due to walk the red carpet this evening. We're not sure even an entire building will insulate us from the resulting screams. Spare a thought for poor Sam and Chris on the red carpet, who will almost certainly be deaf by morning. Ooooh, but now Quentin Tarantino is walking the carpet to a flurry of excitement, and Matt Dillon is busy signing autographs and looking be-quiffed doing it. And also chewing gum, to prove that he's still cool despite wearing a dinner jacket.
17.13 Filler Shots
The unedited feed from the red carpet does result in some odd shots. We are currently watching a rather startled looking man in a headset nodding his head repeatedly. Moments ago we saw that annoying man from 6 Music having his face repeatedly powdered. And then there are occasionalarty shots of the front of the Royal Opera House. No news there really; we just thought we'd share.
**17.10 Waltz With Me
**Christoph Waltz is merrily signing autographs along the carpet and not, as far as we can tell, hunting any Jews. Matthew Goode is looking impossibly dapper and is so far the winner of the Noel Coward Award for 1920s Style Slicked-Down Hair. Someone get that man a country house and a murder mystery to solve.
Click the image above for more pictures from the red carpet
17. 04 First Red-Carpet Arrival!
Anna Kendrick is on the carpet, in a sensible black overcoat and some big dangly fabulous earrings. Oooh, canary yellow dress under that coat. Twi-hards in the crowd are going wild - we're not sure if any of them have even heard of Up In The Air. Also now trotting the carpet in the mother of all up-dos (Ali's describing it as "a vertical Croydon facelift") is Romola Garai, in a fab multicoloured dress.
16.45 At The BAFTAs
Your intrepid team of Empire reporters are in place, poised like panthers to await the arrival of all the stars at this years Orange British Academy Film Awards. On the red carpet, Chris and Sam will be accosting poor, innocent celebrities on camera for your viewing pleasure - assuming they don't succumb to frostbite before the stars show up. Here in the media centre, Phil, Ali and myself (that'd be Helen) will be tweeting, blogging and news-story writing through the event. The red carpet arrivals start from 5pm, the ceremony at 6.30 - and we'll be bringing you winners as they're announced, since they've done away with the 9pm embargo this year. So if you're watching on TV and want to avoid spoilers, stop reading at 6.30pm!