By Actors on the BAFTA red carpet celebrated being in England by settling into discussions about the weather. Bradley Cooper reminisced about the year that he and Joaquin Phoenix "got drenched" on their walk to the ceremony, and Lily Collins commented, "It's freezing. Everybody's very cold, but everybody's very happy to be here", with a smile you could almost believe.
Fortunately there was much more to report on than the weather by the evening's close. Here's the five biggest talking points from the star-studded ceremony:
Joanna Lumley's jokes didn't go over too well
Lumley's opening monologue last night made us long for the days of Stephen Fry - the host she replaced in 2018 - which is really saying something. Among some of the excruciatingly tone deaf jokes were one about Blackkklansman doing well at the 'Klan Film Festival' to very nervous laughter, and a gag about next year's hit film being called And The Bafta Goes To, as a riff on the title of The Favourite.
Listening to the speech was like enduring a joke firing squad, something that Lumley seemed to feel too as she delivered the jokes with no conviction, as though almost apologising for making them. It was a great advert for going the way of the Oscar's this year and running without a host.
The Favourite won big, but not the top prizes
Yorgos Lanthimos' punk period drama reigned triumphantly over the evening, netting seven wins. Rachel Weisz took home 'Best Supporting Actress' beating front-runners Amy Adams and Claire Foy. The Favourite also took home 'Best British Film' as well as screenplay, costume, make-up and production awards.
Olivia Colman was crowned 'Best Actress' and in receiving the award delivered the best speech of the evening, following on from her excellent Golden Globes celebration. The perfect mixture of humour ("We're gonna get so pissed later!") and modest charm ("As far as I'm concerned all three of us are the lead"), she exited the stage after promising to scratch the names of her co-stars onto the award.
While it was expected the British film would triumph on home soil, it lost out on the directing and coveted 'Best Picture' slots to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma. The latest clue that the black and white film about a domestic worker in Mexico City is going to walk away with the big Oscar prize.
Rami Malek got closer to his Oscar
It's a strange year for the 'Best Actor' category with mixed opinions on the performances of contenders such as Christian Bale, Viggo Mortensen and Bradley Cooper. While Bohemian Rhapsody has divided critics and audiences, Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury continues to sweep the board. Adding the 'Best Actor' BAFTA to his bulging trophy cabinet last night meant the actor edges ever closer to an Academy Award.
Malek's acceptance speech for 'Best Leading Actor' avoided mention of director Bryan Singer who is facing multiple counts of sexual assault, as reported by The Atlantic. Singer's name was rescinded as part of Bohemian Rhapsody's nomination for 'Best British Film' after the allegations were reported.
Richard E. Grant won without winning
Our deep appreciation for the Withnail & I actor lapping up every moment of award season is well documented. Last night he didn't disappoint, sharing videos of himself dancing in a hotel corridor on his daughter's instructions and repeatedly standing to applaud other people's wins while grinning.
Disappointingly he failed to win the 'Best Supporting Actor' for his fantastic performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?. His status as a British icon meant he was more likely to take this than the Oscar, which now looks increasingly unlikely. Fortunately he's still grinning like a Golden Ticket winner at being invited along.
Also facing disappointment was Adam McKay's Dick Cheney biopic Vice, which failed to win anything beyond an editing award despite multiple nominations. Might that spell the same fate for it later this month at the Academy Awards?
Veganism triumphed
It was a victory for animals in the short film category, where the story of Jay and Katja Wilde took home the prize. 73 Cows tells of how the emotional burden of sending cattle to slaughter saw them start growing vegan crops and decide to send their 73 cows to an animal shelter. While vegans will naturally be thrilled at the news, seeing the abattoir-spared cows frolicking is a feel-good sight anyone can get on board with.
