The BBC is braced for politics to steal the spotlight at the Baftas on Sunday night, with some winners and presenters expected to follow in the footsteps of their peers at US awards ceremonies by criticising Donald Trump.
Although the event is likely to be dominated by the apolitical La La Land, which is nominated for 11 awards, the presence of politically minded cast and crew including the director Ken Loach – so far not offered a place on the podium at US equivalents – could lead to some lively acceptance speeches.
A BBC spokesperson said the show would be edited for length – it is broadcast two hours after the ceremony takes place – but the programme-makers would do their best to reflect the essence of any speeches made. “This is not a political event,” the spokesperson said. “Actors and actresses have a right to air their views. It’s our duty to reflect their views.”
Many headlines after the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards last month focused not on the films but on the speeches. Meryl Streep won much acclaim – and Trump’s attention – for denouncing his impersonation of a disabled reporter. Three weeks later Mahershala Ali, the star of Moonlight, delivered a tearful protest against the newly introduced travel ban.
Other stars who have weighed in against the US president at recent awards ceremonies include Hugh Laurie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Taylor Schilling, Sarah Paulson, Bryan Cranston and Viola Davis. Press conferences at the Berlin film festival have revolved around the same topic, with the likes of Richard Gere, Steve Coogan and the Mexican actor Diego Luna all questioning Trump’s policies.
A fortnight ago an unnamed Bafta employee was quoted in the Sun as saying organisers were concerned that the density of political protest would detract from the awards, and that speeches would therefore be vulnerable to censorship.
The Baftas are always edited for broadcast, with the live event scheduled to run 45 minutes longer than the BBC transmission. In previous years, speeches from the likes of Joshua Oppenheimer and Adam Curtis have been heavily edited - omitting in the former instance a critique of US and UK policy on Indonesia, and in the latter case questioning of the BBC’s coverage of al-Qaida. In Curtis’s case the BBC maintained the trim was for space, although Curtis – himself a BBC employee – said he suspected otherwise. Priority is also usually given to major fiction winners over documentaries.
Although Bafta is responsible for the ceremony, the BBC has editorial control over the telecast. The broadcaster’s guidance says it has a duty to “fairly and accurately reflect the passionately held views of recipients and attendees”. It adds: “At the same time, we have a duty to fairly reflect as many awards, nominees and winners as possible. Where we have to edit for length, we ensure that the essence of the speeches, which are included, are properly reflected.”
There is no specific mention of live events in the BBC’s impartiality rules, and a press officer refused to speculate on whether a large number of speeches that all sided with a particular stance would be problematic for the corporation.
They added: “We’ve been broadcasting the Baftas for years and years and years. There’s always something going on in the world and we’ve always got it right.”
Bafta’s own guidance for those taking to the podium is succinct: “We respectfully ask all winners to keep their acceptance speech short.” But one person working for the organisation said that although they were sceptical politics would dominate, the ceremony would doubtless be enlivened by such fireworks.
Bookies say this year’s awards are the most predictable ever, with little chance of upsets in the key six categories. La La Land looks certain to take home the awards for best picture, best director and best actress (for Emma Stone), and a best actor win for Manchester by the Sea star Casey Affleck is almost inevitable. The supporting categories are yet more locked in, with Moonlight’s Ali and Fences’s Viola Davis taking almost every equivalent award so far this season.
The relative lack of controversy favoured by the makers of La La Land could reduce the chances of anti-Trump rhetoric this year, and so could the choice of host. Now in his 13th year as MC, Stephen Fry is unlikely to fill his patter with digs at the new president, particularly in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the audience.
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