Some of the film industry’s biggest names are set to descend upon the Royal Albert Hall – and do battle with the perennially awful British weather – for the 72nd annual BAFTA ceremony.
The likes of Olivia Colman, Glenn Close, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper are all slated to put in an appearance on the biggest night in British film, which will once again be hosted by the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley.
Some of this year’s hopefuls will be stepping onto the BAFTA red carpet for the very first time. Close’s appearance, for example, will mark her debut at the event, despite having worked in the industry for decades, and though Colman has previously netted BAFTA TV awards, tonight’s film awards are her first.
Sadly, we’ll have to wait another year to see Lady Gaga cross paths with the Duchess of Cambridge: the Best Actress nominee is thought to have chosen the Grammys over the BAFTAs, where she’s in with a chance of picking up a handful of awards for A Star Is Born’s standout track, Shallow.
Others have a long history with the ceremony – as scrolling back through the archives proves. The Favourite’s Rachel Weisz has been a BAFTA mainstay since 2001 (when she attended with Kate Winslet), while Richard E Grant has been on the awards circuit since the Nineties.
Here are some of our favourite BAFTA debuts from this year’s nominees.
Bradley Cooper
Cooper was caught in a very British downpour at the 2013 ceremony. Here's hoping he learns from his mistakes and packs an umbrella this time around.
Rachel Weisz
Is it just us, or has Weisz barely aged a day since her 2001 BAFTA debut? We'll give her extra points for the quintessentially Noughties outfit, too.
Richard E. Grant
Grant has been everyone's favourite awards show guest since the Nineties - though he'll almost certainly manage to take more selfies at this year's event.
Claire Foy
Before she was crowned Netflix's Queen, Foy made an understated but stylish BAFTA debut in 2011. She was accompanied by her then-partner, Stephen Campbell Moore.
Emma Stone
Looking back, Emma Stone is hardly recognisable without her trademark red hair. She attended her first BAFTAs as a Rising Star nominee in 2011, and has since notched up a further three nominations - with a win for La La Land in 2017.
