David Tennant Will Host the 2025 BAFTAs on BritBox

Though our pop culture tends to make a big deal of it, hosting is an often thankless job. Whether you're running the show at the Oscars, the Emmys, or some other big deal event, you're asked to become the face of the forces trying to wrangle many aspects of a behemoth production into order. Make sure the proverbial trains of the broadcast run on time. Be funny but not (too) controversial. Have a good monologue, but don't make yourself the center of attention. Be respectful but not overbearing. It's a difficult task, and many famous people are awful at it. (See also: James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Jo Koy, Seth McFarlane, David Letterman.)

One of the few who seems to have done it right in recent years is David Tennant, the beloved actor, and former Doctor Who star who hosted last year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (referred to as the Film BAFTAs) ceremony in a kilt, performed a Staged skit with best friend and frequent screen partner Michael Sheen, and displayed a warm, utterly sincere charm throughout. (Is he the most likable man on the planet? Maybe!) 

“We couldn’t be happier that David Tennant is returning to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards* in 2025,” BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said in a statement. “He is an absolute pleasure to work with, and his performance this year was simply outstanding – warm, witty, whip-smart, and with a delightful touch of mischief. It is a privilege to share Britain’s biggest celebration of film with TV audiences worldwide and to recognize the extraordinary creativity of those who power the British and global film industry.”

(*The TV BAFTAs are held separately in May and have not announced a host as yet.)

Round one of voting for the 2025 awards opened on December 6, 2024, and more than 220 feature titles have been entered. The longlists for all BAFTA categories — including Best Film, Director, Cinematography, Casting, Documentary, and Film Not in the English Language — will be announced on January 3, 2025, followed by final nominations on January 15. Next year's awards will feature the introduction of a new Children's & Family Film category. 

“It’s quite curious,” Tennant told The Hollywood Reporter. “Because it’s not something I’d ever imagined I would be asked to do or particularly aspired to do — it was one of those things that came out of the blue. And you think I probably can’t say no to this because it’s such a unique thing to be a part of. When they asked me back, I thought, ‘Really, are you sure?’ But, you know, why not?”

The 78th Annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts will be held at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London and be broadcast live on Sunday, February 16, 2025, on Britbox in the U.S.