Baftas 2026: the red carpet, the ceremony, the winners – follow live!

Paul Mescal shows off his no-iron look ahead of the Baftas ceremony. Photograph: David Fisher/Shutterstock

It’s a triple Irish threat. Now here’s Paul Mescal. The Hamnet star is wearing a look from Prada. The slightly crumpled shirt and threadbare cuffs are a signature of the brand that likes to toy with the definition of luxury. Bet Mescal was pleased that he didn’t have to bother with the ironing this Sunday.

Cillian Murphy displaying his classic no-nonsense approach to awards season. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

Here comes another Irish star. Cillian Murphy, who takes a no-nonsense approach to red carpet etiquette and fashion, has gone for a classic black suit. The high lapels on the blazer are a nice touch, as is the white tie on white shirt.

Hamnet star Jessie Buckley in a striking blue velvet number. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

The Hamnet star Jessie Buckley, who is hotly tipped to win best leading actress at this evening’s ceremony, has just arrived and is wearing a striking blue velvet dress. The Irish actor recently started working with the Hollywood stylist Danielle Goldberg. Goldberg also works with Ayo Edebiri and Greta Lee, and over the past couple of months she has been honing Buckley’s red carpet approach. They have been sticking to a pared-back colour palette, including black-and-white looks from McQueen and Valentino. This evening’s marine blue look is a surprise, but we do love a celebrity who keeps us on our toes.

Glenn Close refuses to be overlooked as she arrives for the ceremony. Photograph: David Fisher/Shutterstock

On the red carpet, Glenn Close is telling Dazed magazine that the line “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan” from her role in Fatal Attraction is still stuck in her head. Close, who is presenting an award later, definitely isn’t being overlooked in this beautiful black coat with shimmering silver embroidery detailing. The 78-year-old has hot-footed it from the Erdem show at London fashion week, where she sat front row next to Helen Mirren.

Stormzy makes his first red carpet appearance since last year. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

We haven’t seen Stormzy on a red carpet in a little while. His last big appearance was at the 2025 Met Gala, where he wore an unbuttoned white dress shirt over a vest from Haider Ackermann’s debut collection for Tom Ford. Today, the rapper has gone for a traditional tuxedo and accessorised it with a little red rose brooch in place of a corsage. The look is smart, chic and shows why a tux is an all-time classic.

Kerry Washington handles her long train like a pro at the 2026 Bafta film awards. Photograph: Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

Kerry Washington, who is presenting an award later, has chosen a trailing gown from Prada for the occasion. The navy dress features some gorgeous floral applique detailing around the bustier. We wouldn’t like to be tackling any steps with a train that long, especially in front of an audience but, then again, we are not Hollywood stars.

A little light reading

For anyone who fancies some homework before we know the final results, here’s a primer:

The full list of nominations
Peter Bradshaw’s predictions
News on who’s nominated and who isn’t, plus more on the snubs
The identity crisis facing the Baftas
Why awards-show hosting is the worst job in the world, plus more on this year’s host, Alan Cumming
The best Bafta moments in history – ranked (features a fantastic photo of John Hurt)

Paddington Bear walks the red carpet in his signature, and very on trend, duffel coat. Photograph: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

All the best Hollywood stylists will tell you the trick to nailing red carpet style is to wear something you are comfortable in. Paddington Bear has taken this advice and ran with it. The bear from Peru has stuck to his signature blue wool duffel coat and red felt hat. We’ve recently seen duffel coats on the catwalks of designers including Coach and Simone Rocha, and the Oasis star Liam Gallagher, so Paddington is very on trend. He hasn’t overlooked the glam, either. Those claws look particularly shiny – perhaps the result of pre-carpet pawdicure?

Alan Cumming on the red carpet at the 2026 Bafta film awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Photograph: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic

Hello everyone, Chloe from the fashion desk here. For the next two hours I’ll be overseeing the good, the great and the downright bizarre looks on the red carpet. The first to arrive is this year’s host Alan Cumming. The presenter and host of The Traitors US is known for his love of a flamboyant look and he is not disappointing here. No doubt, Cummingwill change for his actual presenter duties, but for his arrival he has gone for a gradient coloured coat covered in tassels. Swishing along the red carpet, Cumming demands attention. Stand by for a closer look at his hair.

Chase Infiniti in a strapless burgundy gown on the similarly coloured red carpet. Photograph: Ian West/PA

Here is Chase Infiniti, who is nominated for best leading actress for her role in One Battle After Another. The American has gone for strapless burgundy fluted gown which, thanks to a carpet’s similar colouring, gives the illusion that she is hovering above ground. To Infiniti and beyond!

Alan Cumming shows off his flamboyant head wear on the Bafta’s red carpet. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

As I said Cumming, loves a flamboyant look and nothing says theatrical like swirls of neon feathers glued to one’s scalp. It’s just the fun start we needed.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Guardian’s liveblog of the 2026 Bafta film awards. This is exactly the place to be if you enjoy celebrating the best cinema of the last year. It is also the place to be if you like looking at pictures of famous people being visibly surprised by dour weather, but that’s probably less important.

As always, the Baftas need a little bit of explaining, so here we go. As we speak, the red carpet is already in full swing at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Two hours from now the ceremony will begin, where it will run for between two-and-a-half to three hours. However, that will mean nothing to television viewers, because the BBC’s broadcast of the ceremony doesn’t begin until 7pm. Clear?

So here’s how the next few hours will go. Any moment now, Chloe MacDonnell will start bringing you the best looks from the red carpet. Then, the show will start, and we’ll all pretend that we don’t know who the winners are. And then, at 7pm, I’ll cover the glorious two-hour BBC broadcast. After that, we’ll just keep dancing until we’re all exhausted.

Now that the housekeeping is over, we have a lot to look forward to tonight. More than most years, the Baftas are shaping up to be a pretty decent bellwether for the Oscars. One Battle After Another leads the way with 14 nominations, while Sinners follows with 13 and both Hamnet and Marty Supreme close behind on 11 each. It might also be the night that The Ballad of Wallis Island finally gets the awards it deserves, which would be very exciting.

But this is all to come. For now, kick back and enjoy yourself. It’s going to be a long night.