David Tennant mocks ‘villain’ Donald Trump at Bafta awards

‘I’m worried. I’ve said his name three times’ joked Tennant

Baftas host David Tennant referred to Donald Trump as a villain and likened the US president to “Beetlejuice” during his opening monologue at the London ceremony.

The Doctor Who actor returned to host the event again this year and opened up the evening with a rendition of “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, featuring vocal cameos from James McAvoy, Anna Kendrick and Colman Domingo.

Tennant, 53, then went swiftly into his speech, where he took several swipes at Trump, the subject of the controversial biopic The Apprentice, which was nominated for three awards on the night.

The actor joked by comparing the president’s hair to the architecture seen in The Brutalist.

He said that The Brutalist is “a film about incredible architecture. In fact, it’s the boldest architecture in film this year, apart from Donald Trump’s hair in ‘The Apprentice.'”

Tennant continued “Donald Trump, he says he hasn’t seen ‘The Apprentice,’ because it’s a 15. It’s not on Nickelodeon. Donald Trump. I’m worried. I’ve said his name three times. It’s like Beetlejuice – I have summoned him. And talking of villains…”

Tennant then transitioned to talk about two horror films that were nominated Heretic and Nosferatu.

David Tennant (EPA)

Elsewhere in his speech, Tennant made fun of the length of some of the films, asking: "If you do win, please keep your speeches the opposite to your films, nice and short."

He also said: “In Conclave Stanley Tucci plays Cardinal Bellini, which makes a lot of sense, because if anyone knows how to whip up an excellent Bellini.”

"You look like you've all had a couple of shots of The Substance," he also joked. The Substance is a body horror film where Demi Moore’s fading Hollywood icon takes a black market drug to enhance her appearance and revamp her career.

The Independent listed the winners live as they were revealed, which was hours before the televised broadcast began on BBC One at 7pm. See the full list of winners here.