Bafta viewers praise David Tennant’s second stint as host: ‘This is how you open an awards show’

The ‘Doctor Who’ star stunned crowds in a kilt

Not every joke can be a winner – but David Tennant’s second stint as Baftas host has been mostly approved by viewers.

Celebrating the best in British film, the 2025 Bafta Film Awards took place on Sunday (16 February) with Hollywood’s brightest stars descending upon London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Tennant, 53, returned to host the ceremony for a second time, making a splash in a bedazzled suit.

The Doctor Who star got off to a show-stopping start, performing a musical opening number in which he sang a rendition of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, with appearances from James McAvoy, Anna Kendrick, Selena Gomez, and Colman Domingo, all of whom chimed in from their auditorium seats.

Elsewhere, he earned a laugh when he referred to Donald Trump as a villain and likened the US president to “Beetlejuice”.

Less of a hit, however, was the actor’s joke about Putin, which reportedly earned a groan from the star-studded crowd, which included Selena Gomez, Timothee Chalamet, Pamela Anderson, Saoirse Ronan, and Hugh Grant.

Speaking to the audience, Tennant referenced the nominated film Anora, which follows the story of a sex worker in Brooklyn who falls in love with a Russian oligarch’s son.

“We have to mention Anora, the tale of a young woman falling in love with the son of a Russian Oligarch,” he said. “Where would normal people even meet someone like that – Putin-der?” he joked, in reference to the Russian president and the dating app Tinder.

(EPA)

Elsewhere in his monologue, 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 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.”

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

"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.

Elsewhere during the awards show, Warwick Davis left viewers in tears with his emotional tribute to his late wife.

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