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Ross pledges Bafta awards surprise

Pa
Wednesday 14 January 2009 14:08 GMT
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Jonathan Ross has promised to slip in an "improbable word" when he hosts the Bafta film awards next month.

He will present the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony a fortnight after the BBC lifts his suspension over the Andrew Sachs lewd phone calls row.

Ross used his page on the social networking website Twitter to invite public suggestions for an unlikely word he could incorporate into his Bafta routine.

He wrote later: "Thanks for Bafta suggestions. Will whittle them down to a top three then slip one in."

Meanwhile, the BBC announced that this year's Baftas on February 8 will be shown across three TV channels for the first time.

The coverage will start with a half-hour BBC Three programme showing the stars arriving for the event at London's Royal Opera House.

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the show will go behind the scenes to capture the excitement of the build-up to the awards.

The ceremony itself will be split between BBC Two for the first part and BBC One for the final climactic hour.

Mark Linsey, acting controller of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: "This is the night of the year when all eyes of the film world are on the UK.

"BBC programming has been extended to reflect the whole evening, providing viewers with the extraordinary scenes on the red carpet in Covent Garden, in addition to the glittering ceremony to celebrate a wonderful year of achievement in film.

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