Posted in: BBC, streaming, TV | Tagged: BAFTA, baftas, david tennant, trump

BAFTA 2025: David Tennant Tackles The Proclaimers, Takes Dig at Trump

BAFTA Film Awards host David Tennant took on The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - and got in some digs at Donald Trump, too.

Some advice? Whoever makes the decision about who gets to host the BAFTA Film Awards, you might want to consider locking in David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Jessica Jones, Rivals) to a hosts-every-other-year deal (important to let others get a chance). After an impressive run last year (we look back at Tennant's opener from last year below), Tennant kicked off the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall with a rousing performance of The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" – and getting a number of famous faces (like Anna Kendrick, Colman Domingo, and James McAvoy) to join him. But it seems POTUS Donald Trump was just too much for Tennant to avoid during his opening monologue – a change to Tennant's approach last year, when he was looking to be funny and entertaining without hitting on any "hot-button" topics.

Tennant began by referencing director Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, noting that it was "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 joked, referencing director Ali Abbasi's Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong-starring film spotlighting Trump's early years. "Donald Trump, he says he hasn't seen 'The Apprentice' because it's a 15 [a reference to the U.K. film rating]. It's not on Nickelodeon. Donald Trump. I'm worried. I've said his name three times. It's like 'Beetlejuice' — I've summoned him. And talking of villains…," he added, going on to reference director Robert Eggers' Nosferatu and the Hugh Grant-starring horror movie The Heretic.

Tennant's opener would also twist the knife on Conclave ("One hundred machinating schemers trying to decide between a conservative or progressive candidate, diversity or tradition. It's like picking the next James Bond"), the extended running times of a number of films – like The Brutalist clocking in at over 3 1/2 hours ("Keep speeches the opposite of your films: nice and short"), the Timothée Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown ("'Mamma Mia' for middle-aged dads"), and Dune 2 (believing that the sequel was called "July").

BAFTA 2024: A Look Back at David Tennant's Opener

Heading into last year's ceremony, Tennant made it crystal clear that he would be steering clear of dropping any Taylor Swift jokes while hosting. But what we did get from Tennant was another reunion with his long-time friend & co-star Michael Sheen for the awards ceremony's opening sketch. Shifting back to the twisted versions of themselves from their popular pandemic series Staged, the video below finds Sheen needing Tennant to babysit his dog, Bark Ruffalo. But there's one huge problem – Tennant has to host the BAFTAs, so… what to do, what to do? How about trying to find a replacement sitter – like Stanley Tucci, Himesh Patel, Tom Hiddleston, or Judi Dench? Unfortunately, Tennant doesn't get any takers – so it's time for Tennant to make Bark Ruffalo his "plus one" as they make their way to the awards show (and a reunion with Sheen). Seriously… Tennant, Sheen, guest stars, and an adorable dog – how can you go wrong?

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