The BBC is facing backlash from viewers after editing out a joke about Donald Trump made by David Tennant during the BAFTA broadcast on Sunday (February 16).
Hosting the awards for the second time, David kicked off the ceremony with a performance of The Proclaimers’ hit song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), followed by a monologue that tackled several contentious topics, including a jab at the US President.
While discussing the film The Brutalist, David commented on its “incredible architecture”, adding: “In fact, it’s the boldest architecture in film this year, apart from Donald Trump’s hair in The Apprentice” – a reference to the biographical film starring Sebastian Stan as Trump.
David quipped, “It’s a 15 and it’s not on Nickelodeon,” prompting laughter from the audience, before joking, “Donald Trump… I’m worried. I’ve said his name three times. It’s like Beetlejuice – I’ve summoned him.”
Viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration at the edited jokes, with one writing: “Come on BBC!!! There were just scripted jokes…. WTF,” reports the Express.
Another user added: “Apparently BBC cut jokes about Trump?? LMFAOO is that why the live was 2 hours delayed????? Take a f****** stand foreign press.”
“If those jokes would have been in good taste, I may have found them funny. My guess though is that they probably weren’t. However, in a society of free speech I should have had to have heard them. I may not have liked them but I understand how David Tennant had a right to say them,” one viewer expressed.
In contrast, other fans voiced their disapproval of the joke, with one commenting: “It’s so boring and unimaginative to give out about Trump. It’s 2025, people like this need new material.”
The BAFTA ceremony was broadcasted on BBC One at 7pm, two hours after the awards commenced at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The programme is edited down to a two-hour slot, meaning some parts of the event are cut due to time constraints.
A spokesperson for the BBC explained to The Independent: “The nature of the show is that it’s broadcast with a short delay, and edits have to be made due to time constraints.”
The night saw pope drama Conclave and immigration epic The Brutalist scoop some of the biggest awards.
Other winners included Anora’s Mikey Madison for Best Actress, A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor and Emilia Perez star Zoe Saldana for Best Supporting Actress.
The BAFTA Film Awards are available to stream on BBC iPlayer