Actor Phil Davis resigns from Bafta after 'embarrassing' 2023 show

Quadrophenia star Phil Davis resigns his Bafta membership as he brands ceremony an ’embarrassing travesty’ with ‘toe-curling non-interviews’

• Davis revealed he had quit in a blistering post on Twitter were he slammed Bafta
• It comes as the show was blasted for its ’embarrassing’ and ‘cringe’ moments  

Veteran actor Phil Davis has resigned from Bafta over the ’embarrassing travesty’ of the 2023 awards show. 

The 69-year-old Quadrophenia star announced his departure in a blistering rant on Twitter on Thursday, where he lashed out at the show’s ‘toe-curling’ moments.

Mr Davis, who starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, Sigourney Weaver in sci-fi horror Alien 3 and appeared in Doctor Who, tweeted: ‘The BAFTA awards were an embarrassing travesty. 

‘Cutting deserving winners speeches for toe-curling non-interviews. Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbens in memorium.’

This year’s glitzy film awards were co-hosted by Richard E Grant and This Morning’s Alison Hammond, who ran an interview room chatting to celebrities and award winners. 

Veteran actor Phil Davis (pictured) lashed out at Bafta today in a blistering online critique where he announced he was quitting the organisation over its ’embarrassing’ 2023 show

Richard E Grant and Alison Hammond hosted this year’s Baftas at the Royal Festival Hall – which has been blasted by actors and the public for its ‘cringe’ moments 

But Bafta has been blasted for cutting recipient speeches, including one by Lesley Paterson, the British co-writer of Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front, which bagged a clutch of awards and is tipped for success at the Oscars. 

And the show has been slammed for ignoring Bernard Cribbens in its segment honouring prominent figures in the film industry who died in 2022.

READ MORE: The most ‘cringe’ BAFTAs ever? Viewers baffled by Ariana DeBose’s ‘cheesy’ rap, Richard E. Grant’s jokes ‘falling flat’, Alison Hammond’s ‘daytime TV warbling’ and luvvies ‘patting each other on the back’

Cribbins appeared in a string of films and TV shows during his career, including The Railway Children, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150AD and Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy. 

After the criticism, Bafta tweeted the Doctor Who star was now being ‘considered’ for the TV awards.

But this too sparked outrage, with showrunner for Doctor Who, Russell T Davies saying: ‘It’s fair enough to remember Bernard Cribbins at the TV @bafta, not the film. To say he’s being ‘considered’ is the work of an idiot.’

Bafta later confirmed Cribbins would be remembered at its TV awards in May.

Davis’s fiery tweet on Thursday was supported by people on social media, who praised him for his stance. 

‘When one of the finest in the business makes that kind of gesture it can’t be ignored. Bravo Phil,’ one person said, with a second adding: ‘Good on you Phil.’

While a third tweeted: ‘I couldn’t agree more Phil. I was utterly horrified when Cribbens did not appear in memorium, the jokes all fell flat and were terrible and the cutting of others who have worked so hard gave the entire show an elitist feel that just made me disengage from the whole thing.

West Side Story star Ariana DeBose opened the awards with a song dedicated to celebrating women, but many were quick to brand the performance ‘painful’ and ‘awkward’

An awkward mix-up also saw Carey Mulligan get up for the Best Supporting Actress award when the winner was Kerry Condon

Jamie Lee Curtis (left) and Anya Taylor-Joy pictured on stage to present Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at the 2023 Bafta show

Viewers, too, were equally scathing of the show, branding it ‘awkward’ after a number of ‘cringe’ moments left people reeling.

Those tuning into the awards ceremony were left baffled by Ariana DeBose’s ‘cheesy’ opening rap, ‘flat jokes’ by Richard E Grant and Alison Hammond’s ’embarrassing’ daytime TV interviews.

Some also criticised luvvies ‘virtue signalling’ as many wore blue ribbons on the red carpet in solidarity with refguees and displaced people around the world.

The 76th EE British Academy Film Awards saw stars from the acting world gather at the Royal Festival Hall to celebrate the year’s best films.

But those watching at home criticised the show, with some questioning why the awards felt ‘so painful to watch this year’, pointing to the ‘unexciting’ nominations and ‘curiously flat’ format.

Some viewers slammed the choice of presenters for this year’s Bafta awards

West Side Story star Ariana DeBose opened the awards with a song dedicated to celebrating women, but many were quick to brand the performance ‘painful’ and ‘awkward’ with one asking: ‘Why did this happen?’.

They also aimed fire at this year’s hosts, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond 48, who had been picked to host the star-studded bash, along with ‘nervous’ Richard E Grant, 65.

While some viewers heaped praise on ‘stunning’ Hammond for her ‘utterly fabulous’ hosting skills, saying she made the show ‘easy to watch’.

However, others complained Hammond ‘did not suit the event’ while others said the co-host pairing was like ‘chalk and cheese’, with Grant’s jokes ‘falling flat’.

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