BAFTA has issued a firm response following an incident at the film awards on Sunday night, where an individual crashed the final category. The man, purportedly a social media prankster, joined "Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan, producers Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, and star Cillian Murphy on stage after Michael J. Fox announced the best film winner.
The "Oppenheimer" team, seated together on the right of the stage, walked up collectively to collect the golden BAFTA mask award. However, a prankster, dressed in a black suit, appeared from the opposite side of the audience and ran up the stairs to join them. The audience and viewers at home seemed unaware that the man was not part of the team, standing silently between Murphy and Roven as Thomas gave her acceptance speech.
The confusion possibly arose because, coincidentally, the man began making his way onto the stage just as Thomas accepted the award from Fox and was urging the rest of the "Oppenheimer" cast to join them. However, the rest of the team remained in the audience as Thomas delivered her acceptance speech. When she finished, the auditorium began to clap, and it appeared the man tucked something under his arm and also began clapping before walking off stage with her, Nolan, Roven, and Murphy.
The man, believed to have crashed other awards ceremonies both in the U.K. and abroad, was then apprehended by security. Despite the incident, "Oppenheimer" had a successful night, winning seven prizes, including a best director award for Nolan and a leading actor award for Murphy. The film is also set to compete at the Oscars next month. The awards, which aired in the U.K. on the BBC and iPlayer on Sunday night with a two-hour delay, had an average audience of 3 million viewers, peaking at 3.8 million.
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