Baftas 2019: People are convinced Bohemian Rhapsody will win film award after Bryan Singer nomination suspension
The director had his nomination stripped following accusations of sexually abusing underage boys
Many are questioning the timing of the decision to “suspend” Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer‘s Bafta nomination.
The director had his nomination stripped following accusations of sexually abusing underage boys that surfaced over a fortnight ago.
However, the Queen film “remains nominated” in the Outstanding British Film category, which will be announced on Sunday.
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Intriguingly, voting closed for this year’s Bafta Awards hours before the announcement, leading some to believe that Bohemian Rhapsody could well have won the trophy.
Other nominees in the category include The Favourite, Beast, Stan & Ollie, McQueen and You Were Never Really Here.
Singer was accused in an exposé published by The Atlantic that saw four men accuse the director of sexually molesting them while they were underage. He denies all allegations.
Bafta Best Film Award – all of the winners
Show all 71
Bafta Best Film Award – all of the winners
1/71 The Best Years of our Lives (1946)
This 1946 directed by William Wyler follows three United States servicemen who readjust to civilian life after coming home from the Second World War.
Rex Features
2/71 Hamlet (1948)
Hamlet was Laurence Olivier's second film as director and is the Shakespeare adaptation to have earned the most accolades in awards history.
Getty Images
3/71 Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica's drama follows a poor father searching post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family.
4/71 All About Eve (1950)
The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but ageing Broadway star, whose world collides with Eve Harrington, an ambitious young fan who insinuates herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening her career and personal relationships.
Getty
5/71 La Ronde (1950)
Max Ophüls's French film La Ronde shows ten amorous encounters across the social spectrum, from a street prostitute to a nobleman, with each scene involving one character from the previous episode.
6/71 The Sound Barrier (1952)
Before his epics, David Lean directed this drama – following test pilots's attempts to break the sound barrier – to Bafta success
Getty
7/71 Forbidden Games (1952)
René Clément's adaptation of François Boyer's war novel Jeux Interdits wasn't a hit in France, but achieved acclaim overseas.
AFP/Getty
8/71 The Wages of Fear (1953)
Henri-Georges Clouzot's thriller brought him such attention that he was permitted to direct Les Diaboliques.
9/71 Richard III (1955)
The only one of Laurence Olivier's three Shakespearean plays to not be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Not that he minded – he won the main prize at the Baftas.
London Films
10/71 Gervaise (1956)
Three years after winning his first Bafta, French director René Clément took home another for this drama.
Les Films Corona
11/71 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
David Lean's epic swept the board at both the Oscars and the Baftas.
Columbia Pictures/AP
12/71 Room at the Top (1959)
Jack Clayton's film charts the rise of an ambitious young man (played by Laurence Harvey) in post-war Britain
British Lion Films
13/71 Ben-Hur (1959)
William Wyler's biblical epic Ben-Hur had the largest budget of any film produced at the time, and was rewarded with award wins aplenty.
TCM
14/71 The Apartment (1960)
This charming Billy Wilder comedy, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine, was an awards favourite.
15/71 Ballad of a Soldier (1961) /The Hustler (1961)
There has only ever been one tie for the Best Film award when, in 1962, Ballad of a Soldier tied with The Hustler.
16/71 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Yet another David Lean epic to win the main prize.
Getty
17/71 Tom Jones (1963)
Tom Jones – the film, not the singer – won three Bafta awards in all.
Getty Images
18/71 Dr Strangelove (1964)
A film directed by Stanley Kubrick never won a single Oscar, but Dr Strangelove received the main prize at the Baftas.
Getty Images
19/71 My Fair Lady (1964)
The first musical to win the main prize at the Baftas.
Getty
20/71 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
It may have not won Best Picture at the Oscars, but the Bafta voting body gave Mike Nichols's superior black comedy its biggest accolade.
Getty Images
21/71 A Man for All Seasons (1966)
This historical film depicts the final years of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Lord Chancellor of England who refused to sign a letter asking Pope Clement VII to annul King Henry VIII of England's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Getty Images
22/71 The Graduate (1967)
Mike Nichols's next Bafta success arrived with The Graduate, another film that failed to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
23/71 Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The next year saw yet another Dustin Hoffman film score big success.
24/71 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the "Sundance Kid" (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse following a string of train robberies.
Getty Images
25/71 Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger won another Bafta for this drama film starring Murray Head, Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch.
26/71 Cabaret (1972)
Bob Fosse's musical Cabaret proved a Bafta favourite.
Getty Images
27/71 Day for Night (1973)
François Truffaut's comedy rightly won the main prize at the Baftas. It didn't even receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
Warner Bros
28/71 Lacombe Lucien (1974)
Louis Malle's drama follows a French teenage boy during the German occupation of France in the Second World War.
29/71 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Martin Scorsese had to wait until 2006 to win an Oscar, but Bafta were ahead of the curve, awarding him Best Film for this Ellen Burstyn film.
Warner Bros
30/71 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Miloš Forman's acclaimed drama – starring Jack Nicholson – swept the board at the Oscars and did the same at the Baftas.
Getty
31/71 Annie Hall (1977)
The first of Woody Allen's three Bafta wins arrived with Annie Hall.
United Artists
32/71 Julia (1977)
Fred Zinneman's holocaust drama was the next in a long line of war films to reign supreme at the Baftas.
33/71 Manhattan (1979)
Woody Allen won his second Bafta for the black-and-white romantic comedy Manhattan.
United Artists
34/71 The Elephant Man (1980)
David Lynch's historical film following John Merrick (John Hurt), won three Baftas in total.
EMI Films
35/71 Chariots of Fire (1981)
As a British film, it was no surprise that Chariots of Fire beat out films including Raiders of the Lost Ark to win Best Film.
20th Century Fox
36/71 Gandhi (1982)
In a year where there was just four nominations, Gandhi emerged the big winner.
Columbia Pictures
37/71 Educating Rita (1983)
Michael Caine and Julie Walters head up this Willy Russell adaptation from director Lewis Gilbert.
Columbia Pictures
38/71 The Killing Fields (1984)
The Killing Fields explores the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg.
Columbia-EMI-Warner
39/71 The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Over five years since winning his last Bafta, Woody Allen received another trophy – this time for The Purple Rose of Cairo.
40/71 A Room with a View (1985)
James Ivory's romantic drama – starring Helena Bonham Carter – was a Bafta success story.
Curzon Film Distributors
41/71 Jean de Florette (1986)
Jean de Florette – one of Yves Montand's final films – was a surprise winner at the Baftas.
42/71 The Last Emperor (1987)
This lengthy epic was the big winner at both the Baftas and the Oscars.
Columbia Pictures
43/71 Dead Poets Society (1989)
Dead Poets Society may have missed out on the big prize at the Oscars, but Bafta awarded its biggest accolade to the Robin Williams drama.
Allstar/Touchstone
44/71 Goodfellas (1990)
Criminally overlooked at the Oscars, Martin Scorsese's crime drama Goodfellas fared better at the Baftas.
Warner Bros
45/71 The Commitments (1991)
The Baftas remained, er, committed to Alan Parker, awarding his film the mainp rize over serious contenders The Silence of the Lambs, Dances With Wolves and Thelma & Louise.
20th Century Fox
46/71 Howards End (1992)
Clearly a sucker for a James Ivory romantic drama, the Baftas awarded Howards End with Best Film over the likes of Unforgiven and The Player.
Sony Pictures Classics
47/71 Schindler's List (1993)
There was no denying Schindler's List of any awards at both the Baftas and the Oscars.
Universal Pictures
48/71 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Bafta kept it close to home when awarding Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral – just Richard Curtis's second screenplay.
49/71 Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Another romantic drama won a Bafta a few years after Howards End, only this one was a Jane Austen adaptation from Ang Lee.
Columbia Pictures
50/71 The English Patient (1996)
The English Patient beat out the likes of Fargo and Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies to win the main Bafta trophy.
51/71 The Full Monty (1997)
Titanic may be one of the biggest winners in Oscar history, but it didn't even get the main prize at the Baftas. It went to The Full Monty instead.
AFP/ Getty
52/71 Shakespeare in Love (1998)
John Madden's Shakespeare in Love – perhaps unsurprisingly – proved catnip for Baftas voters.
Miramax
53/71 American Beauty (1999)
DreamWorks's impressive campaign turned this film from rank outside to Bafta and Oscar winner in a matter of weeks.
DreamWorks Pictures
54/71 Gladiator (2000)
Not even British drama Billy Elliot could see of Gladiator in the Bafta Best Film stakes.
Universal Pictures
55/71 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The fantasy franchise may have had to wait until its final instalment for the Oscar win, but Baftas immediately rewarded Peter Jackson's efforts with a trophy for its opener.
New Line Cinema/AP
56/71 The Pianist (20020
Roman Polanksi's drama controversially beat out award favourites Chicago and The Hours to win the top prize.
57/71 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
There was only one winner at this particular year's Baftas ceremony, and that was the third and final Lord of the Rings film.
58/71 The Aviator (2004)
Yet another win for a Martin Scorsese film. His Oscar count at this current time sat at zero, although the film they finally awarded him for – The Departed – didn't win the Bafta.
Miramax
59/71 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Crash may have been the surprise Oscar winner, however, Bafta awarded this drama from Ang Lee, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Focus Features/AP
60/71 The Queen (2006)
A film about the royal family starring Helen Mirren? The Queen was always going to win.
Pathé Distribution
61/71 Atonement (2007)
Joe Wright won big at the Baftas with Atonement, an adaptation of the acclaimed Ian McEwan novel.
Relativity Media/AP
62/71 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Danny Boyle won his first Bafta with Slumdog Millionaire.
Warner Bros
63/71 The Hurt Locker (2009)
Many may have expected Avatar to scoop the top away, but it was Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker that reigned supreme.
Summit Entertainment/AP
64/71 The King’s Speech (2010)
The King's Speech took home the Best Film prize in what was perhaps the least surprising win in Baftas history
Momentum Pictures/AP
65/71 The Artist (2011)
This was the first black-and-white film to win since Schindler's List.
Weinstein Company
66/71 Argo (2012)
With Argo, Ben Affleck won both the main prize at the Oscars and Baftas.
Warner Bros
67/71 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Despite close competition from Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity, it was Steve McQueen's drama that took home the Bafta.
Lionsgate
68/71 Boyhood (2014)
In the first of four big strays from Oscar voters, Boyhood beat Birdman to Best Film at the Baftas.
69/71 The Revenant (2015)
Spotlight may have won the Oscar, but it was this drama that tickled Bafta voters's fancy.
20th Century Fox
70/71 La La Land (2016)
Damien Chazelle's La La Land very nearly won Best Picture – cast and crew made it to the stage before realising Moonlight had actually won - but it most certainly won the Bafta. We think.
Lionsgate/AP
71/71 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Three Billboards won both the Golden Globe and Bafta, but was beaten at the Oscars by Guillermo del Toro's fantasy The Shape of Water.
Twentieth Century Fox
1/71 The Best Years of our Lives (1946)
This 1946 directed by William Wyler follows three United States servicemen who readjust to civilian life after coming home from the Second World War.
Rex Features
2/71 Hamlet (1948)
Hamlet was Laurence Olivier's second film as director and is the Shakespeare adaptation to have earned the most accolades in awards history.
Getty Images
3/71 Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica's drama follows a poor father searching post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family.
4/71 All About Eve (1950)
The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but ageing Broadway star, whose world collides with Eve Harrington, an ambitious young fan who insinuates herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening her career and personal relationships.
Getty
5/71 La Ronde (1950)
Max Ophüls's French film La Ronde shows ten amorous encounters across the social spectrum, from a street prostitute to a nobleman, with each scene involving one character from the previous episode.
6/71 The Sound Barrier (1952)
Before his epics, David Lean directed this drama – following test pilots's attempts to break the sound barrier – to Bafta success
Getty
7/71 Forbidden Games (1952)
René Clément's adaptation of François Boyer's war novel Jeux Interdits wasn't a hit in France, but achieved acclaim overseas.
AFP/Getty
8/71 The Wages of Fear (1953)
Henri-Georges Clouzot's thriller brought him such attention that he was permitted to direct Les Diaboliques.
9/71 Richard III (1955)
The only one of Laurence Olivier's three Shakespearean plays to not be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Not that he minded – he won the main prize at the Baftas.
London Films
10/71 Gervaise (1956)
Three years after winning his first Bafta, French director René Clément took home another for this drama.
Les Films Corona
11/71 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
David Lean's epic swept the board at both the Oscars and the Baftas.
Columbia Pictures/AP
12/71 Room at the Top (1959)
Jack Clayton's film charts the rise of an ambitious young man (played by Laurence Harvey) in post-war Britain
British Lion Films
13/71 Ben-Hur (1959)
William Wyler's biblical epic Ben-Hur had the largest budget of any film produced at the time, and was rewarded with award wins aplenty.
TCM
14/71 The Apartment (1960)
This charming Billy Wilder comedy, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine, was an awards favourite.
15/71 Ballad of a Soldier (1961) /The Hustler (1961)
There has only ever been one tie for the Best Film award when, in 1962, Ballad of a Soldier tied with The Hustler.
16/71 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Yet another David Lean epic to win the main prize.
Getty
17/71 Tom Jones (1963)
Tom Jones – the film, not the singer – won three Bafta awards in all.
Getty Images
18/71 Dr Strangelove (1964)
A film directed by Stanley Kubrick never won a single Oscar, but Dr Strangelove received the main prize at the Baftas.
Getty Images
19/71 My Fair Lady (1964)
The first musical to win the main prize at the Baftas.
Getty
20/71 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
It may have not won Best Picture at the Oscars, but the Bafta voting body gave Mike Nichols's superior black comedy its biggest accolade.
Getty Images
21/71 A Man for All Seasons (1966)
This historical film depicts the final years of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Lord Chancellor of England who refused to sign a letter asking Pope Clement VII to annul King Henry VIII of England's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Getty Images
22/71 The Graduate (1967)
Mike Nichols's next Bafta success arrived with The Graduate, another film that failed to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
23/71 Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The next year saw yet another Dustin Hoffman film score big success.
24/71 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the "Sundance Kid" (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse following a string of train robberies.
Getty Images
25/71 Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger won another Bafta for this drama film starring Murray Head, Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch.
26/71 Cabaret (1972)
Bob Fosse's musical Cabaret proved a Bafta favourite.
Getty Images
27/71 Day for Night (1973)
François Truffaut's comedy rightly won the main prize at the Baftas. It didn't even receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
Warner Bros
28/71 Lacombe Lucien (1974)
Louis Malle's drama follows a French teenage boy during the German occupation of France in the Second World War.
29/71 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Martin Scorsese had to wait until 2006 to win an Oscar, but Bafta were ahead of the curve, awarding him Best Film for this Ellen Burstyn film.
Warner Bros
30/71 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Miloš Forman's acclaimed drama – starring Jack Nicholson – swept the board at the Oscars and did the same at the Baftas.
Getty
31/71 Annie Hall (1977)
The first of Woody Allen's three Bafta wins arrived with Annie Hall.
United Artists
32/71 Julia (1977)
Fred Zinneman's holocaust drama was the next in a long line of war films to reign supreme at the Baftas.
33/71 Manhattan (1979)
Woody Allen won his second Bafta for the black-and-white romantic comedy Manhattan.
United Artists
34/71 The Elephant Man (1980)
David Lynch's historical film following John Merrick (John Hurt), won three Baftas in total.
EMI Films
35/71 Chariots of Fire (1981)
As a British film, it was no surprise that Chariots of Fire beat out films including Raiders of the Lost Ark to win Best Film.
20th Century Fox
36/71 Gandhi (1982)
In a year where there was just four nominations, Gandhi emerged the big winner.
Columbia Pictures
37/71 Educating Rita (1983)
Michael Caine and Julie Walters head up this Willy Russell adaptation from director Lewis Gilbert.
Columbia Pictures
38/71 The Killing Fields (1984)
The Killing Fields explores the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg.
Columbia-EMI-Warner
39/71 The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Over five years since winning his last Bafta, Woody Allen received another trophy – this time for The Purple Rose of Cairo.
40/71 A Room with a View (1985)
James Ivory's romantic drama – starring Helena Bonham Carter – was a Bafta success story.
Curzon Film Distributors
41/71 Jean de Florette (1986)
Jean de Florette – one of Yves Montand's final films – was a surprise winner at the Baftas.
42/71 The Last Emperor (1987)
This lengthy epic was the big winner at both the Baftas and the Oscars.
Columbia Pictures
43/71 Dead Poets Society (1989)
Dead Poets Society may have missed out on the big prize at the Oscars, but Bafta awarded its biggest accolade to the Robin Williams drama.
Allstar/Touchstone
44/71 Goodfellas (1990)
Criminally overlooked at the Oscars, Martin Scorsese's crime drama Goodfellas fared better at the Baftas.
Warner Bros
45/71 The Commitments (1991)
The Baftas remained, er, committed to Alan Parker, awarding his film the mainp rize over serious contenders The Silence of the Lambs, Dances With Wolves and Thelma & Louise.
20th Century Fox
46/71 Howards End (1992)
Clearly a sucker for a James Ivory romantic drama, the Baftas awarded Howards End with Best Film over the likes of Unforgiven and The Player.
Sony Pictures Classics
47/71 Schindler's List (1993)
There was no denying Schindler's List of any awards at both the Baftas and the Oscars.
Universal Pictures
48/71 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Bafta kept it close to home when awarding Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral – just Richard Curtis's second screenplay.
49/71 Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Another romantic drama won a Bafta a few years after Howards End, only this one was a Jane Austen adaptation from Ang Lee.
Columbia Pictures
50/71 The English Patient (1996)
The English Patient beat out the likes of Fargo and Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies to win the main Bafta trophy.
51/71 The Full Monty (1997)
Titanic may be one of the biggest winners in Oscar history, but it didn't even get the main prize at the Baftas. It went to The Full Monty instead.
AFP/ Getty
52/71 Shakespeare in Love (1998)
John Madden's Shakespeare in Love – perhaps unsurprisingly – proved catnip for Baftas voters.
Miramax
53/71 American Beauty (1999)
DreamWorks's impressive campaign turned this film from rank outside to Bafta and Oscar winner in a matter of weeks.
DreamWorks Pictures
54/71 Gladiator (2000)
Not even British drama Billy Elliot could see of Gladiator in the Bafta Best Film stakes.
Universal Pictures
55/71 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The fantasy franchise may have had to wait until its final instalment for the Oscar win, but Baftas immediately rewarded Peter Jackson's efforts with a trophy for its opener.
New Line Cinema/AP
56/71 The Pianist (20020
Roman Polanksi's drama controversially beat out award favourites Chicago and The Hours to win the top prize.
57/71 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
There was only one winner at this particular year's Baftas ceremony, and that was the third and final Lord of the Rings film.
58/71 The Aviator (2004)
Yet another win for a Martin Scorsese film. His Oscar count at this current time sat at zero, although the film they finally awarded him for – The Departed – didn't win the Bafta.
Miramax
59/71 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Crash may have been the surprise Oscar winner, however, Bafta awarded this drama from Ang Lee, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Focus Features/AP
60/71 The Queen (2006)
A film about the royal family starring Helen Mirren? The Queen was always going to win.
Pathé Distribution
61/71 Atonement (2007)
Joe Wright won big at the Baftas with Atonement, an adaptation of the acclaimed Ian McEwan novel.
Relativity Media/AP
62/71 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Danny Boyle won his first Bafta with Slumdog Millionaire.
Warner Bros
63/71 The Hurt Locker (2009)
Many may have expected Avatar to scoop the top away, but it was Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker that reigned supreme.
Summit Entertainment/AP
64/71 The King’s Speech (2010)
The King's Speech took home the Best Film prize in what was perhaps the least surprising win in Baftas history
Momentum Pictures/AP
65/71 The Artist (2011)
This was the first black-and-white film to win since Schindler's List.
Weinstein Company
66/71 Argo (2012)
With Argo, Ben Affleck won both the main prize at the Oscars and Baftas.
Warner Bros
67/71 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Despite close competition from Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity, it was Steve McQueen's drama that took home the Bafta.
Lionsgate
68/71 Boyhood (2014)
In the first of four big strays from Oscar voters, Boyhood beat Birdman to Best Film at the Baftas.
69/71 The Revenant (2015)
Spotlight may have won the Oscar, but it was this drama that tickled Bafta voters's fancy.
20th Century Fox
70/71 La La Land (2016)
Damien Chazelle's La La Land very nearly won Best Picture – cast and crew made it to the stage before realising Moonlight had actually won - but it most certainly won the Bafta. We think.
Lionsgate/AP
71/71 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Three Billboards won both the Golden Globe and Bafta, but was beaten at the Oscars by Guillermo del Toro's fantasy The Shape of Water.
Twentieth Century Fox
Bohemian Rhapsody‘s Freddie Mercury star Rami Malek called the allegations “a horrible thing”.
Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent MindsThis year’s Baftas takes place on Sunday 10 February and will air on BBC One at 9pm.
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