The British Academy has added a U.K. icon to the festivities of their biggest industry night, Paddington Bear. Paddington is currently riding high in the U.K. as Paddington The Musical is a hit with both critics and audiences. The show began playing in November 2025 at London’s Savoy Theatre. Arti Shah is the actress behind the mask, while actor James Hameed provides the voiceover and is in charge of the animatronics of the suit.
Paddington is set to present the award for best children & family film, with Arco, Boong, Lilo & Stitch, and Zootopia 2 making up the nominees. The beloved bear joins a long list of presenters, with The Hollywood Reporter outlining them as follows:
Aimee Lou Wood, Bryan Cranston, Cillian Murphy, David Jonsson, Delroy Lindo, Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close, Olivia Cooke, Patrick Dempsey, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, Miles Caton, Kate Hudson, Emily Watson, and Stellan Skargård.
Paddington will not be the only one coming from the world of animation to appear during the show, as the trio behind KPOP Demon Hunters isset to perform their first live show outside the U.S. The real-life artists behind the film, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and EJAE, will take the stage. The show will also feature a cover of Barbara Streisand during an In Memoriam segment, and artist Jessie Ware will be the one to provide said cover.
The BAFTAs will see plenty of familiar faces from this award season in person as nominees. The Hollywood Reporter lists off, “Jacob Elordi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Chloé Zhao, Teyana Taylor, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Benicio del Toro, Jesse Plemons, Odessa A’Zion, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Rose Byrne…” as confirmed attendees. You can find the full list of nominees for the BAFTAs linked here. If you have been following along this awards season, the two top films will come as no surprise to you. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners are on top, with the films coming in with 14 and 13 nominations.
The 2026 BAFTA film awards will air this Sunday, February 22 at 8 PM ET on E! Network in the U.S.
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