Hamnet's Jessie Buckley and I Swear's Robert Aramayo win big

British actors Robert Aramayo and Jessie Buckley emerged as major winners at the 2026 Bafta Film Awards held at an unspecified location on Sunday, with Aramayo making history by winning both best actor and rising star awards while Buckley became the first Irish actress to win best category for her portrayal of Shakespeare's wife in Hamnet. The ceremony saw Paul Thomas Anderson's darkly comic thriller "One Battle After Another" dominate with six awards including best film and best director, beating out Hollywood heavyweights including Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet whose film "Marty Supreme" went home empty-handed despite 11 nominations. Royal attendance from the Prince and Princess of Wales marked their first joint public appearance since Prince William's uncle's arrest last week, with the Princess admitting she watched "Hamnet" and ended up with "very puffy eyes." The Bafta ceremony was not without its memorable moments, as host Alan Cumming addressed viewers about some strong language heard during the event, explaining that it resulted from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette's syndrome featured in the winning film "I Swear." Aramayo, who portrayed real-life Tourette's syndrome campaigner John Davidson, was visibly emotional during his acceptance speech, telling the crowd "I honestly cannot believe this" and expressing disbelief at sharing categories with Hollywood stars. The film "I Swear" won three awards in total, with casting director Lauren Evans also taking home best casting, while "Sinners" secured three awards including a best supporting actress prize for Wunmi Mosaku, who found a connection to her ancestral power in her role. Technical categories saw Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein" sweep the design awards with wins for best production design, best hair and make-up, and best costume design, with Jacob Elordi spending up to 10 hours daily in the make-up chair to bring the creature to life. Other notable winners included "Avatar: Fire and Ash" for best special effects, "F1" for best sound, "Zootropolis 2" for best animated film, and "Mr Nobody Against Putin" for best documentary. The ceremony also included performances from K-Pop Demon Hunters trio and Jessie Ware, with an In Memoriam segment paying tribute to Catherine O'Hara, Rob Reiner, Gene Hackman, Brigitte Bardot, and Robert Redford among others.