5 Things BAFTA Got Right That The Oscars Won’t (And 5 Things Oscar'll Do Better)

2. Honouring Mike Leigh

Feted at Cannes last year, Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner was an early awards favourite that ran out of steam long before awards season came around. That Cannes win for Best Actor for Timothy Spall? Pah! Not even a nomination for Best Actor at the BAFTAs for his titanic turn, with Benedict Cumberbatch's default placing in every Best Actor line-up this awards season replacing one legendary British actor doing his best work out in favour of the new people's favourite operating on cold, ticcy autopilot. The Oscar nominations this year have been just as kind to Mike Leigh's Mr Turner as the BAFTA noms - which is to say not very at all - but there was at least one positive to take from last night's BAFTA event. Receiving the BAFTA Fellowship award at the very end of the night, Leigh saw his legacy as one of British cinema's brightest, most inventive stars go recognised after all.