The BBC removed a load of jokes from David Tennant last night as he hosted the Baftas, and the political stance of them made sure they hit the cutting room when it came to broadcast. The Baftas is the biggest night in the British film industry, and every year there’s always a load of drama on and off the stage. It was David Tennant’s second time at hosting after a load of success doing last year’s show, but David Tennant made some jokes at the Baftas that meant the BBC apparently had to cut them from the TV broadcast of the ceremony. Here’s what was deemed too controversial to air.
Firstly, it’s important to note that coverage of the Baftas starts at 7pm on the TV which is two hours after the show actually starts. The ceremony has to be condensed to a two hour show on TV, which means not everything makes it – which is why perhaps some of these David Tennant jokes from the Baftas were cut.
david tennant singing the proclaimers i’m gonna be (500 miles)
part 1 pic.twitter.com/CmWpE237hZ
— charrr!
(@revengebentley) February 16, 2025
One of the jokes was centred around The Apprentice – the film in which Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump. David Tennant joked that the President was likely to not have watched the film because “it’s a 15 [the film’s UK rating] and it’s not on Nickelodeon.”
Another joke that was cut was Tennant saying “Donald Trump. I’m worried. I’ve said his name three times. It’s like Beetlejuice – I have summoned him.”
What jokes DID make the cut?
Not all the Donald Trump jibes got left behind, to be fair. At one point, David Tennant said Trump’s hair was “the boldest architecture” – referring to nominated film The Brutalist.
He also called Trump a villain, listing him alongside “Nosferatu, Hugh Grant in Heretic, and most chilling of all, [Wallace and Gromit antagonist] Feather McGraw”. Fair play.
Regarding jokes being cut, a BBC spokesperson explained “The nature of the show is that it’s broadcast with a short delay, and edits have to be made due to time constraints.”
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