In the gloomiest piece of awards-related news I’ve heard this week, it turns out that this year’s BAFTA awards will be hosted, once again, by the smug talent vacuum that is Jonathan Ross. (“Who?” I hear you American readers asking. Answer: you’re better off not knowing.)
I understand that BAFTA hasn’t the budget or the resources to compete with the Academy Awards when it comes to putting on a show. However, if they want to be a truly international ceremony — as they claim they are — it might be worth hiring a host who can potentially draw an international audience.
You know, someone who is actually known outside of Britain. Someone who has a halfway credible industry profile. Someone who is actually funny. Not that I’m not naming names, of course.
Chances are Ross will perform no better and no worse this year than he has previously. (Which is to say, he’ll be as reliably excruciating as always.) But in a year when the Oscars have really upped the ante in their choice of host, BAFTA’s resistance to change is all the more embarrassing.