Rebel Wilson to bring humour to Baftas stage as host

Rebel Wilson will bring humour to the Baftas stage taking over from Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary as host.

The actress is making her debut at the 75th film awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 13.

Wilson has said she is “honoured” to host the British Academy’s annual ceremony, held as a semi-virtual event in 2021.

In a post on Instagram, Wilson said: “I am very honoured to be hosting the EE British Academy Film Awards in March, where Covid will no longer exist because it will clearly have been cancelled by then.

“This show will be an anniversary celebration of some important British film franchises such as HARRY POTTER and not such as CATS.

“Everybody’s going to love it, I’m sure!”

The awards show is usually a star-studded affair, with Hollywood A-listers jetting in from the US for the occasion and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge frequently in attendance.

Pitch Perfect star Wilson, 41, who famously played Fat Amy in the franchise, follows in the footsteps of Graham Norton, Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry as host.

In a quip referencing her 2020 weight loss which she dubbed her “year of health,” Wilson joked: “I don’t wanna put any pressure on this – I know I’m not going to be funny because I am no longer fat.

“Besides, I’m not going to ‘sweat-it’ with nerves because I have a peculiar medical condition where I can’t sweat … or cause offence to people because of my adorable Australian accent.

“So, basically, I’ll just be there to hang out with Dame Judi Dench and together we’ll both try and bond with Daniel Craig.”

Bafta chief executive Amanda Berry OBE said: “We are delighted to welcome Rebel Wilson as this year’s host of the EE British Academy Film Awards.

“Rebel has stolen the show at several previous film awards and we’re hugely excited to see her bring her fantastic charisma and humour to the whole show as we celebrate the very best in film.

“We would also like to thank Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary who did a truly wonderful job hosting last year’s ceremony in exceptionally challenging circumstances and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”

Nominations for the EE British Academy film awards will be revealed on February 3, following the Rising Star nominations on February 1 2022.

The ceremony, celebrating the very best of British and international film talent, will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.