How To Watch The BAFTAs 2026 Online
Watch BAFTAs: Preview
Awards season is in full swing and now all movie industry eyes turn to the UK with BAFTA awards being dished out for the best from Britain and beyond. Alan Cumming takes a break from the duplicitous dealings of Ardross Castle to make his debut hosting the event, and with his cheeky sense of humour, we may be in for something a little more biting than David Tennant’s previous double duty. One Battle After Another leads the pack in nominations, with Sinners proving to have plenty of bite too, so read on to find out everything you need to know about how to watch the BAFTA Film Awards for free and from anywhere with a VPN.
A star of stage and screen, Cumming seems a natural fit to anchor proceedings, especially with four seasons leading the US iteration of The Traitors under his kilt. Promising to “have a laugh and create some mischief,” expect some acid tongued humour, although the host has promised he “won’t be too mean.”
As for the awards themselves, One Battle After Another boasts 14 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio. Other movies in the Best Film category include Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Hamnet, which could build on its Golden Globes success after. Both films make BAFTA history, becoming the most nominated film by a black director and female director respectively. Table tennis dramedy Marty Supreme and family drama Sentimental Value round out the Best Film pack.
Only three flicks are up for Best Animated Film this year, including Disney crowdpleasers Elio and Zootopia 2, while Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein misses out on any of the big awards. The Outstanding British Film category this year includes the likes of the divisive 28 Years Later, Tim Key and Tom Basden’s The Ballad of Wallis Island and the fourth Bridget Jones installment Mad About the Boy.
There’s also special awards this year for Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley, who receives the BAFTA Fellowship, and Picturehouse Cinemas’ Creative Director Claire Binns, who receives the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award for her work driving distribution of films in the UK.
You can view the full list of nominations below as the Brits enter the 2026 awards fray. So read on for all you need to watch BAFTAs online and stream the 79th Annual Awards from anywhere.
How to watch BAFTAs 2026 in the UK for free
The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards will air live on BBC One on Sunday, February 22 at 7pm GMT. You’ll also be able to stream and catch-up for free via BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer, the BBC’s online platform, is 100% free to use. Simply go ahead and sign-up for a BBC iPlayer account. All you need is an email address and a UK postcode (e.g. W12 7FA) and a valid TV licence.
Remember, iPlayer locks its content to Brits only. So if you’re from the UK but abroad right now, you can simply sign up to a VPN to appear right back at home.
How to watch BAFTAs 2026 online from anywhere
If you’re a UK citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch the 2026 BAFTAs online just as you would at home.
While services like BBC iPlayer block access from IP addresses outside of the UK, there’s a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address, allowing you to watch UK TV online by making it look like you’re accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, British citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a UK-based server and access their free stream from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
Step-by-step of using a VPN to unblock:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN.
2. Connect to a server – for iPlayer, for example, you’ll want to connect to a server based in the UK.
3. Go to the live stream you wish to access – for the BAFTAs 2026, head to BBC iPlayer.
How to watch BAFTAs 2026 in the US
In the US, the 2026 BAFTAs will air on E!, with the pre-recorded special going out at 8pm ET/PT on Sunday, February 22.
If you don’t have an antenna or E! as part of your cable plan, there are still plenty of options to watch through a variety of cable alternatives. The most affordable option is Sling TV, where E! is available with its Sling Blue plan. The Sling TV price for this plan is $45 a month, though you can save 50% on your first month.
US viewers abroad can use a VPN to free stream the show just as they would back home.
Can I watch BAFTAs 2026 in Canada?
While the BAFTA awards formerly streamed on BritBox in Canada, no broadcaster has picked up the 2026 event.
Brits travelling in Canada could look at a VPN to access their usual stream.
How to watch BAFTAs 2026 in Australia
In Australia, the 2026 BAFTAs will stream live on HBO Max from 6am AEDT on Monday, February 23. The show will be available on demand later in the day.
Max prices start at AU$11.99 per month or AU$119.99 per year Down Under, up to AU$21.99/AU$219.99 for the premium tier.
If you’re an Aussie abroad right now, you can simply sign up to a VPN to appear right back home.
The BAFTAs 2026 Nominees
Best Film
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Best Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Bugonia
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Robert Aramayo – I Swear
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
- Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Peter Mullan – I Swear
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
- Carey Mulligan – The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
- Emily Watson – Hamnet
Best Animated Film
- Elio
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Best Documentary
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- Apocalypse in the Tropics
- Cover-Up
- Mr Nobody Against Putin
- The Perfect Neighbor
Best Film Not in the English Language
- It Was Just an Accident
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sirāt
- The Voice of Hind Rajab
Outstanding British Film
- 28 Years Later
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
- Die My Love
- H Is for Hawk
- Hamnet
- I Swear
- Mr Burton
- Pillion
- Steve
