How David Tennant stole the show as 2024 Bafta host

David Tennant stole the show at the 2024 Baftas on Sunday, 18 February where the actor took to the stage to host the lavish film awards for the first time.

The Doctor Who star is already something of a national treasure thanks to his contribution to the entertainment industry, but his appearance at the awards show has truly cemented his status as he stole the show at one of the glitziest nights of the year. Tennant was charming and witty, cracking jokes and delighting both the audience and viewers at home with his effusively positive attitude.

Read more: Baftas 2024 full winners list: Oppenheimer and Poor Things win big while Barbie snubbed

Tennant appeared to be having the time of his life on stage, opening the show with an amusing segment alongside Michael Sheen, who requested Tennant dogsit his pup Bark Ruffalo for him on Sunday. Try as he might Tennant was unable to find someone else to take the dog off his hands, meaning he had to bring Bark with him to the awards show.

In a hilarious turn of events, Tennant discovered that Sheen was at the ceremony, and gave him his dog back before heading on stage. It was a fun moment, and helped set the tone for the night's events with the actor going on to give a fun opening monologue that celebrated the biggest films of the year and poked fun at the industry's increased interest in using AI.

Tennant stole the show with his fun moments in between awards being given out, showing that it wasn't necessary to be mean in order to be deemed funny. His approach to comedy is also markedly different to that of his predecessor Richard Ayoade, who favoured a dry sense of humour and awkward nature to bring the comedy onstage.

As well as sharing his delightful persona during the show, the actor also showed off his sartorial prowess by changing outfits multiple times both on the carpet and during the ceremony. The Scotsman began the night by wearing a kilt, before later changing into an array of black and gold suits.

Oppenheimer was the big winner of the night after earning seven awards including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Director, while Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things also earned five awards including Best Actress for Emma Stone. But really, it was Tennant who drew viewers to him and kept them engaged throughout the night, ending the show with a wonderful reference to Barbie by shouting "come on Barbie, let's go party."

The 77th Bafta Film Awards is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

Watch the highlights from the 2024 Baftas: