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The nominees for this year’s Academy Awards, which take place on 12 March, have now been revealed.

Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the Oscars 2023 race with 11 nominations, while blockbusters including the Top Gun and Avatar sequels are also nominated, and Ana de Armas, Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy and Cate Blanchett are among the acting nominees.

You can read our full story on the stars and movies leading the pack here – and scroll down for the full list of which actors and what films are up for each prize.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Aftersun. Pic: MUBI
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Paul Mescal plays a young father to Frankie Corio’s Sophie in Aftersun. Pic: MUBI

Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Barry Keoghan also stars in the film. Pic: 20th Century Studios
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The Banshees Of Inisherin stars Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan (pictured) are both nominated, along with co-star Brendan Gleeson. Pic: 20th Century Studios

Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

The movie juxtaposes Monroe's seemingly glamorous life with a sad reality. Pic: Netflix
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Ana de Armas portrays Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Pic: Netflix

Cate Blanchett – Tar
Ana de Armas – Blonde
Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie
Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Pic: A24
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Everything Everywhere All At Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu (pictured) are all nominated in the acting categories, as is co-star Jamie Lee Curtis. Pic: A24

Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All At Once

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Turning Red features Rosalie Chiang as the voice of Mei Lee and Sandra Oh as the voice of Ming. Pic: Disney/Pixar
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Turning Red features Rosalie Chiang as the voice of Mei Lee and Sandra Oh as the voice of Ming. Pic: Disney/Pixar

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On – Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish – Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
The Sea Beast – Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
Turning Red – Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Olivia Colman and Colin Firth in Empire Of Light. Pic: Parisa Taghizadeh/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios
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Olivia Colman and Colin Firth in Empire Of Light. Pic: Parisa Taghizadeh/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios

All Quiet On The Western Front – James Friend
Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths – Darius Khondji
Elvis – Mandy Walker
Empire Of Light – Roger Deakins
Tar – Florian Hoffmeister

COSTUME DESIGN

Lesley Manville in Mrs Harris Goes To Paris. Pic: Liam Daniel/Ada Films Ltd/Harris Squared Kft
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Lesley Manville stars in Mrs Harris Goes To Paris. Pic: Liam Daniel/Ada Films Ltd/Harris Squared Kft

Babylon – Mary Zophres
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth Carter
Elvis – Catherine Martin
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Shirley Kurata
Mrs Harris Goes To Paris – Jenny Beavan

DIRECTING

The Banshees Of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg
Tar – Todd Field
Triangle Of Sadness – Ruben Ostlund

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

All That Breathes – Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
Fire Of Love – Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
A House Made of Splinters – Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
Navalny – Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

The Elephant Whisperers – Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Haulout – Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
How Do You Measure A Year? – Jay Rosenblatt
The Martha Mitchell Effect – Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
Stranger At The Gate – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

FILM EDITING

The Banshees of Inisherin – Mikkel EG Nielsen
Elvis – Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Paul Rogers
Tar – Monika Willi
Top Gun: Maverick – Eddie Hamilton

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front – Germany
Argentina, 1985 – Argentina
Close – Belgium
EO – Poland
The Quiet Girl – Ireland

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

All Quiet on the Western Front – Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerova
The Batman – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
Elvis – Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti
The Whale – Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann
Babylon – Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin – Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Son Lux
The Fabelmans – John Williams

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

NT Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan Teja in RRR. Pic: DVV Entertainment
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NT Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan Teja in RRR. Pic: DVV Entertainment

Applause from Tell It like A Woman – music and lyrics by Diane Warren
Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick – music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
Lift Me Up from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler
Naatu Naatu from “RRR – music by MM Keeravaani; lyrics by Chandrabose
This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once – music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

BEST FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front – Malte Grunert
Avatar: The Way of Water – James Cameron and Jon Landau
The Banshees Of Inisherin – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh
Elvis – Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang
The Fabelmans – Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
Tar – Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert
Top Gun: Maverick – Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer
Triangle Of Sadness – Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober
Women Talking – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand

PRODUCTION DESIGN

All Quiet On The Western Front – production design, Christian M Goldbeck; set decoration, Ernestine Hipper
Avatar: The Way Of Water – production design, Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; set decoration, Vanessa Cole
Babylon – production design, Florencia Martin – set decoration, Anthony Carlino
Elvis – production design, Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; set decoration, Bev Dunn
The Fabelmans – production design, Rick Carter; set decoration, Karen O’Hara

SOUND

All Quiet On The Western Front – Viktor Prasil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
Avatar: The Way of Water – Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
The Batman – Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
Elvis – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
Top Gun: Maverick – Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

VISUAL EFFECTS

All Quiet On The Western Front – Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
Avatar: The Way of Water – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
The Batman – Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
Top Gun: Maverick – Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R Fisher

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix .. 2022.
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Daniel Craig returned as Detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Pic: Netflix

All Quiet On The Western Front – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Rian Johnson
Living – Kazuo Ishiguro
Top Gun: Maverick – screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks
Women Talking – Sarah Polley

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

The Banshees Of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans – Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
Tar – Todd Field
Triangle Of Sadness – Ruben Ostlund

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse – Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
The Flying Sailor – Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Ice Merchants – Joao Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
My Year Of D**** – Sara Gunnarsdottir and Pamela Ribon
An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake And I Think I Believe It – Lachlan Pendragon

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

An Irish Goodbye -Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Ivalu – Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
Le Pupille – Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuaron
Night Ride – Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
The Red Suitcase – Cyrus Neshvad

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BAFTA TV Awards 2025: Post Office drama and Mr Loverman among big winners

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BAFTA TV Awards 2025: Post Office drama and Mr Loverman among big winners

Mr Bates Vs The Post Office and Mr Loverman were among the big winners at this year’s BAFTA TV awards – with Danny Dyer and Ruth Jones picking up comedy prizes.

After Mr Bates was named the winner of the TV BAFTA for best limited drama, ITV was also given a special award for commissioning a show that “brought dynamic change”.

The four-part series, which aired in January 2024, depicted how former subpostmasters and subpostmistresses were held liable by the Post Office for financial discrepancies thrown up by its computerised accounting system, Horizon – shining a light on one of the widest miscarriages of justice in UK legal history.

Producer Patrick Spence said the show could never have been made without ITV, as well as the journalists who covered the wrongful convictions, and those who campaigned about the scandal.

“Our show didn’t change the law, the people of this nation did that,” he said.

Lennie James in the press room after winning the Leading Actor Award for 'Mr Loverman' during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Lennie James was named best actor for Mr Loverman. Pic: PA

Marisa Abela in the press room after winning the Leading Actress Award for 'Industry' during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Marisa Abela won her prize for Industry. Pic: PA

Mr Bates stars Toby Jones and Monica Dolan missed out on prizes in the acting categories, with Marisa Abela named best actress for her performance in Industry and Lennie James named best actor for Mr Loverman, a series based on the novel of the same name by Booker Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo.

Both winners seemed shocked to receive the gongs, with first-time nominee Abela saying: “Oh my god, I really wasn’t expecting that at all… This is insane.”

James described the win as a “fantastic honour”.

Earlier in the night, his co-star Ariyon Bakare took home the prize for best supporting actor, while Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning picked up the gong for best supporting actress.

Ruth Jones in the press room after winning the Female Performance in a Comedy Programme Award for 'Gavin & Stacey: The Finale' during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Ruth Jones with her comedy performance gong. Pic: PA

Danny Dyer in the press room after winning the Male Performance in a Comedy Programme Award for 'Mr Bigstuff' during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Danny Dyer won his BAFTA for Mr Bigstuff. Pic: PA

Elsewhere, Dyer got one of the night’s biggest cheers as his first ever BAFTA was announced – the award for male performance in a comedy, for his role in Sky’s Mr Bigstuff – while Jones’s final performance as Nessa in the long-awaited Gavin & Stacey: The Finale earned her the female comedy performance gong.

Accepting his prize, Dyer said “the acting was so bad it was funny”, before he swore several times despite being warned about the rules. He also thanked his family, and writer and actor Ryan Sampson, who he called the “best thing to come out of Rotherham”.

“I’m not going to lie this is immense,” said Jones as she collected her award. “The person I would like to thank most his my dear, dear talented friend James Corden.”

She said without British actor Corden, her co-creator and co-star, “Vanessa Shanessa Nessa’ Jenkins would not exist”.

Read more:
The full list of winners
The red carpet in pictures

TV Awards – as it happened

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Stars on the red carpet

Wins for other shows included best drama for Blue Lights, best soap for EastEnders, best scripted comedy for Alma’s Not Normal, best entertainment performance for Joe Lycett’s Late Night Lycett, and best entertainment programme for Would I Lie To You?

This year’s BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade given by the organisation, in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games or television, was presented to broadcaster Kirsty Wark for her “unwavering dedication and unmatched legacy in the world of news and current affairs broadcasting”.

Two new categories celebrating children’s television were also introduced this yearm with CBeebies As You Like It at Shakespeare’s Globe taking home the inaugural prize for best children’s scripted, and Sky’s Disability and Me (FYI Investigates) winning the non-scripted prize.

The main ceremony, which was hosted by actor and presenter Alan Cumming at London’s Royal Festival Hall, came two weeks after the BAFTA craft ceremony for technical awards – where Baby Reindeer, Rivals and Slow Horses each picked up two prizes.

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BAFTA TV Awards red carpet: Celebs arrive in style ahead of ceremony

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BAFTA TV Awards red carpet: Celebs arrive in style ahead of ceremony

Stars of the small screen have hit the red carpet in the sunshine ahead of today’s BAFTA TV Awards.

Baby Reindeer, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Rivals, and Slow Horses are among the shows in the running for big prizes.

This year’s ceremony is hosted by Alan Cumming.

But before the BAFTA prizes are dished out, the stars are making their way down the red carpet at London’s Festival Hall.

Here’s a look at all the outfits.

BAFTA TV Awards – live updates
The full list of nominated stars and shows

Maura Higgins attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire
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Love Island and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Maura Higgins

L-R: Danny Dyer (centre) and daughters Sunnie Jo (left) and Dani at the BAFTA TV Awards 2025
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The Dyers: Rivals and Mr Bigstuff star Danny Dyer (centre) and daughters Sunnie Jo (left) and Dani

Katherine Parkinson attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire
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Rivals star Katherine Parkinson

Emily Atack attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire
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Rivals actress Emily Atack

Alan Cumming attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Your host for the evening – Alan Cumming

Ella Morgan attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Trans star Ella Morgan, who starred in Married At First Sight

Tasha Ghouri attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing star Tasha Ghouri

Laura Whitmore attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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TV presenter Laura Whitmore

Leanne Quigley attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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The Traitors star Leanne Quigley

Jessie J attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Singer Jessie J

JB Gill attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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JLS singer and TV presenter JB Gill

Kimberley Walsh attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Girls Aloud singer and TV presenter Kimberley Walsh

Faye Tozer attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Steps singer Faye Tozer

Lenny Rush attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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Am I Being Unreasonable? star Lenny Rush

Journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Kimberly Wyatt attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Pussycat Dolls star and TV presenter Kimberly Wyatt

Ashley James attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Broadcaster Ashley James

Gabby Allen attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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Love Island winner Gabby Allen

Joseph Fiennes attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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The Handmaid’s Tale and Dear England star Joseph Fiennes

Hollyoaks star Nikki Sanderson attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Hollyoaks star Nikki Sanderson

YouTube star Adeola Patronne attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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YouTube personality Adeola Patronne

La Voix attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Britain’s Got Talent and Ru Paul’s Drag Race star La Voix

Ekin-Su Culculoglu attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu

Christopher Chung attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Slow Horses actor Christopher Chung

Chloe Kelly attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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England football star Chloe Kelly

Mr Bates Vs The Post Office star Monica Dolan attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Bafta. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire
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Mr Bates Vs The Post Office star Monica Dolan

Ekin-Su Culculoglu attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu

Jonathan Pryce attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Slow Horses actor Jonathan Pryce

Clara Amfo attending the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London. Picture date: Sunday May 11, 2025.
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Broadcaster Clara Amfo

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Stanley Tucci on Italian politics – through the prism of food

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Stanley Tucci on Italian politics - through the prism of food

Stanley Tucci says he doesn’t understand why there has been a sudden rise in the “very far right”.

The 64-year-old actor, author and food connoisseur leads a new show aptly named Tucci In Italy, where he looks at the world-renowned cuisine and how its ingredients tell much more than just what is served on the plate.

Speaking to Sky News, he says painting the full picture of the Italian landscape was the driving force behind the show and that he made a conscious decision to include stories from all backgrounds.

Mr Tucci tries lampredotto while in Florence. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak
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Stanley Tucci tries lampredotto while in Florence. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak

“I asked that we include a story about a gay couple and their children, whether it was adopted or surrogate or however, because I thought it was a really interesting story.

“I am confused as to the direction that so much of the world is heading now to the very far right and sort of vilifying the other, meaning people who aren’t like us, but I don’t quite know what that means because we are all so different.

“There is no us, right? We’re all different, so I don’t know what the problem is there.”

Canci checi, a Ladin staple consisting of fried ravioli.  Pic: National Geographic
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Canci checi, a Ladin staple consisting of fried ravioli. Pic: National Geographic

Mr Tucci cooks at BBQ joint Ristoro Mucciante in Abruzzo with one of the owners, Rodolfo Mucciante, right.  Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak
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Tucci cooks at BBQ joint ristoro mucciante in Abruzzo with one of the owners, Rodolfo Mucciante, right. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak

Tucci adds that he wants to “look at what’s happening in Italy politically and how it’s affecting people but, of course, all through the prism of food”.

More on Italy

“Those people are sitting there having a traditional Sunday lunch with the grandparents, with the grandkid, and they’re a family and yet the government says they’re not a family.

“I think that’s really interesting because Italy puts so much emphasis on family and for all practical purposes, Italy has a negative birth rate so why wouldn’t you want to welcome more children into your society who are Italian?”

Chef and owner Matilde Pettini opened Dalla Lola in 2021 and discusses their dishes with Mr Tucci. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak
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Chef and owner Matilde Pettini opened Dalla Lola in 2021 and discusses their dishes with Tucci. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak

Ramadan El Sabawy hands Stanley Tucci a plate with his son's crispy Margherita Pizza. Pic: National Geographic
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Ramadan El Sabawy hands Tucci a plate with his son’s crispy margherita pizza. Pic: National Geographic

In 2016, Italy passed a law that now recognises civil unions for same-sex couples in the country.

It grants couples many of the same rights and financial protections as married heterosexual couples, however, it doesn’t give LGBT+ couples the right to joint adoption or in vitro fertilisation.

In 2023, the Italian government extended its initial ban on surrogacy to include arrangements made by its citizens abroad.

Its legislation subjects any intended parent who breaks the law to jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to €1m (£846,000).

The law doesn’t include those children who were already registered before it came into effect.

Stanley Tucci holding a cheese made in Lazio. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak
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Tucci holding a cheese made in Lazio. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak

Torcinello, a traditional sausage, served with scampi, sea asparagus, and sweet pepper sauce. Pic: National Geographic
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Torcinello, a traditional sausage, served with scampi, sea asparagus, and sweet pepper sauce. Pic: National Geographic

The buzzword on social media over the last few weeks has been “conclave” following the death of Pope Francis and of course, the Oscar-winning film of the same name.

Our interview took place just before the real conclave took place, which resulted in Pope Leo XIV becoming the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church.

Starring in the film alongside Ralph Fiennes, Tucci became inadvertently connected to the news agenda when life began to imitate art.

“It’s fascinating. I mean, look, I don’t know anything about it, really, other than I made a movie about it. That’s all I know. But it is, the timing of it is unfortunate, but it’s also oddly coincidental.”

Tucci In Italy looks at traditional Italian cuisine but also explores the impact history, changing political landscapes, migration and culture can have on a dinner plate.

Timballo being cut, revealing the intricate layers of crespelle and meatballs inside. Pic: National Geographic
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Timballo being cut, revealing the intricate layers of crespelle and meatballs inside. Pic: National Geographic

Mr Tucci fly fishes in a glacial river with locals. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak
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Mr Tucci fly fishes in a glacial river with locals in Trentino-Alto Adige. Pic: National Geographic/Matt Holyoak

Hay soup in a loaf of homemade bread, served in the restaurant Gostner Schwaige. Pic: National Geographic
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Hay soup in a loaf of homemade bread, served in the restaurant Gostner Schwaige. Pic: National Geographic

Read more from Sky News:
Dance artist Moby on the destructive force of fame
David Attenborough’s new film ‘biggest message he’s ever told’

He visits the northern area of Trentino-Alto Adige, which borders Austria, to look at how Mussolini’s intense policies regarding German identity shaped the area and people today.

“It’s an incredibly beautiful region, but also it’s the way those two cultures have figured out a way to get along without violence, without blame, without hating each other, without divisiveness.

“I think it’s really wonderful. It’s a testament to… How easy it can be for us to get along.”

Tucci In Italy premieres 21 May at 8pm on National Geographic and all episodes stream from 19 May on Disney+.

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