Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses star slams ‘cringeworthy’ BAFTAs ‘No excuses’

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES actor Patrick Murray, who played Mickey Pearce in the BBC sitcom, has blasted the BAFTAs for being "extremely cringeworthy" following host Rebel Wilson's jokes.

The 65-year-old Only Fools and Horses actor told GB News the awards ceremony, held on Sunday evening, has “epitomised how low awards have sunk”. Patrick’s remarks come after Australian actress Rebel Wilson received mixed reviews for hosting the prestigious event at the Royal Albert Hall. The 42-year-old actress made risqué jokes about Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew, the gender pay gap and her recent weight loss which did not sit well with the sitcom star.

The Pitch Perfect singer also deplored Russian dictator Vladimir Putin while she was hosting the star-studded film and television awards.

Addressing her weight loss while she took to the stage, Rebel said: “I might look a bit different from the last time you saw me here.”

She then joked about taking over from Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, adding: “Because of the gender pay gap I actually won’t be 007, I’ll be 004.5”

Rebel, who did not shy away from bold comments, then took a swipe at the Duke of York, adding: “I was going to do a musical number as host – it was about Prince Andrew.

Patrick Murray blasted Rebel Wilson

Only Fools and Horses star slams ‘cringeworthy’ BAFTAs ‘No excuses’ (Image: GETTY)

rebel wilson baftas

BAFTAs: Rebel Wilson hosted the award ceremony (Image: GETTY)

“It was on roller-skates. It was called Pizza Express but don’t worry, I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to sing – I’m saving my voice for the sequel to Cats.”

The actress also took a swipe at the Sussexes before showing the nominees for outstanding British film, quipping: “From drama to horror to fantasy, Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah had it all.”

Rebel’s presenting role received a mixed response from viewers at home and was lambasted by Patrick Murray. 

“I watched the BAFTAs and found it to be extremely cringeworthy,” he told GB News. 

rebel wilson BAFTAS

BAFTAs: The Australian actress received mixed reaction (Image: GETTY)

Prince harry and meghan

BAFTAs: Rebel took a swipe at the Sussexes (Image: GETTY )

“All those major winners who ‘couldn’t be there,’ but failed to mention why epitomised how low these awards and the presentation ceremony has sunk.

“I remember when Only Fools and Horses was nominated and the award ceremony clashed with filming in Margate. No excuses here.

“The lads borrowed the chopper that was used to film the coach descending on Margate and flew into London straight after filming, making it in time for the prestigious presentation.

“The BAFTAs have now changed from a sincere celebration of excellence in the fields of film and television to an apology for its very existence.”

This year the awards were held in person for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Last year the awards were pushed back by weeks and the audience, as well as the nominees, had to attend the event virtually.

This year, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi film Dune led the pack this year with 11 nominations, closely followed byThe Power of the Dog, which amassed a total of eight.

Prince Williams, who is the president of BAFTA, was absent from this year’s ceremony.

However, he recorded a video message where he congratulated the nominees. 

Within the clip, he claimed to be “extremely proud” of the Academy’s Breakthrough mentoring programme, which has has “provided opportunities and support for talented people”. 

He said: “It’s wonderful that there are more than 30 participants from Breakthrough UK in the audience this evening.” 

However, the Duke of Cambridge’s absence reportedly left organisers “very disappointed”. 

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button