The BAFTAs 2024 viewers fumed as David Beckham referred to ‘soccer’ instead of ‘football’ as he presented a gong on Sunday night.
The former sporting star, 48, looked dapper on the stage as he gave out an award and used the American phrasing.
He looked smart at the event as he posed on the red carpet earlier in the night in a black suit and crisp white shirt.
Reacting to his use of ‘soccer’, one viewer wrote on Twitter: ‘that might be true in football, or soccer-‘ DAVID BECKHAM YOU ARE ON THE BAFTAS DON’T YOU DARE PANDER TO THE AMERICANS!!!’
A second wrote: ‘David Beckham calling football soccer at a British awards show.’
The BAFTAs 2024 viewers fumed as David Beckham referred to ‘soccer’ instead of ‘football’ as he presented a gong on Sunday night
The former sporting star, 48, looked dapper on the stage as he gave out an award and used the American phrasing
A third said: ‘David Beckham it’s a British awards show, you don’t need to mention soccer #EEBAFTAs.’
A fourth said: ‘david beckham saying football or soccer?’
Another penned: ‘Don’t say soccer, Dave. Pandering to the Americans #DavidBeckham #BAFTAs.’
Oppenheimer has won Best Film as well as sweeping the board in major categories at the BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.
The epic biographical thriller is leading the wins with seven gongs, including Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr and Best Director for Christopher Nolan. It has the most nominations with 13.
The biggest night in British film returned with actor David Tennant as host, with an array of guest presenters on hand to deliver awards throughout the night.
Cillian, 47, – who plays the titular role in Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb saga – picked up the prize at the prestigious British awards ceremony.
He triumphed against Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Colman Domingo for Rustin, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Barry Keoghan for Saltburn and Teo Yoo for Past Lives.
Reacting to his use of ‘soccer’, one viewer wrote on Twitter : ‘that might be true in football, or soccer-‘ DAVID BECKHAM YOU ARE ON THE BAFTAS DON’T YOU DARE PANDER TO THE AMERICANS!!!’
Another penned: ‘Don’t say soccer, Dave. Pandering to the Americans #DavidBeckham #BAFTAs’
Robert, 58, collected a BAFTA for his role as Lewis Strauss in Hollywood blockbuster Oppenheimer, which has swept the board during awards season.
Robert admitted he owes the award to the film’s director Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and leading man Cillian Murphy, as well as ‘British influence’.
Gesturing to Nolan, he said: ‘Recently that dude suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last ditch effort to resurrect my dwindling credibility.’
Robert’s win set a new record for the longest gap between wins by any performer.
His award, for the film Oppenheimer, comes 31 years after his previous BAFTA, for the 1993 film Chaplin.
The previous record was 27 years, set by Sir Anthony Hopkins in 2021 when he won the award for best actor for The Father, nearly three decades after his 1994 win for Shadowlands.
Nolan won the Best Director BAFTA for Oppenheimer, his epic tale of how the nuclear bomb was created.
Before accepting the award from actor Hugh Grant, Nolan hugged his Irish star Cillian Murphy who played physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
Nolan joked that his brother ‘beat him up here’ by being in a chorus of a production 40 years ago.
Nolan has previously lost out despite numerous commercial successes such as Inception and The Dark Knight, the UK-born filmmaker won out against Jonathan Glazer [The Zone of Interest], Justine Triet [Anatomy of a Fall], Alexander Payne [The Holdovers], Bradley Cooper [Maestro] and Andrew Haigh [All of Us Strangers].
He paid tribute to Murphy and added to those who backed the film: ‘Thank you for taking on something dark’.
The director also acknowledged the efforts of nuclear disarmament organisations to bring peace.
Oppenheimer swept up in the big name categories, but it was closely followed by the surreal black comedy Poor Things.
It marked five awards for the film, as Emma Stone collected the gong for her turn as Bella Baxter.
Accepting her award, she said: ‘Since we’re in London, I want to start by thanking dialect coach. She praised him for not laughing at her when he taught her how to say ‘water’.
‘I really wanted to thank my mum, because she’s the best person I know. Without her none of this would exist, including my life, so thank you for that Mum.’
Meanwhile, Da’Vine was crowned victorious in the Best Supporting Actress category for her part in The Holdovers as she continues her march to Oscars glory.
She took to the stage and told the presenter ‘you are so handsome’ – prompting laughter from the audience.
‘Thank you for trusting me with this beautiful character,’ she says.
Becoming emotional, she says that being able to ‘wear this beautiful gown, standing on the stage in London, is not a responsibility I take lightly’.
He looked smart at the event as he posed on the red carpet earlier in the night in a black suit and crisp white shirt
He arrived alone on the red carpet and his glamorous wife Victoria was nowhere to be seen
Randolph plays school cook Mary in the film set at a boarding school in the early 1970s.
Director Jonathan Glazer and producer James Wilson’s The Zone Of Interest has won the Bafta for outstanding British film.
Wilson told the audience they were ‘stunned’ the film had won three awards during the ceremony, and while it was shot in Poland, the team who made it was assembled from the UK.
The night kicked off with French legal drama Anatomy Of A Fall winning the Original Screenplay award after premiering in Cannes back in May.