And it’s amazing.
Stephen Fry is the host of BAFTAs 2017, opening this year’s ceremony in style, even entering the stage during a spectacular performance by Cirque de Soleil.
Despite warmly welcoming each nominee and referencing each film, it wasn’t long before Stephen Fry’s speech took a hilarious turn as he started making political digs.
As he publicly welcomed Meryl Streep, he referred to her recent spat with Donald Trump, throwing some serious shade at the President, calling him out for labelling her an ‘overrated actress’ and proving once and for all that he’s team Meryl.
Declaring her to be ‘one of the greatest actresses of all time’, he continued, ‘only a blithering idiot would think otherwise’, before adding, ‘I would say underrated to be honest’, prompting cheers from the crowd.
The cheers got even louder, however, when Stephen left the stage to kiss Meryl. Yes, really.
As the speech continued, it was clear that no one was exempt from a dig, with even Prince William being the subject of a light-hearted joke as the host announced, ‘After watching a recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are, [Prince William] is still recovering from the devastating news that he's related to Danny Dyer.’ Prince William – ever the sport – laughed along.
When finally leading into the awards ceremony, Stephen Fry couldn’t help but make one last dig at the President of the United States, this time referencing Donald Trump’s close relationship with Putin as he announced, ‘Let’s find out who the Russians have decided have won.’
