Bafta 2025 host David Tennant’s ‘Beetlejuice’ Trump joke cut from BBC’s coverage

Bafta host

David Tennant hosted the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, where he made several jokes about Donald Trump. However, when the BBC aired the event, they removed some of his remarks. The awards ceremony took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall on February 16 and was recorded two hours before its broadcast.

The BBC edited the final broadcast down from three hours to two due to time constraints. As a result, some of Tennant’s jokes were cut, including those about Trump. One of the removed jokes compared Trump to the supernatural character Beetlejuice. Tennant had joked, “Donald Trump—I’m worried. I’ve said his name three times. It’s like Beetlejuice—I’ve summoned him.”

Another omitted joke referenced The Apprentice, a fictional film starring Sebastian Stan as a young Trump. Tennant quipped that Trump probably never watched the film because it had a UK rating of 15 and wasn’t available on Nickelodeon.

Additionally, some of Tennant’s other remarks were removed, including comments about the film Conclave. He made playful comparisons between the film’s setting and the reality show Pop Idol. Another joke about actor Stanley Tucci making the best Bellini cocktails was also left out of the final broadcast.

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Despite the edits, a few Trump-related jokes remained in the final version aired by the BBC. One of them made fun of Trump’s signature hairstyle. Tennant said, “It’s the boldest architecture in film this year, apart from Donald Trump’s hair in The Apprentice.”

Another joke that was kept in the broadcast compared Trump to famous villains. Tennant listed “Nosferatu, Hugh Grant in Heretic, and most chilling of all, [Wallace and Gromit antagonist] Feather McGraw.”

The BBC responded to questions about these edits by stating that the broadcast needed trimming due to time constraints. They explained that these edits were normal since awards shows often need to be condensed before airing.

While Tennant’s monologue sparked discussion, the BAFTA Awards night itself was significant for many winners. The films Conclave and The Brutalist both won four awards each. Adrien Brody won Best Actor, and Brady Corbet received Best Director for The Brutalist. Meanwhile, Mikey Madison won Best Actress for Anora, and Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain secured Best Original Screenplay.

Although some of Tennant’s jokes were cut, his monologue still drew attention, and the event celebrated the achievements of many filmmakers.