Actor Phil Davis Quits BAFTA After “Embarrassing Travesty” of an Awards Show

Actor Phil Davis was not pleased with this year’s BAFTA ceremony, to say the least. The Whitechapel actor took to Twitter after Sunday’s (Feb. 19) show to express his displeasure, calling the ceremony an “embarrassing travesty.”

Davis, who earned a BAFTA nomination of his own years ago for his work in 2004 period drama film Vera Drake, was upset enough to completely resign his BAFTA membership.

“The BAFTA awards were an embarrassing travesty. Cutting deserving winners speeches for toe curling non interviews,” he wrote in a Feb. 22 tweet. “Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbens in memorium. I resigned my membership.”

The BAFTA awards were an embarrassing travesty. Cutting deserving winners speeches for toe curling non interviews. Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbens in memorium. I resigned my membership

— Phil Davis (@PhilDavis6) February 22, 2023

Davis is far from the only person to criticize this year’s BAFTAs, which was blasted by critics for cutting acceptance speeches short and failing to recognize more non-white actors.

Davis also called out the awards show for leaving friend and fellow Doctor Who actor Bernard Cribbins out of the In Memoriam segment. Cribbins has earned a BAFTA nomination of his own, for his work in 1970 family drama film The Railway Children.

Didn't care for the 'montaging' of many categories on the BAFTAs telecast. Some winners had 5 seconds of their speech shown, but no nominees in shorts, international, documentary & many craft categories had their names mentioned, nor any clips. They deserve a national stage too.

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) February 20, 2023

That every BAFTA winner is White is NOT shocking. Its intentional to exclude and discriminate. So very…British. #BAFTAsowhite #BAFTA2023 @BAFTA pic.twitter.com/OIUdSDSntA

— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) February 20, 2023

I hate to labour the point re Bernard Cribbins' @BAFTA omission but here's the opening of scene of one of the FORTY or so BRITISH films he made during his career. pic.twitter.com/SZFbAIoCkd

— James Hogg (@JamesAHogg2) February 20, 2023

In addition to acting in Vera Drake and Doctor Who, Davis has also made his mark over the years in titles like Quadrophenia, The Bounty, The Firm, In the Name of the Father, North Square, Bleak House, Whitechapel, Silk, Mad Dogs and Trying.